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Elite Gourmet ECT1027B Review

If you are looking for a very affordable toaster, and aren't too picky about your toast, bagels, or frozen food then this model might fit your needs
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Elite Gourmet ECT1027B Review
Credit: Elite Gourmet
Price:  $24 List
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Manufacturer:   Elite Gourmet
By Benjamin Hickok and Lesley Robinson  ⋅  Mar 5, 2024
58
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#11 of 12
  • Bread Toasting Quality - 35% 5.0
  • Ease of Use - 35% 6.8
  • Bagel Toasting Quality - 15% 6.0
  • Frozen Food - 15% 5.0

Our Verdict

The Elite Gourmet ECT1027B is an economical option offering satisfactory toasting performance at an incredibly budget-friendly price point and in a compact size. However, our testing exposed its rather mediocre overall heating and toasting abilities. A lack of settings makes it simple to use but difficult to produce high-quality and repeatable results, which we found bothersome when we finally achieved satisfactory results.
REASONS TO BUY
Very inexpensive
Small food print
Lightweight
REASONS TO AVOID
No bagel function
Uneven toasting
Very short cord

Compare to Similar Products

 
Awards  Editors' Choice Award
Best for Most People
Best Buy Award
Best Bang for the Buck
  
Price $24 List
$15.99 at Amazon
$30 List
$22.99 at Amazon
Check Price at Amazon$25 List
$24.99 at Amazon
$49 List
$48.95 at Amazon
Overall Score Sort Icon
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Star Rating
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Bottom Line An incredibly affordable model that lacks the performance of better modelsOverall this toaster brings to the table a strong performance, is compact, and budget-friendlyAt the lower end of quality, but a budget-friendly option that worksAn aesthetically interesting option but only provides an average level of performanceA modern-looking but very basic toaster that has exceptional frozen bread results
Rating Categories Elite Gourmet ECT1027B Cuisinart CPT-122 Black+Decker 2-Slic... Bella 2 Slice Auto... GE 2 Slice G9TMA2SSPSS
Bread Toasting Quality (35%)
5.0
8.0
8.0
7.0
7.0
Ease of Use (35%)
6.8
8.2
6.6
7.1
7.5
Bagel Toasting Quality (15%)
6.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
5.0
Frozen Food (15%)
5.0
7.0
7.0
7.0
6.0
Specs Elite Gourmet ECT1027B Cuisinart CPT-122 Black+Decker 2-Slic... Bella 2 Slice Auto... GE 2 Slice G9TMA2SSPSS
Functions Cancel Bagel
Defrost
Reheat
Cancel
Bagel
Frozen
Cancel
Bagel
Frozen
Cancel
Gluten Free
Reheat
Bagel
Frozen
Cancel
Measured Slot Dimensions 5.1 x 4" 5.4 x 4.25" 5.4 x 4.75" 5 x 4.25" 5.5 x 4.5"
Measured Dimensions 9.5" x 5.5" x 6.1" 6.5" x 11" x 7.2" 7.3" x 12" x 8" 9.8" x 5.8 x 7" 11.1" x 6.7" x 7.5"
Measured Weight 1.7 lbs 2.6 Ibs 2.6 Ibs 2.1 lbs 2.9 lbs
Measured External Surface Temperature During Toasting 91.5 F 84.9 F 101.2 F 86.5 F 98.6 F
Measured Product Footprint 52.3 71.5 87.6 56.8 74.4
Measured Watts 780 W 935 W 885 W 865 W 877 W
End of Cycle Indicator None None None None None
Exterior Housing Material Plastic Plastic Plastic Plastic Stainless Steel
Color/Finish Options Black White, Red, Black Black Aqua, Black, Blue, Red, Sage, White Stainless Steel
Standard/Long Slot Standard Standard Standard Standard Standard
Available with Long Slot? Yes No No Yes No
Available in 4 slot? No No Yes Yes No
Model Number ECT1027B CPT-122 T2569B BOB137 G9TMA2SSPSS

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Elite Gourmet ECT1027B is a two-slice toaster available at a hard-to-beat price. However, it consistently fell short across the board, offering inconsistent results. The simple design doesn't boast many bells and whistles, which may be intriguing for those who take a more minimalist approach.

Performance Comparison


The Elite Gourmet ECT1027B is an inexpensive and compact toaster option.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Bread Toasting Quality


An essential aspect of any toaster is its ability to evenly toast bread to the desired level of golden color and crispiness. During repeated tests using a range of heat settings, the Elite Gourmet ECT1027B consistently undertoasted bread slices jumped up in heating performance only in the highest settings, resulting in dark and burnt toast. While it demonstrated versatility in achieving various levels of toasting, from lightly crisped to golden brown and very dark toast, the colors and textures of the toast were generally uneven and less delectable than the results produced by other toasters.

elite gourmet ect1027b - this model produced a range of results from under-toasted to burnt.
This model produced a range of results from under-toasted to burnt.
Credit: Lesley Robinson

Ease of Use


While our test team found the Elite Gourmet ECT1027B to generally be user-friendly, it has some obvious shortcomings. Notably, accessing the crumb tray located at the rear is inconvenient. While this model has the most simple interface of all the models we tested, with a browning dial with six settings and a cancel button, it doesn't provide users with great insight into what settings to use for foods like bagels or frozen foods. Nonetheless, the simplicity may be desirable for some users who don't care for more advanced settings or features.

elite gourmet ect1027b - settings don't get much simpler than this.
Settings don't get much simpler than this.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Bagel Toasting Quality


During testing the Elite Gourmet ECT1027B provided our test team with inconsistent and unevenly toasted bagels. The lack of a bagel setting did not help our testing, and our testers had a difficult time dialing in the best settings for toasting bagels. Our trials produced bagels with more toasty centers than desired and inconsistent coverage. Some large areas remained white and undercooked while still creating a strangely crunchy texture. Additional trials with higher heat settings exhibited similar results, with uneven toasting, some slightly burned regions, and only average textures.

elite gourmet ect1027b - underwhelming results produced by the elite gourmet ect1027b
Underwhelming results produced by the Elite Gourmet ECT1027B
Credit: Lesley Robinson

Frozen Food


For those who rely heavily on toasting frozen foods for breakfast, the Elite Gourmet ECT1027B would not be our go-to recommendation. The lack of any frozen food settings forces users to guess the ideal settings for their favorite frozen snack. With similar results to our bread toasting and bagel toasting trials, foods were inconsistently heated, and the lack of finer adjustments resulted in uncontrolled transitions from underdone to overdone and burnt foods. As far as a traditional toaster goes, this model toasts with acceptable results, but if you desire a truly delectable waffle or strudel you may be disappointed.

elite gourmet ect1027b - this model exhibited poor performance across most frozen food items.
This model exhibited poor performance across most frozen food items.
Credit: Matt Lighthart

Should You Buy the Elite Gourmet ECT1027B?


The Elite Gourmet ECT1027B provides an adequate level of performance for one of the smallest and cheapest models of toaster you can buy today. However, it was easily outperformed by a slightly more expensive model, making it difficult to recommend, even at its incredibly low price.

What Other Toaster Should You Consider?


If you are shopping on a more modest budget, but still care about performance, then you'll want to consider the Cuisinart CPT-122 over the Elite Gourmet ECT1027B. While it is slightly more expensive, it won't leave you disappointed every time you use your toaster. If budget is not a concern, and you want excellent performance all-around, then you'll be happy with the Smeg 2-Slice, which is one of our top recommendations for good reasons.

Benjamin Hickok and Lesley Robinson