Dualit NewGen 4-slice toaster review

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How easy is the Dualit NewGen 4-slice toaster to use?

The controls are not immediately obvious if you’ve never used this sort of toaster before. Originally, it looked like there were only three browning levels, compared to six or more for most toasters. But on examination of the instructions, this turned out to be minutes.

What makes this toaster different is that you select how long you want to toast for, rather than choosing the browning level. To help, there is a useful chart in the instruction book which suggests, for example that older bread will take less time, so around 2 minutes, while freshly baked bread, especially brown or rye, can take up to 3. There is a little circle indicator just after two minutes, which you can default to if in doubt.

There’s another knob, puzzling at first, which is marked 1-4 (in roman numerals) with additional pictures of a half or full bagel. The toaster only heats the slots it needs, rather than heating up the whole toaster. So if you want three slices, twist the knob to three. This saves heating empty slots, but it does mean you need to remember to change it. One downside is that, unlike most four-slot toasters, there is only one control rather than one for each pair. So if you’re a couple who like their toast cooked differently, you’re either going to have to compromise or one of you will have to wait.

There’s no reheat button. Instead, you just choose how long you want to reheat it for. The defrost button is part of the timing button. You defrost first, then choose how long to carry on toasting for.

A great feature of the toaster is the “peek and pop” lever which means you can lift it up at any time to see how it is getting on without interrupting the toasting. Take it out if you’re happy with it or carry on if it needs longer. This means that, if you don’t mind making the effort, you can end up with the perfect slice of toast.

When finished, you must lift the lever as the toast doesn’t pop up of its own accord. It means it keeps warm in the toaster, which is a nice touch.

Results

This worked well for tall slices, which were browned right to the top. The slots are wide so we were slightly surprised that it struggled a bit with a very thick end of fruit loaf crust, which wouldn’t go all the way down.

We were very impressed with the level of evenness as both sides were pretty much the same. The toasting lever is very effective at getting the toast out, even with smaller slices. And slices were evenly toasted. Our 2-minute slice was perfect, with one side only slightly browner than the other.

We found the defrost function a little frustrating as you have to work it in two stages, with a 20-second wait between the two.

Conclusion

A very expensive machine that takes some getting used to. Once you do, it’s highly effective. Best for very large kitchens as it does take up a lot of space, and it’s very heavy as well. It’s a great-looking toaster – not one you’d want to hide in the cupboard.

Full product specifications:

Wattage: 2.2kw
Weight: 4.25k
Size: 36 x 21 x 22

Key features:

Bagel function: integrated into slice counter
Defrost function: yes
Cancel button: no
Manufacturer warranty: main body one year, pro-heat elements two years
Removable crumb tray: yes
Wide slots: yes

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