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De'Longhi Icona Toaster review: is this the best-looking toaster you can buy?
Stylish yet functional, the four-slice De'Longhi Icona Toaster is a great choice for family kitchens. Here's our full verdict on this retro-style gadget.
By Natasha Gregson | Last updated Aug 19, 2025
Price on writing: £50 | Buy now from De'Longhi
Very stylish
Four slots - ideal for families
Lots of control over level of browning
Easy-to-remove crumb tray
Bagel, defrost and reheat settings
Great performance on different types of bread
Matching kettle available
Quite bulky
Outer slots can sometimes produce unevenly browned slices
Occasionally ejects the toast with a little too much power
Key specs
Capacity: Four slices | Number of settings: Variable between levels '1' to '6' | Defrost function: Yes | Bagel function: Yes | Removable crumb tray: Yes | Cancel button: Yes | Power: 1800 Watts | Dimensions: 300 x 340 x 205 mm
Our verdict
Ease of use: 5/5
Toasting performance: 4/5
Ease of cleaning: 5/5
Design: 5/5
Value for money: 4.5/5
If style is your number one consideration when shopping for the best toaster for your kitchen, the De'Longhi Icona is the one for you. With a trendy nod to 50s Americana featuring chunky knobs and chrome-style accents, I gave this four-slicer top marks for design thanks to its impressive combination of functionality and fashion.
It can serve up a decent slice too; during testing it handled a variety of bread types, toasting them to (almost) perfection, ready to slather with a generous helping of butter. The outer slots did struggle with uneven browning, however, but overall I liked the performance of the Icona.
It does lack a lift-and-look function, but other than that, it has all the features you'd expect from a good four-slice toaster: variable browning controls, a reheat, defrost and bagel setting, and extra-wide slots. Just make sure you have the space free on your countertops though - it's quite a bulky unit, but it's certainly a striking feature to have out on display.
How easy is the De'Longhi Icona Metallics Toaster to set up?
Very easy. As with most toasters, it needed an empty run without bread before the first use. This emitted a slight smell of burning, which is nothing to be concerned about - the instructions say this is normal and it's something I've encountered with every toaster I've tested for Mumsnet.
This was all the setup required - then it was all ready to start toasting.
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How easy is the De'Longhi Icona Toaster to use?
I really enjoyed using the De'Longhi Icona Toaster day-to-day. From the very first use, it was easy to get to grips with, and I loved having so much control over the toasting level thanks to the adjustable dial. Not only is this a fun, novelty touch, but it lets you get the toast colour just right depending on your preferences.
The two levers manually slot down smoothly to start the toasting process, and it's a bonus that you can choose to toast either two slices or four slices at a time – a good energy-saving feature if you just want a quick snack for one.
Another highlight was that each side of the toaster has its own browning dial. This was ideal when preparing a round of toast when one person wanted their slice a little more 'well done' than the rest. Just bear in mind that the middle slots get more heat than the outer slots if you are making two lots of toast simultaneously.
The only downside when it came to ease of use (and this is a minor irritation) was that the icon for the bagel setting wasn't particularly intuitive to decipher. However, through a process of deduction, this setting's button became clear as I found the reheat, defrost, and cancel icons more obvious. It's worth noting that this is only an issue on the Icona Metallics model I tested – the Vintage edition has the settings written out – and that it was only a problem on my first use of this setting.
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How does De'Longhi Icona Toaster perform?
I tested a variety of bread types, including white, brown, and sourdough, in the De'Longhi Icona and liked the results on the whole. As is sometimes the case with four-slice toasters, the outer slots on either side do get less heat than the central ones, which sometimes resulted in uneven browning. This wasn't too much of an issue though, and I was impressed with the toast from the central slots.
The defrost and reheat settings worked brilliantly, and the reheat function is a nice touch for those busy days when your toast cools before you have time to tuck in. This setting warms the slice through without toasting it any further. Clever stuff.
The Icona also accommodated a variety of bread slices, except for extra-long slices of sourdough (which I wouldn't have expected to fit into a standard-sized toaster anyway). Occasionally, with small, light slices, it did eject the toast with a little too much power so they shot onto the kitchen counter, but it handled regular slices fine.
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De'Longhi Icona Metallics Toaster: how does it look?
The De'Longhi Icona is one of the prettiest toasters I've seen. With its retro style, I loved how it looked in the kitchen - especially as a matching kettle and toaster set (for more on the kettle, see our De'Longhi Icona Metallics Kettle review).
I tried out the Icona Metallics Toaster in 'Ice Blue'. This particular model has a gorgeous, glossy finish, and there's three other muted shades in the range: pink, gold and grey. If you want to go all out on the retro theme, there's also a 'Vintage' edition (£69 from Amazon), with a beige exterior and contrasting chocolate-brown accents. Personally, I found it hard to choose between the two editions, but the glistening sheen and colour choice of the Metallics cinched it for me.
While the Icona scored full marks for its design, it's worth bearing in mind that it is a bulky unit, so make sure you have enough space on your worktop if you are planning on buying it.
How easy is De'Longhi Icona Toaster to clean?
Very easy. There are two crumb trays at the back, which were a doddle to remove. Otherwise, it occasionally needed a quick wipe down with a soft cloth, but that's all - the glossy exterior means it doesn't show any marks or fingerprints easily.
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Price: does De'Longhi Icona Toaster offer value for money?
At the current cost of £50, I think it offers great value for money, especially for a four-slice toaster. I do think the RRP (£115) is too high, but the reduction means you can snap it up for a great price.
It feels sturdy and built to last too, and there's a one-year manufacturer's guarantee for extra peace of mind.
How we tested
The De'Longhi Icona Toaster CTOT4003.AZ was tested out over a four-week period in a family home. During testing, the Icona Toaster was carefully rated it on its features, ease of use, ease of cleaning, design, and overall value for money.
Tested in a family household over a one-month period
Used daily during testing
Used to toast white, brown, and sourdough bread, plus crumpets
About the author
Natasha Gregson is a Senior Content Editor at Mumsnet and oversees all home and kitchen content on the website. With numerous years of editorial experience under her belt, her work has also been featured in prestigious national publications like The i Paper and Stylist Magazine, and she's written on a wide range of topics.
A keen foodie, Natasha has been on a mission for Mumsnet to find the top toasters, nobly munching her way through all manner of bread slices (and crumpets!) to find quality options for Mumsnetters. It's a hard task, but someone's got to do it.
She's also worked extensively on other kitchen content for Mumsnet, including researching and writing about the best tea towels, slow cookers, air fryers, vacuum sealers, and much more.
About Mumsnet Reviews
All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real people after extensive research and testing. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. Sometimes, we earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage.
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