To help, the Good Housekeeping Research Institute conducted a test of 15 programmable coffeemakers and 27 pop-up toasters.

The coffeemakers, including those that make one cup, were evaluated for ease of use, brewing temperature, taste, appearance and more. The toasters, which are at least twice as fast as toaster ovens at browning bread, were reviewed for speed, evenness, ease of operation, slot size, features, surface temperatures, cleanability, appearance and customer service.

Here, the Institute's top picks:

De'Longhi Esclusivo. This attractive $80, 14-cup machine was the best, quickly brewing a delicious cup, despite tedious initial programming. Impressive features include a permanent filter, water filtration and a light that shows how long the coffee's been sitting.

Mr. Coffee SKX23 12-Cup. At $30, this is an easy-to-use machine. Although taste-testers weren't wowed by its coffee, if you're not a connoisseur, this Mr. Coffee should suit you fine.

Krups Coffee Machine KM1000. This $90 coffeemaker was simple to program and brewed up to 10 cups of good-quality java. Testers were particularly taken with the Krups' illuminated analog clock and sleek lines.

Starbucks Barista Aroma Solo Monique CoffeeMaker. The top-scoring single-cup machine ($69), it uses regular grounds (not pods or capsules) and dispenses directly into a thermal mug. The Barista is also programmable, so you can just grab your cup and go.

Breville Die Cast 2-Slice Smart Toaster. This $130 top performer consistently produced perfect toast. Its "Lift and Look" feature lets you check the toast color without canceling the program. The "A Bit More" option extends cooking time.

But the Breville took longer to toast than others (about 2 1/2 minutes), and it's on the pricey side.

West Bend QuikServe Infrared Toaster. The fastest toaster in tests, this $65 machine browned bread in about a minute on the medium setting. Plus, customer service is top-notch: A test caller reached a helpful, live representative right away with no automated menus.

Kenmore 2-Slice Toaster. The "best value" in the tests, the Kenmore performed excellently for only $30. Its many features include bagel, defrost and reheat settings. Be careful, this toaster gets hot on the top surface.

T-Fal Avante. For the bagel lover, the $40 Avante was the only toaster to hold the oversized variety when unevenly cut. The wide-angle slots make removing hot toast especially easy, but the bread can eject with too much force.

Hamilton Beach SmartToast 2-Slice Toaster. This "long slice" unit fits slimly on a narrow countertop. It's a good performer at $30. The company has above-average customer service.

The SmartToast has only one long slot, which means you can fit an extra-long slice of bread, but not two extra-long slices.

* On another matter: No need to haul out an ironing board to de-crease your clothes. The Institute tested a hand-held steamer, a tumble in the dryer, a wrinkle-releaser spray and the steam from a shower to find the most effective, least time-consuming way to get out wrinkles. The hand steamer came in first, but was time-intensive. Downey Wrinkle Releaser ($4) was a close second. Spritz with the product, smooth out the wrinkles and let clothes dry (27 minutes in the test).