De'Longhi Ballerina Electric Kettle, 360° Swivel Base, Water Level Indicator, Cord Storage, KBD3001.GR, 3000 W, UK PLUG, Green

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Although it’s not huge, it does everything you need it to, and it does it all well. There are six browning functions; we opted for mid-way but noticed that once the toaster was warmed up, we could dial it down a bit. While a new toaster isn't the most costly appliance you need to invest in for your home, the best on the market aren't exactly cheap. That's why we've put all of the toasters in this guide to the test - so that you know whether they are worth your cash before you part with it. We think timing is important too, which is why we assess how long single slices take to toast using the same setting on every model, again for testing consistency. Once all the toasting and tasting is done, we look at build quality and style, and whether these reflect a model’s price tag. Your toaster should be as functional as it is stylish, which is why our testing takes everything into consideration. Hand-built in the UK since 1945, this is the toaster to buy if you don't want to fork out for another one for many years to come. It's a steep investment, yes, but the price reflects the fact that its makers believe it’s a toaster that will last a lifetime. The two wide toasting slots were more than big enough to cope with doorstop slices carved from a whole farmhouse loaf, as well as standard supermarket medium pre-cut bread. For a gorgeous-looking toaster if your budget is a bit bigger, look no further.

Perfect for smaller and solo households, the catch is that it only comes in white with a grey panel, so colour fans will have to look elsewhere.

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The white version works perfectly in my kitchen (see above) and helps to dress up the room and give what can be the most forgotten yet functional part of your home; when it comes to decorating, the lift it needs to make it look smart and feel special. We also think the De'Longhi Ballerina Toaster is reasonably priced for how luxe it feels to use. Its design was noticeably sturdy during testing and the toast comes out with far fewer lines on the bread. While it’s the unique patented ProHeat elements are virtually indestructible, if anything should go wrong, parts are super easy to replace or repair. That makes this a sustainable, quality and durable buy - the full works. It’s also available as a four-slice model, which should perform similarly to this one and has the advantage of two great big slots (rather than the more common four smaller slots) so that you can toast longer items with ease. During testing we were sold by the touch screen panel that you use for controls, and we loved the long, wide slots on offer too. How we test toasters

It’s also easy to clean, but it’s better suited to standard-sized loaves, so probably not your best bet if you use homemade bread. And the shiny look shows up every mark.It browned faster and more evenly than most other models on test, producing perfectly browned bread in a little over a minute and a half. Most others took more than two minutes and while 30 seconds might not seem much, if you’re rushing to get the kids to school, that could make all the difference. There is no doubt that having matching accessories such as a toaster and kettle adds to the look and feel of your kitchen, and the design of the Ballerina Collection really stands out. Better still, it’s a lot cheaper than redecorating your kitchen and takes much less time. Previously, I had a boring stainless steel toaster and kettle and it looked pretty drab and unexciting. Now, with the simple addition of matching accessories, my kitchen has been given a total facelift.

There’s no automatic pop-up, although it does have lovely wide slots, you just lower your toast in manually using the lever at the front then turn the browning control to the desired setting and it starts to count down. Mollyis the Ecommerce Editor for Ideal Homeand is always on the lookout for the next must-buy product for your home. Covering all things appliance related, she regularly heads to Future's Test Facility in Reading to thoroughly put products through their paces.The results were impressive: toast was evenly done, and it’s faster and more power-efficient than anything we’ve seen at this price. The slots are really wide, too, so getting bigger items to fit isn’t a problem. Speaking of which, there’s a bagel mode so you can get them crunchy on the outside and doughy on the inside – as nature intended. High lift saves you from burning your fingers by pushing the slots up so you can retrieve your toast safely. You heard that right - the technology within this toaster is automatically monitoring the toasting time of your slice, so that it never overdoes it. And once you've got to optimal toastiness, you can save your settings for the next round. A defrost setting is useful for frozen bread. First, it defrosts bread then switches to the toasting cycle. Each model is different: on some models, you need to press the defrost button before you push the bread carriage down, while others are pushed once you’ve activated the toaster.