Tower Cavaletto T20051RG four-slice toaster review

There are clear instructions in the accompanying book, with an annotated photo explaining the controls. There are also some troubleshooting Q&As, giving advice for what to do if, for instance, the browning dial won’t work.

Read our review of the best toasters to buy

How easy is the Tower Cavaletto T20051RG four-slice toaster to use?

It’s a four-slot toaster with separate controls for each pair. The cancel button sits to the left of the browning knob, with reheat and defrost buttons on the other side. These are very clearly marked and there are six browning settings.

Slots are wide – it's capable of holding most things you'd want to toast – and the cord coils away neatly, should you want to store it in a cupboard.

The controls are very accessible and the lever to lower the toast has a tactile knob. The browning level knobs twist easily.

Unusually, there are two crumb trays at the back. You need to push them in for them to spring out, but they are helpfully marked with the word 'push' in the right place.

Results

The wide slots mean there's no need for a special bagel setting – ours went in as easily as bread and toasted perfectly on setting three. Our fruit loaf on emerged perfectly toasted in 2 mins on setting two, with not a burnt sultana in sight. As it was small, it didn’t pop completely up, but a little wiggle of the toasting lever sorted this out.

Our longest loaf wasn't completely toasted at the top, but another sandwich loaf and the standard loaf were fine. Toast popped up easily. Defrost took 3 mins and the result was slightly uneven.

Toasting levels were slightly uneven overall on each side of toast – on setting four, for example, one side was perfect and the other slightly burnt.

Reheat was effective and only took 30 seconds.

Conclusion

A good, effective toaster, especially if you like to toast a range of breads, including thicker slices. This toaster also looks eye-catching on the worktop and is available in a good range of colours.

Full product specifications:

Wattage: 1800w
Weight: 1.8k
Size: 19.6 x 18.8 x 27.1cm

Key features:

Bagel function: no
Defrost function: yes
Cancel button: yes
Manufacturer warranty: three years
Removable crumb tray: two
Wide slots: yes

Related reviews and recipes

Best toasters
Best sandwich toasters
Top 10 brunch gadgets
Best gluten-free bread
Avocado on toast recipes
How to make French toast

Do you have a toaster you love? We'd love to hear your product suggestions.