Tom's Guide Verdict
The stylish, compact Cuisinart 4-Slice Classic Metal Toaster is two easy-to-use toasters in one.
Pros
- +
Can toast four slices at two different settings simultaneously
- +
Compact attractive retro design
- +
Accurate and consistent toasting shades
- +
No loud buzzer or alert
Cons
- -
Exterior felt hot
- -
No way to preview toast before the cycle finished
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Slices: 4
Material: Stainless steel
Dimensions: 10.65 x 11.15 x 7.5 inches
Weight: 6.1 pounds
Settings: 6 + Bagel, Defrost, Reheat
Cord length: 31 inches
Color options: Brushed Stainless, Black Stainless, Metallic Red, White
The Cuisinart 4-Slice Classic Metal Toaster is proof that a dual control four slice toaster does not have to be massive to deliver all the toasting features most people want. The Cusisinart is two toasters in one, with separate shade controls and specialty bread features available for two sets of breads.
I put this toaster to the test to see if this retro appliance has the performance to back up its good looks. And overall it performed quite well despite a couple of drawbacks.
Cuisinart CPT-180 4-Slice Classic Metal Toaster: Price and availability
The Cuisinart 4-Slice Classic Metal Toaster has a list price of $69 on Amazon, but currently on offer for $53. This also comes in several finishes including Brushed Stainless, Black Stainless, Metallic Red, and White.
Cuisinart CPT-180 4-Slice Classic Metal Toaster: Design
The Cuisinart is elegantly designed with a retro style stainless steel body with front side color accents. We tested the stainless Black combination, which would look great in any kitchen. The dimensions are relatively modest at 11.15 inches wide, 7.5 inches tall, and 10.65 inches deep, weighing in at 6.1 pounds. It has two separate controls for each two-slice set of extra wide 1.5-inch slots to accommodate bagels and other thick breads.
A simple carriage control lever lets you pull the bread into the toasting mechanism, and it also serves to raise the bread above the toasting slots — so you don’t burn your fingers removing the toast afterwards. Each toasting mechanism has separate Bagel, Defrost, Reheat, and Cancel buttons. And when you depress these buttons, they glow red to show you which option you chose.
When your toast is finished (there’s no buzzer or alarm) — you just hear the toast spring up. The shade control is a circular free moving dial with settings from one to six that also lets you toast in between settings. A convenient reheating function lets you re-warm bread that was left too long in the toaster to its proper temperature, without adding to the shade of the toast.
One thing to note is we found the body of the Cuisinart a bit warm to the touch, with exterior temperatures up front ranging from 80 to 97 degrees and side temperatures ranging from 81 to 116 degrees. While that temperature spread was typical of medium settings on most of the toasters we tested, the Cuisinart felt noticeably hotter — though not enough to injure anyone.
Energy-wise, it consumes 0.059 kWh at full capacity for 2:13 minutes of toasting, which is moderate for a toaster with four separate slots.
Cuisinart CPT-180 4-Slice Classic Metal Toaster: Performance
We were pleased with the toasting performance, which was mostly accurate to match the shade control. In addition, the slices toasted the bread evenly. The Medium setting showed some grill marks but they are the same on both sides — though we found consistency a little skewed as one side generally looked a bit lighter than the other.
Bagel performance was similarly accurate as to shade with the back side warmed but not colored. The Defrost setting turned out a frozen waffle that was a bit light for our defrost test on lower settings, but the toaster seemed more accurate when defrosting at the higher setting, delivering a nice dark waffle.
Cuisinart CPT-180 4-Slice Classic Metal Toaster: Ease of use and cleaning
Despite its unconventional design, the Cuisinart toaster is super easy to use. There are two crumb trays on the bottom of the unit at the back — one for each separate toaster module –and they easily click out so you can clean and rinse them before re-inserting them back into the toaster.
Unlike some other high capacity toasters, the Cuisinart has only a two-prong grounded plug, as opposed to the three prongs. Storage cleats underneath the toaster hold the rather short 31-inch cord in place underneath the unit so it sits securely on your counter without wobbling.
Should you have questions about the operation, the manual comes with an illustration and detailed descriptions of all the features this toaster offers.
Cuisinart CPT-180 4-Slice Classic Metal Toaster: Verdict
The Cuisinart CPT-180 4-Slice Classic Metal Toaster ticks all the boxes in terms of looks, performance, and features. If you’re going to buy a four-slice toaster, the most convenient and versatile way is to be able to separate the settings for each two-slice set. Cuisinart did that very well in a relatively compact space.
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