Sandwich toaster

corblimey

About 8 years ago, I bought a George Foreman and while I originally used it for loads of cooking, I now eat better, cook more adventurously or other appliances have taken its place, so the only thing I use it for these days is toasting my ham and cheese sandwiches now and then.

It's on its last legs, though, and I was checking out Argos last night for a replacement when it occurred to me that maybe I should be checking out actual sandwich toasters instead, fit for purpose and all that.

However, there are 2 things against this idea:

1. My sole experience of a sandwich toaster is those Breville ones from off of the 80s (although I suspect the family one we had was a cheap knock off) which was far from successful, impossible to clean and resulting in toasties that contained lavaesque cheese in the middle.

2. I'm a firm believer in the concept of not having a an appliance or device that only does one thing, as much as possible. With the GF, if I need extra cooking space, it's there, I can't imagine a hape of rashers will cook successfully on a sandwich toaster.

tldr: are sandwich toasters better now than they were 20 years ago? do they add anything to the experience over something like a George Foreman?

Alun

Personally, the very few times I make a ham and cheese toastie I just do it under the grill. Toast one side of two slices of bread, put cheese and ham between the two toasted sides, and then toast each untoasted side of the sandwich, giving it a bit of a squash when turning it over, and after taking it out.

I remember those Breville things too ... like you said, it seemed to be able to heat cheese to a temperature akin to that of molten lava. Add tomatoes to the mix, and you'd end up with mouth blisters that's almost need a trip to A&E They also seemed designed to require square slices of bread, which meant wasting 10% of each normal rectangular slice.

Whistlejacket

Oh the nostalgia! Baked bean toasted sandwiches back in the day also had thermo-nuclear tongue burning properties.

But I agree with the OP, a sandwich toaster is too much of a one-trick pony to warrant space in a small kitchen. I make them now under the grill or in my cast iron frying pan (just heat it dry and put the sandwich in weighed down with another smaller heavy pan, turn it over once browned). I have moved on from beans though as the one good thing about the sandwich toaster is its ability to seal the edges shut, thereby minimising leaks. So now I tend to use less oozy fillings.

Whispered

But you can't do paninis or wraps in a sandwich toaster. Madness! Flat grill is the way to go

corblimey

Toasted wraps? What are you, royalty?

Anyway, yea, I think a replacement George is the way to go, the HN 12th anniversary sale has one at a decent price (although every time I buy something in HN I swear that will be the last time, it's a joyless experience)

PS: my grill packed up years ago. Maybe I just need a whole new kitchen

Whispered

Well toasted wraps are fit for royalty. Chilli beans, cheese, jalapeños with a side of sour cream. Mmmm

Enjoy your new foreman!

Dizzyblonde

We use the George Foreman for toasties and paninis and wraps, and if it died I'd buy another one rather than a sandwich toaster. They're much more versatile.
When sandwich toasters first came out we had one that left the sandwich whole and it was great, you could pop a whole egg in between the bread and it would cook perfectly. I never saw another one like that, they all seem to cut the sandwiches in half and that also means more tough edges to your toastie too! Those things could break your tooth.

Spanish Eyes

I got rid of the Foreman grill, recycled to a friend, delighted she is. I found it was gathering dust, as anything I could cook on it, I could do on the stove top griddle pan just as good. Less stuff cluttering the kitchen up!

I love ham and cheese and other combos of toasted sambos. I use the toaster pockets they sell them in the euro shop. They are brilliant, no mess, but you have to watch them because the outside of the bread can get done far quicker than the filling. A low setting on the toaster is best, then pop back in for more "doneness".

Thargor

Frying pan, spotlessly clean on low heat will make the best toasties you ever had OP, do everything else the exact same, butter on the outside none inside etc, squash it down with a spatula. Alternative is to do it in the toaster in a toaster bag, good results there aswell.

pew

Hi OP.

I got one 2 years ago on special in Aldi. It has removable plates where it is a normal sandwich toaster, waffle iron and grill too.

Could you look into something like that? I have gotten so much use out of it.

the beer revolu

Ah the memories of those caramelised biscuit hard edges and the treacherously hot middle.
Mmmmmmmmm

MissFlitworth

I have been known to put my sandwich back into the sandwich maker at another angle to get even more biscuity hard edges. Mmmmm.

I lived with someone who had one of these



for doing your toasties on top of the cooker. It was awesome.

I do toasties under the grill or in a skillet.

Tarzana2

I say get a sandwich toaster. I know you said the grill in the oven packed it in, but I'd get that sorted rather than buying a George Forman. I'm not a big fan of George Formans. For toasties, they just flatten it out too much and for grilling, they just squeeze too much juice out of whatever is being grilled so that dryness ensues.

I'd usually share your view that one-job appliances are gimmicky and pointless, but I think the sandwich toaster is the exception. IMO, you can't beat a toasted sandwich out of one. The crushed, squished burnt cheese bits at the side and triangly interior of deliciousness - YUM. I also consider it pretty wasteful just to put on on oven grill just for a toastie! My mother got a sandwich toaster in the late 90s. At the time, she fretted about whether it would get used or just end up sitting there. She needed have worried, it got used loads and still does.

Thargor wrote: »

Frying pan, spotlessly clean on low heat will make the best toasties you ever had OP, do everything else the exact same, butter on the outside none inside etc, squash it down with a spatula.

I find this method a bit greasy. It's fried bread rather than toast.

beertons

I could eat them sambo's all day. Used to love the crunchy bits on the outside.

Toto Wolfcastle

The crunchy edges were the best part of those sandwiches. We have a thing from M&S with removable plates to make waffles, mini doughnuts and a ridged plate to make sandwiches and panini and stuff. It makes amazing toasted sandwiches. Nice and crunchy and the cheese melts well without turning into lava.

Thargor

Tarzana2 wrote: »

I find this method a bit greasy. It's fried bread rather than toast.

Too much heat will fry the bread, turn it down way lower than if you were frying meat. Must throw one in the Airfryer sometime, Id say that would be perfect for them.

Dial Hard

corblimey wrote:

PS: my grill packed up years ago. Maybe I just need a whole new kitchen

But... but... but how do you LIVE???!!!

corblimey

Thargor wrote: »

Too much heat will fry the bread, turn it down way lower than if you were frying meat. Must throw one in the Airfryer sometime, Id say that would be perfect for them.

Hmm, a toasted sandwich in the airfryer....? Genius or madness?

Mystery Egg

These kind of involved conversations around the likes of a sandwich toaster are the reason I love this forum

Tarzana2

Mystery Egg wrote: »

These kind of involved conversations around the likes of a sandwich toaster are the reason I love this forum

We're all such nerds, it's great.

beertons

God dammit. It's another one of those chilli non carni moments. The need for a toasted cheese sambo is massive. I know I'm going to come home after half a day of drinking, and attempt to buy one.

rubadub

Thargor wrote: »

Must throw one in the Airfryer sometime, Id say that would be perfect for them.

Its is not as good as I expected, the underside was not done very well at all so you would really have to turn it over at some stage.

For turning tricky stuff I drop a plate on top of it and flip the entire basket upside down.

tickingclock

All this sandwich toaster talk put a longing on me so I had two in between the two matches! First one was mature cheddar, slices of red apple and relish. The second was an egg cracked into a slice of bread already on the toaster and then another slice of bread put on top and toasted. Both were delicious!

snowgal

MissFlitworth wrote: »

I have been known to put my sandwich back into the sandwich maker at another angle to get even more biscuity hard edges. Mmmmm.

I lived with someone who had one of these



for doing your toasties on top of the cooker. It was awesome.

I do toasties under the grill or in a skillet.

yes I have one like that too, mine is a 'diablo' I think! They make the BEST toasties but mine is tiny!! Can only do a single sambo, as in one slice of bread folded over....mmm I want one right now!

pwurple

I never got the point of a dedicated sandwich toaster. Most people already have multiple devices in their kitchen which can already make a toasty.

-Hob
-Oven
-Grill
-Microwave with a crisp or grill function
-toaster with a toasty bag.

That's 5 potential ways of doing this already, you think you need a 6th device to make toast in a slightly different way?

rubadub

pwurple wrote: »

I never got the point of a dedicated sandwich toaster.

It needs less watching over than those you mentioned, and most need turning. Many would have a george foreman type grill these days which is more similar. Someone in my house got a sandwich maker and I was saying it was pointless as we had the GF which makes better ones -it was after moving in and I think they view it like an essential/obvious item, like an iron or toaster. It has been used maybe twice in 10 years. I dislike the hard corners, not only do they break teeth but the filling is not equally laid out.

In the 80's I used to use the sandwich maker for other things, like cooking eggs. They were a real must have item back then.

pwurple

It needs less watching over than those you mentioned, and most need turning

Of all things, it does not need less washing. There was one in a student house I lived in, and the dripping melted cheese got into every single crevice on that item. Places that cheese should not ever go, and places which were far more difficult to clean than any cooking item I've ever encountered.

A wipe is all a cast iron pan on a hob needs. The toaster needs nothing at all, nor does the microwave. The grill might need cheese cleaning off it if you have leakage, but again, wipe with a wet cloth and you're done. The picking and hoovering and half-hearted wiped the disgusting accumulated grime out of a sandwich machine is one of the most worst jobs in a kitchen.

On the turning, the toaster and micro and oven bake method don't need any turning. Grill and hob need one flip midway. That's some crazy workload level alright, so you have me there.

Dial Hard

pwurple wrote: »

Of all things, it does not need less washing. There was one in a student house I lived in, and the dripping melted cheese got into every single crevice on that item. Places that cheese should not ever go, and places which were far more difficult to clean than any cooking item I've ever encountered.

He said watching over. As in you can put your sandwich in, then forget about it for 10 minutes while you go do something else. Not washing.

Whispered

Less watching* not washing.

Bung it in. Off you go

Not a fan of one trick pony kitchen items myself. I don't own a toaster because it just takes up counter space.

Dial Hard

Whispered wrote: »

Not a fan of one trick pony kitchen items myself. I don't own a toaster because it just takes up counter space.

I got rid of my microwave years ago because it was taking up counterspace and was only ever used to time boiled eggs (back in the days before smartphones, natch).

I'm in a rented house now and there was one supplied when we moved in, but I'd say you could count on both hands the number of times I've used it in two years.

Still haven't figured out how Corblimey has survived without a grill for so long, though!

meeeeh

I have this one and it's brilliant. Yes you could do most of the stuff with other appliances but with more hassle.
http://www.cuisinart.co.uk/griddle-and-grill.html