Piggybacking on the popularity of bagels, toaster pastries, and frozen, ready-to-heat omelets, manufacturers are redesigning the basic toaster for improved functionality. What’s more, new models have styling and cachet that can make them the sharpest-looking appliance on the counter.

Developments in toaster functionality include a setting for bagels, which browns only a single side; a cancel mode to interrupt the toast cycle; and nonstick slots. “Smart” toasters with microchips and heat sensors promise perfect doneness from first batch to last (they don’t always deliver, we’ve found). Some models incorporate an LED indicator to show the darkness selection and to count down the time remaining in a particular cycle.

You’ll see more toasters with rounded sides and that retro look, and more extra-wide and long-slot models. Black & Decker has introduced a toaster with clear glass sides that let you watch the browning. West Bend has the unorthodox Slide Thru toaster: You insert the bread in the slot and remove it through a door at the base. The door doubles as a “dressing table” for spreading butter or jam.

You don’t need a $100 or $200 toaster to get perfectly browned bread. For $20 or less, you can buy a competent product that will make decent toast, two slices at a time, with all the basics: a darkness control to adjust doneness, a push-down lever to raise or lower the bread, and cool-touch housing to keep you from burning your fingers.

And of course there’s life beyond the toaster. With increased demand for multifunction appliances--and the space savings that result from having one machine that can do the work of two--many people opt for a hybrid appliance that can not only toast but also bake muffins, heat frozen entrées, or broil a small batch of burgers or a small chicken.

WHAT'S AVAILABLE

Toastmaster invented the pop-up toaster in the 1920s and now shares shelf space with other venerable brands of toasters and toaster ovens such as Black & Decker, Hamilton Beach, and Sunbeam, plus players such as Cuisinart, DeLonghi, Kenmore (Sears), KitchenAid, Krups, Rival, T-Fal, and West Bend. Dualit makes old-fashioned, commercial-style, heavy-gauge stainless-steel toasters.

Toasters come in a variety of exterior finishes, such as chrome and brushed metal. Of the 12 million toasters sold annually, two-slice models outsell four-slicers 4 to 1. Nearly three-quarters of toaster ovens sold are equipped with a broiler function. Most toaster ovens are countertop models, though a few under-the-cabinet models are sold.

Price range: $20 to $100 and up (toasters); $30 to $100 and up (toaster ovens and broilers).

IMPORTANT FEATURES

For all the bells and whistles on today’s toasters, a simple dial or lever to set for darkness is sufficient. Electronic controls regulate shadings and settings with a touchpad instead. A pop-up control lets you eject a slice early if you think it’s done. A toast boost, or manual lift, lets you raise smaller items such as English muffins above the slots so there’s no need to fish around with a fork, a potentially dangerous exercise if you don’t unplug the toaster. Another safety note: Underwriters Laboratory (UL) now requires that toasters shut off at the end of the toasting cycle even if a piece of bread is stuck in the carriage.

A few models offer an astounding (and unnecessary) 63 time and temperature toasting options. Recent toaster-oven innovations include a liner that can be removed for cleaning, and various ways to speed up the cooking process, including use of a convection fan or infrared heat.

A removable crumb tray facilitates cleaning. Nonstick slots also make it easy to remove baked-on goop left by toaster pastries. More and more models incorporate a control that automatically defrosts and toasts in a single step, nice if you regularly prepare items such as frozen hash-brown patties. With toaster ovens, a removable cooking cavity makes cleaning easier.

HOW TO CHOOSE

Performance differences. Most toasters make respectable toast. But few models, including those with microchips and heat sensors, toast to perfection. In our tests, problems included toast that came out darker on one side than the other and successive batches that were inconsistently browned.

As in the past, toaster ovens as a group were not as good as their plainer cousins at making toast--though they do let you keep an eye on the browning process. Their ability to bake and broil does make them more versatile than toasters. Elegant styling and a sleek design can carry a high price tag, but may offer little else.

Recommendations. If all you want is toast, a $20 toaster will do the job just fine. Toaster ovens and broilers offer versatility so you needn’t, for example, heat up your big oven to warm leftovers or use the stove to melt a grilled-cheese sandwich.