The one toaster you need to make perfect toast

With few moving parts and a simple design, you'd think that most toasters could make a decent piece of toast. But that's not what Consumer Reports has found in its decades of testing toasters. In fact, only one toaster in our current Ratings gets excellent marks for making toast that's not too light, not too dark, and that pops out perfectly browned slices batch after batch.

The Calphalon Stainless Steel HE200ST, $60, is among the least expensive models in our toaster Ratings, but its ability to turn out evenly browned toast, time after time, was unsurpassed by the competition. It was particularly good at toasting at a range of intensities—ideal if your family members prefer different levels of light to dark. It also tackled a single slice carefully, leaving it nicely browned and not overdone. Special features include settings for bagels, warming and reheating, and defrosting. The four-slice version, the Calphalon Stainless Steel HE400ST, $80, was equally adept.

What's new in toasters
The quest for a perfect piece of toast remains elusive even as manufacturers add more bells and whistles to their toasters. But some models are getting close as evidenced by the nine models on our list of top toaster picks. Here are some of the new toaster features we've seen as well as recommended models that have them.

Clearer controls. Some of the best models in our tests have easy-to-use touchpad controls, which are an improvement on the imprecise shade dials of old. We're also seeing more LCD displays with a countdown feature that tells you how long until your toast pops.
Toaster with this feature. Cuisinart CPT-420, $80.

Motorized lifts. A few new models have done away with the traditional push lever in favor of a motorized lift that automatically lowers and raises bread.
Toaster with this feature. Breville BTA840XL, $180.

See-through walls. If you're picky about the doneness of your toast, being able to watch it turn brown is a worthwhile feature. But don't ignore overall performance.
Toaster with this feature. Magimix Vision Toaster, $250.

Special settings. Some toasters have a bagel setting that toasts on one side only, so you can brown the cut side and keep the other side softer.
Toaster with this feature.  Hamilton Beach Digital 22502, $35., a CR Best Buy.

Big names on small appliances. Because some people want small appliances that
match their large ones, more and more large appliance brands are making countertop appliances. But don't buy by brand alone as they may not live up to the reputation of their bigger brand mates.
Toaster with this feature. Frigidaire Professional FPTT02D7MS, $60.

—Mary H.J. Farrell