The Cuisinart 4 Slice Custom Select Toaster is a metal toaster with many extra features. Aside from settings for bagels and frozen items, it has specific modes for bread, pastries, waffles, and more. Its slots are wide and deep enough for a variety of baked goods but slightly shorter than most toasters', so keep that in mind if you usually toast longer slices.
Our Verdict
The Cuisinart 4 Slice Custom Select Toaster is mediocre. If you like your toast darker than golden brown or are toasting denser bread that takes longer to brown, you must run more than one cycle. It's impossible to set the dial between settings (like between settings 3 and 4), so you can't make small adjustments to get the desired results. It also toasts the inner face more than the outer face, especially in certain slots. However, it does a good job of keeping its performance consistent even after toasting a batch or two.
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Consistent performance batch-to-batch.
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Sub-par range.
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Performance varies depending on the slot.
- Toasting
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Cuisinart CPT 640 (4 Slice Custom Select Toaster) comes in one stainless steel variant. You can see the label for the unit we tested here. There's also the Cuisinart 2 Slice Custom Select Toaster. That version has a similar design but may perform differently, and we'll be testing it separately.
If you encounter another variant, let us know in the forums, and we'll update our review.
Compared To Other Toasters
The Cuisinart CPT 640 (4 Slice Custom Select Toaster) is a 4-slot toaster that doesn't have the best performance compared to similar toasters like the Black+Decker 4-Slice Toaster TR4900SSD and the Cuisinart 4 Slice Compact Plastic Toaster. It'll take more than one cycle to adequately toast bread that needs more time, like denser multi-grain or rye bread. Not every slot performs the same way.
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
Unlike most toasters, the shade selector sliders don't let you select half settings. For example, you have seven distinct settings but can't set the selector between settings 3 and 4. However, it has a variety of settings for different kinds of baked goods. The 'Bagel' setting turns down the elements on one side to avoid burning the bottom of your bagel, and the 'Defrost' (Frozen) setting is meant to warm frozen items like waffles gently before toasting. It has presets for bread, waffles, pastry, and English muffins. There's also a 'Single' button for when you're only toasting one slice of bread.
The photo above shows the results for one slot, but you can see a full montage showing all the bread toasted here.
The photo above shows the results for one slot, but you can see a full montage showing all the bread toasted here.
