Reviews You Can Rely On

Bella 2 Slice Review

A simple and small toaster that gets the job done but sacrifices quality when it comes to heating frozen foods
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Bella 2 Slice Review
Credit: Bella
Price:  $40 List
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Manufacturer:   Bella
By Genaveve Bradshaw and Benjamin Hickok  ⋅  May 18, 2022
59
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Bread Toasting Quality - 35% 6.0
  • Ease of Use - 35% 6.0
  • Bagel Toasting Quality - 15% 6.0
  • Frozen Food - 15% 5.0

Our Verdict

The Bella 2 Slice is a middle-of-the-road and relatively easy to use toaster option, with one of the better aspects being the budget-friendly price. One can expect decent toasting performance from this model, just not when it comes to frozen foods. Despite its reasonable cost, there are better toasters in our review at nearly the same price point. Overall, we recommend skipping over the Bella and looking to other high-performing models in our toasters review. This product does not come recommended.
REASONS TO BUY
Budget-friendly
Compact
REASONS TO AVOID
Limited heating options
Poor unfreezing

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Bella 2 Slice is a budget-friendly option that generally provides decent performance, despite some interface shortcomings and less than stellar frozen food preparation.

Performance Comparison



bella 2 slice - the bella 2 slice is a simple, no-frills toaster, that looks good in...
The Bella 2 Slice is a simple, no-frills toaster, that looks good in most kitchens.
Credit: Chris McNamara

Bread Toasting Quality


Our first test metric evaluated how well the Bella 2 Slice prepared toast on each of the three available settings. On the lightest setting, the Bella achieved a nice texture but hardly any perceivable golden coloration. We did achieve the quintessential evenly distributed golden color you expect to see on a piece of toast when using the medium setting.

When we tested the darkest setting, we produced a deep gold to light brown coloration with zero burns. What did become apparent was that the topmost end of the bread did not cook as much as the rest of the slice. Overall, the Bella consistently made good but not great toast, making its performance OK but not our favorite.

bella 2 slice - bella 2 slice bread toasting: high mode.
Bella 2 Slice bread toasting: high mode.
Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw

Ease of Use


This metric is one area where the Bella 2 Slice could have been better in a number of ways.

bella 2 slice - the bella 2 slice has a straightforward user interface.
The Bella 2 Slice has a straightforward user interface.
Credit: Chris McNamara

The removable crumb tray on the back of the toaster is a little bit easier to access and remove than other models, but not nearly as smooth as the highest-performing models we've tested. Fortunately, in our surface temperature tests, the body of the toaster was warm but not hot to the touch.

Where the Bella was really lacking was in its interface. Six heat settings and a reheat setting are controlled by a dial. There is only a cancel button, and activation is controlled with a lever. While it works, it's certainly lackluster compared to other, easier-to-use products, with an increased number of settings and selections.

Bagel Toasting Quality


After our ease of use testing, we moved on to testing this model's ability to toast bagels. Unfortunately, there is no bagel setting on this model. The lack of a bagel setting hurt this model's performance in our ease of use tests as this tends to be a main feature on many of today's high-performing toasters.

bella 2 slice - left: the bella 2 slice bagel testing round two. right: the oster 2...
Left: the Bella 2 Slice Bagel testing round two. Right: the Oster 2 Slice bagel testing round two.
Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw

Unfortunately for the Bella 2 Slice, our tests resulted in uneven coloration and incomplete toasting. In a repeat test, both the exterior and interior of the bagel turned an even gold and produced a desirable toasty texture. Still, the results weren't the best in general, nor were they consistent.

Frozen Food/Defrosting Quality


The Bella also did poorly in our frozen food and defrosting test compared to the other appliances we tested. In our waffle tests, the resulting waffles were mostly golden in color, with a pleasant and crunchy texture. However, this toaster struggled to heat evenly, which should be a basic requirement of any toaster.

bella 2 slice - left: the bella 2 slice waffle testing at medium heat. right: the...
Left: The Bella 2 slice waffle testing at medium heat. Right: the Oster 2 Slice waffle testing, also at medium heat.
Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw

This model also did very poorly in our frozen bread test. While it added some toastiness to the texture of the bread and imparted a slight gold coloration to a small portion of the slice, the heat did not evenly spread across the entire slice.

bella 2 slice - the bella 2 slice's lack of a defrost setting did not bode well...
The Bella 2 Slice's lack of a defrost setting did not bode well during our frozen bread test.
Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw

This model lacks a defrost setting, and as a result, it struggled to cook strudels in our third and final frozen food test. Its performance was generally disappointing, doing slightly better in the preparation of a strudel than it did with frozen bread. The strudel produced was crispy and golden on the outside but cool at its center, and not what we characterized as a good strudel.

bella 2 slice - the bella 2 slice frozen strudel testing.
The Bella 2 Slice frozen strudel testing.
Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw

Should You Buy the Bella 2 Slice?


Considering the rather unexceptional overall score that the Bella 2 Slice achieved, we can't recommend buying it over many of the other products we tested. We strongly suggest looking at our other reviews for better performance at a similar price.

bella 2 slice - the no-frills bella 2 slice looks good on most kitchen counters.
The no-frills Bella 2 Slice looks good on most kitchen counters.
Credit: Chris McNamara

What Other Toaster Should You Consider?


At a similar price point, we suggest getting much better performance out of the Oster 2 Slice or the Cuisinart CPT-122, which also offers a great value and solid performance.

Genaveve Bradshaw and Benjamin Hickok