It used to be a toaster was a joke in gift giving. When you opened up a new account at the bank, they’d give you one as a thank you. Brides and grooms would be inundated with several as wedding gifts, long before wedding registries were created. But the simple truth is, toasters are essential in many homes as a part of starting the day off right. They provide a way for a quick breakfast and a delicious BLT. Today the variety of toasters available is so large, choosing one is harder than before.

When you start your search you have to have in mind how many slots you want. Generally there are two or four slots, but new toasters today can have one large slot. A couple can get by with just a simple two slotted model. But a larger family may want one that has four so that toasting goes faster. The single slot toasters have one long slot that goes the length of it, and the appliance itself is much longer than the average one.

Toasters are not just for making toast anymore. There are a variety of items that can be toasted now and bagels are a popular choice. But making a bagel in a regular one can cause a nightmare when it gets stuck and then falls apart as you dig it out. That is why companies today are creating ones with larger slots to insert and remove a bagel easily.

Everyone likes their toast done differently. Some enjoy a lightly piece of toast while another wants theirs as black as possible. That is why it is important to choose a model with a variety of settings so that you can choose the light and darkness of your toast and have it just as you like it.

Another thing to look at is whether there is a button to eject the toast before it pops up. In general, toast pops up when it is done according to the setting that is chosen. In the past, when someone wants to pop out toast before it is done they just raised the lever that lowers the toast. But today, many toasters have levers that lock into place, which doesn’t allow you to stop the toast before it is ready. For that reason, some of them have a button that you push to pop up the bread when you want.

Many people don’t think about this, but a crumb tray is important. Without a crumb tray, all those bread crumbs that are impossible to avoid when toasting will be all over the counter or surface you have it placed on. A good crumb tray is one that is easy to remove and put back, as well as easy to empty and wash if necessary.

People like things to match in their kitchen and because of that you can now find toasters in a variety of shapes and colors. The toasters of the past were generally all shiny metals and didn’t exactly go with every color scheme. That is why today you have a large selection of colors, even pink, to choose from.

Selecting the right toaster is a big decision for some people. It is an essential part of getting their day off right. Because of the variety of colors, slot sizes, and designs on the market today, choosing one can be fun. If you’d like an extra special model, look at the ones that defrost bread, use a rack on top to warm thick pieces of bread, or fry an egg, warm, ham, and toast bread all at the same time.

Jane Garland owns a best toaster blog. She writes reviews for many top rated toaster products and brands like DeLonghi toasters, Back to Basics toasters, Cuisinart toasters and more in her toaster reviews blog.