The Cuisinart 4 Slice Compact Plastic Toaster is a budget-friendly toaster that's on the small side for a 4-slot toaster. It's equipped with bagel, frozen, and 'reheat' functions. Its slots aren't very deep when pushed down, so if your bread is much taller than white sandwich bread, it may stick out the top. On the plus side, they lift up high enough to grab even very small pieces without burning yourself.
Our Verdict
The Cuisinart 4 Slice Toaster is adequate for day-to-day use. With two sets of slots that operate independently, it offers plenty of capacity for busy mornings. The slots are decently wide and long, but they aren't very deep, so taller slices may not toast completely. However, when you toast sandwich bread or other shorter slices, they pop back up quickly and come out uniformly browned on both sides and soft in the middle. This toaster doesn't have a countdown indicator, but it has a few helpful features, including a defrost function that extends the toasting cycle and a reheat function that runs a shorter 25-30-second cycle. It also has a button for bagels, but it doesn't allow one-sided toasting; instead, it just increases the timer, so your bagels wind up the same shade on both sides. This toaster also leaves a ton of crumbs on your counter.
Toasts evenly.
Toasts quickly, so your food doesn't dry out.
Compact design for a 4-slot toaster.
You must clean the counter each time you toast.
Short slots mean taller slices don't always toast fully.
The Cuisinart 4 Slice Toaster is a great choice for making toast. It browns the surface of each slice evenly on both sides, though the results vary depending on which of the four slots you use. It doesn't take long to finish toasting, either, which helps ensure your bread doesn't dry out before it reaches a golden-brown color.
Toasts evenly.
Toasts quickly, so your food doesn't dry out.
Inconsistent results across different slots.
The Cuisinart 4 Slice Toaster is alright for toasting bagels. It toasts quickly and evenly, without overdrying your bagel, but it doesn't offer one-sided toasting. Its bagel setting increases the timer, but because both heating elements stay on, your bagel toasts to the same shade on the inside and outside.
Toasts evenly.
Toasts quickly, so your food doesn't dry out.
Doesn't offer one-sided toasting.
The Cuisinart 4 Slice Toaster doesn't contain crumbs well. There are two crumb trays, one for each set of slots, but many crumbs and seeds fall past them onto your counter, so you have to sweep them up every time you make toast to keep your counters clean.
You must clean the counter each time you toast.
The Cuisinart 4 Slice Toaster is fairly wide, as expected, given its four slots. However, compared to other similar-capacity models, it's quite compact, making it a good choice for large households where counter space is at a premium.
Compact design for a 4-slot toaster.
Performance Usages
Changelog
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Updated Jul 13, 2026:
We've updated the text in this review to reflect the changes from Test Bench 1.2.
- Updated Jul 13, 2026: We've updated this review to Test Bench 1.2, which adds three new test boxes: Size, One-Sided Toasting, and Moisture Retention. We also updated the Usage and Performance Usages at the top of the review to reflect the new tests and provide clearer buying guidance for users. You can read more in the Changelog.
- Updated Apr 24, 2026: We've updated this review to Test Bench 1.1, which includes several new tests, including Capacity, Features, Crumb Management, and Toasting Speed. You can read more in the Changelog.
- Updated Dec 15, 2023: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
This toaster comes in 'White' or 'Black'. We tested the 'Black' variant, and you can see the label for our unit.
If you encounter another variant, let us know in the comments, and we'll update our review.
Popular Toaster Comparisons
The Cuisinart 4 Slice Toaster is a budget-friendly option with two sets of slots that operate independently. True to its name, it's a bit smaller than the Cuisinart 4 Slice Custom Select Toaster, and while its slots are just as long and wide as the Custom Select's, they're shorter, so taller slices may stick out the top while toasting. With that in mind, this model is a great choice for toasting bread. It toasts almost as evenly as the Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster, and it toasts faster, helping your bread retain moisture so your toast doesn't end up dry and cracker-like. One drawback of this option, however, is its performance for bagels, buns, and English muffins. It has a button for bagels that adds extra toasting time, but it doesn't enable one-sided toasting, so there's no way to toast them on just the cut sides. If you want a toaster with this feature, consider the Beautiful 4-Slice Toaster with Touch-Activated Display, which can brown the inside of a bagel, while leaving the outside completely untoasted. Still, if you usually make toast and need more capacity in a crowded kitchen, it's a great pick.
If you're still looking for a toaster, check out our recommendations for the best 2-slice toasters, the best 4-slice toasters, and the best toasters.
Test Results
Aside from settings for bagels and frozen items ('Defrost'), the Cuisinart 4 Slice Toaster has a 'reheat' function meant to reheat bread without toasting it. This cycle lasts for about 25-30 seconds.
