If you want to add a touch of past to your kitchen, read about the best models of vintage and retro toasters.
I will review the best 5 models of vintage and retro-looking toasters. You can compare their specifications and decide which toaster will best meet your needs.
What To Know About Retro And Vintage Toasters
Why Choose An Old-Fashioned Toaster?
Retro and vintage toasters combine the old-fashioned look of a toaster with the modern toasting technology. They usually have additional features such as the bagel that toasts only the cut side of the pastry, defrost, reheat, etc.
Which Size To Choose?
Vintage and retro toasters come in different shapes and sizes. A 2-slice toaster will serve well smaller families, but if you have a bigger family, consider finding a toaster with 4 slots. Retro toasters come in different dimensions, with square or rounded edges. When you are choosing the toaster model, consider the space that you have on your countertop.
Ease Of Use
When you are buying a vintage and retro-style toaster, you want it to be simple to use. All the toasters from my list have user-friendly controls with one button for one setting. Also, your old-fashioned toaster should have a removable crumb tray so you do not have to turn the toaster upside down during the cleaning process.
Where To Buy Retro And Vintage Toasters?
For the biggest selection of retro and vintage toasters, consider visiting online retailers. My favourite is Amazon because it offers a variety of brands, models and price ranges. You will find the customer reviews for each product and similar products listed for you. Also, you can often find vintage and retro toasters on sales and use Amazon’s coupons.
Best 5 Retro And Vintage Toasters Reviews
Best Pink Retro 1950s Toaster
Smeg 2-Slice Toaster In Pink
Toast Thick Bread
Smeg 2-slice retro toaster features extra-wide slots (1.4 inches). The slots are self-centering so they automatically adjust to the thickness of the bread you put in the slots. This means that you can toast both thin and thick pastries, such as bagels, waffles, English muffins, etc.
Three Toasting Functions
The Smeg retro toaster features the bagel function that toasts only the cut side of the bagel, defrost and reheat functions. You can also select the desired shade of the toast, from light to dark. Once the toast is done, it pops up from the slots.
Additional Useful Features
The Smeg 1950s toaster comes with a stainless steel removable crumb tray that slides out from the back. The 39-inch long cord can be stored at the base of the toaster for neat storage. The bottom of the toaster is anti-slip to prevent the toaster from sliding on the countertop and to ensure more safety.
High-Quality Materials
The Smeg retro toaster has a powder-coated steel body, while the base is polished chrome. The control knobs are chrome and stainless steel. The toaster weighs 6.8 pounds and is 15.5 inches long, 8.2 inches wide and 8.5 inches tall. The toaster comes in retro pink color, but other colors are available as well.
- Extra-wide self-adjusting slots
- Reheat, defrost and bagel settings
- Six browning levels
Best Red Retro Pop-Up Hot Dog Toaster
Nostalgia Pop-Up Hot Dog And Bun Toaster
Prepares Hot Dogs
Nostalgia toaster can be used to toast two regular-sized or thicker sausages and two hot dog buns. The toaster comes with a hot dog cage and small thongs that you can use to retrieve the hot dogs. The hot dog cage can be removed.
Adjust The Level Of Doneness
The Nostalgia retro hot dog toaster allows you to select the desired temperature and doneness of the hot dog. Besides the shade control knob, the toaster features the cancel button that you can use to stop the toasting cycle at any point. The lever is used to lower the sausages and buns into the slots.
Easy To Clean
The Nostalgia red pop-up hot dog toaster features a removable drip tray that catches crumbs and drips from the sausages. This way the cleaning is fast and easy. The base of the toaster has little clips where you can wrap the 34-inch long cord.
Compact And Lightweight
This retro toaster is 8.3 inches deep, 5 inches wide and 9 inches tall. It is lightweight with only 2.5 pounds. Customers said that it is much easier to prepare hot dogs in this toaster than in a microwave and the cheap price is a bonus.
- Fits two sausages and two buns
- Adjustable level of doneness
- Hot dog cage and mini thongs included
- Compact and lightweight
Best White Retro 4-Slice Toaster
Dualit 47153 NewGen Toaster In White
Control The Toasting Process
What makes the Dualit retro-looking toaster unique is that you can manually select the number of slots you want to use. You can use all 4 slots or only 1, 2 or 3 slots. To remove the toast from the slots, you need to raise it by the help of a lever. This keeps the toast warm longer.
Toast Different Pastries
The Dualit 4-slice NewGen retro toaster features the bagel and defrost settings. The slots are wide enough to accommodate thick bread styles or bagels. You can also select how light or dark you want your toast to be. As with other toasters, the sliding crumb tray makes cleaning a breeze.
Hand-Built For Sturdiness
The Dualit toaster is hand-built in the UK and it is made from high-quality stainless steel. The ends are cast aluminium. Individual parts can be replaced or repaired so the toaster will last you a lifetime. The 4-slice toaster is 15 inches wide, 8 inches deep and 9 inches tall. It toasts up to 130 slices per hour so you can use it in commercial kitchens as well.
Additional Accessories Available
Dualit provides you with the possibility of purchasing accessories for extra possibilities. You can buy a Dualit Sandwich Cage and prepare grilled cheese sandwiches. Dualit warming rack allows you to heat up pastries without the need to toast them. It is perfect for warming up croissants.
- Use only the slots that you need
- Bagel and defrost features
- Sturdy and durable
- Toasts up to 130 slices per hour
- Sandwich cage and warming rack available
Best Black Retro 2-Slice Toaster
Russell Hobbs 2-Slice Retro Style Toaster TR9150BKR
Extra-Wide Slots And A Timer
Russell Hobbs toaster has two extra-wide slots, which means that you can toast thicker breads as well. You can check the progress of the toast without stopping the toasting cycle by pushing the lever up. The countdown timer indicates the time left to toast based on the chosen settings.
Two Toasting Functions
The Russell Hobbs retro toaster allows you to toast only the cut side of the bagel by selecting the bagel feature. The frozen setting adds extra toasting time so that you get the perfect level of crispiness. You can also stop the toasting cycle whenever you want. The shade of toast can be adjusted by sliding the small lever.
Warm The Pastries
The Russell Hobbs toaster comes with a warming rack that is attached on the top of the appliance. You can use it to warm croissants, buns and other pastries. It can be removed when you want normal toasting. The toaster also comes with a removable crumb tray for easy clean-up.
Part Of The Retro Collection
The toaster is 9.8 inches long, 6.7 inches deep and 7.9 inches high. It weighs 3.1 pounds. The housing is made from stainless steel with a polished black finish. The retro design of the Russell Hobbs toaster can be paired with other Russell Hobbs retro small kitchen appliances.
- Two extra-wide slots
- Removable warming rack for buns and pastries
- Bagel and defrost features
- Countdown timer
Best Green Retro Vintage Toaster
DeLonghi Pop-Up Toaster Icona Vintage Collection In Olive Green
Three Toasting Options
DeLonghi vintage toaster features the defrost, bagel and reheat settings. One control button is used for one setting and they are backlit for better control. You can also use the cancel button to stop the toasting cycle. The shade of the toast adjusts from 1 to 6.
Easy Access To Toast
Once the toast is done, it pops up from the slots. Smaller pieces of toast or pastries such as English muffins can sometimes be difficult to remove so this vintage toaster features a high-lift lever. You pull it up and the toast is lifted so you do not need to worry about burnt fingers.
Easy Clean-Up
The DeLonghi toaster comes with a dust cover that you can use when the toaster is not operating. It prevents the dust from entering the slots so the cleaning is much simpler. The base of the toaster features a sliding crumb tray that collects any fallout.
Sophisticated Design
The DeLonghi 2-slice vintage style toaster is a part of the collection that symbolizes Italy. It is available in other colors as well. The toaster is 14.1 inches wide, 10.1 inches long and 9.1 inches high. It weighs 4.41 pounds.
- Bagel, defrost and reheat feature
- Adjustable toasting shade
- High-lift lever for smaller pieces of toast
Conclusion: Which Vintage Or Retro Toaster To Buy?
From the specifications that I have listed, I think that the best vintage and retro toasters are the Smeg Pink Toaster and the Russell Hobbs Black Retro Toaster. The Smeg toaster has the bagel and defrost features and attractive curved design. The Russell Hobbs toaster comes with a warming rack, has the timer and the bagel and defrost functions.
Since you are here, check out my article about the best bread toasters to find out more about different toasters from different brands. In case you are interested in buying a 4-slice toaster, follow the top-rated 4-slice toasters article. If you like toasting long styles of bread, you should check out the best long-slot toasters.