There’s a lot to be said for the humble sandwich; it can serve as a simple snack or dressed up and elevated to become a full meal. But there’s something about the combination of hot metal plates and bread that takes sandwich making to the next level, and this is where sandwich toasters and toastie makers come in.
These versatile bits of kit aren’t just reserved for toasting sandwiches; many come with different plates for different tasks. Some have waffle plates, others have flat plates and grill plates for toasted sandwiches, some even open up flat for table-top grilling. Before making a purchase, consider what you want to use your toastie maker or sandwich toaster for. Are you looking to make bog-standard cheese toasties or are you after a multifaceted machine that can be used a couple of different ways? We tested a range of different models to find the best sandwich toaster for you.
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How to choose the best sandwich toaster
Toastie maker vs sandwich maker
A cheese toastie is one of life’s simple pleasures: crisp bread plus oozing melted cheese, what’s not to like? For these timeless classics, opt for a toastie maker. If you’re a fan of thick bread or like lots of filling, choose a ‘deep fill’ toastie maker.
If you’re looking to make deli-style toasted sandwiches, best choose a sandwich maker. These wont seal your sandwich like a toastie maker, but will impart those tell-tale chargrilled lines. A sandwich maker also allows you to be a lot more generous (and creative) with your fillings.
Size
Consider how many people are in your household and how much space you have to store your machine. On the whole, toastie makers tend to make 2 toasties at a time and are generally compact and easy to store. Sandwich makers are bigger, but are great for larger households.
Clean up
Molton cheese and other greasy ingredients can be difficult to clean. Some machines have removable plates that can either be hand washed or even popped in the dishwasher. Others have plates that can’t be removed, so will need to be cleaned with a damp cloth.
Best sandwich toasters at a glance
Best overall sandwich toaster: Cuisinart Sandwich Toaster, £59.99
Best deep fill sandwich toaster: Breville Ultimate Deep Fill Sandwich Toaster, £27.99
Best sandwich toaster for versatility: Cuisinart 2 in 1 Grill and Sandwich Toaster, £99.99
Best sandwich grill: Netta 2 Slice Panini Maker and Health Grill, £38.99
Best sandwich toaster for families: VonShef 4 Slice Toastie Maker, £39.99
Best innovative sandwich toaster: Morphy Richards MICO, £24.99
Best large sandwich grill: George Foreman Steel Grill Medium, £32
Best cheap sandwich maker: Daewoo SDA1389, £20.99
Best compact sandwich maker: Netta Deep Fill Toastie Maker, £28.99
Best sandwich toasters to buy in 2021
Cuisinart sandwich maker
Best overall sandwich toaster
Pros:
- Sleek, attractive and well designed, great stand-alone recipe book, choice of three heat settings
Cons:
Solid, sturdy and stylish, this is a sandwich toaster that’s built to last. It comes with clear instructions and a well-designed recipe book. The machine is the only one we tested that allowed us to choose whether to cook our sandwich on ‘low’, ‘medium’ or ‘high’, which is perfect if you’re fussy about such things.
We tested the Cuisinart using standard bread and paninis. The sandwich toaster coped well with the deeper fillings and there was no problem securing the latch. The sandwiches were very brown after four minutes on high and really crispy. This is a product that really does cater for all tastes. The plates are easy to remove for cleaning and, joy of joys, fit into the dishwasher to make clearing up quick and easy. Read our full review of the Cuisinart sandwich maker
Breville two-slice deep fill sandwich toaster
Best deep fill sandwich toaster
Pros:
- Well-built product, easy to clean
Cons:
- On the expensive side for a single-purpose machine
Breville is probably the best-known brand of sandwich toaster out there. This is a solid and substantial machine and one you’d expect to last for a long time. Despite the misleading name, it actually makes two sandwiches at a time, making it ideal for a small family.
It comes with detailed instructions and heats up quickly, plus it has a high hinge so you can make deep-filled toasties. It created the perfect sandwich in four minutes – well browned with a good seal. Read our full review of the Breville two-slice deep fill sandwich toaster
Cuisinart 2 in 1 Grill and Sandwich Maker
Best sandwich toaster for versatility
Pros:
- Grill plates are interchangeable and dishwasher safe, dial control for different temperatures, materials good quality, small footprint
Cons:
- Takes a long time to heat up, only space for one panini
This high-quality and stylish sandwich maker from Cuisinart features grill and toastie plates, making it a versatile piece of kit. The plates are easily changed thanks to the release buttons on the side of the machine. The plates are also dishwasher safe for easy cleaning.
In test, both the toastie plates and grill plates produced fantastic results. We enjoyed deep, generously filled toasties and crisp paninis with well-defined grill lines. There is also a comprehensive manual and useful recipe book with some delicious sounding dishes. It’s quick to cook, but like our first place Cuisinart, it’s slow to heat up. Read our review of the Cuisinart 2 in 1 Grill and Sandwich Maker.
Netta 2 Slice Panini Maker and Health Grill
Best sandwich grill
Pros:
- Small footprint, quick to heat up and cook, cooks evenly
Cons:
- Plates are not removable, the instruction manual is unhelpful
Neat and compact, this classically designed sandwich maker looks like an old-school panini grill. It comes ready assembled and has a lightweight floating hinge that doesn’t squash the sandwiches inside. There’s a temperature dial with minimum and maximum settings, but there is no corresponding temperature information in the manual.
It’s very quick to heat up, taking just two and a half minutes to do so (the manual said it’d take five minutes). Both paninis and cheese toasties were well cooked and were stamped with the rich and definite grill lines we wanted to see. The plates aren’t removable, which is disappointing, but the non-stick coating is effective, so clean up is a doddle. Read our full review of the Netta 2 Slice Panini Maker and Health Grill.
VonShef 4 Slice Toastie Maker
Best sandwich maker for families
Pros:
- Makes lots of toasties, slim – doesn’t take up too much storage space, quick to heat up, perfect size plates for standard bread
Cons:
- Plates aren’t removable, very tall when open
Simply designed, this large toastie maker from VonShef makes up to 4 toasties at a time, making it perfect for families or toastie fanatics. The toastie plates are the ideal size for standard slices or supermarket bread. The plates aren’t removable, but they are non-stick, so clean up is relatively easy.
Despite not being labelled as deep fill, we were able to fit a generous amount of filling in each toastie. We noticed that the toasties cooked on the front two plates were better browned than those at the back and they took a long time to cook. But despite this, all the toasties were securely sealed, crisp and fully melted in the middle. Read our full review of the VonShef 4 Slice Toastie Maker.
Morphy Richards MICO
Best innovative sandwich toaster
Pros:
- Soft-touch heatproof shell that’s grippable, removable non-stick plates, dishwasher safe, easy to store
Cons:
- Doesn’t seal the sides so it’s possible to squeeze out all the hot cheese when removing it from the microwave
No larger than a side plate, this nifty little gadget from Morphy Richards allows you to make toasties in the microwave. There are silicone clips that secure the plates around your sandwich, they also stretch, allowing a little extra room for generously filled toasties.
The plates don’t seal the sandwiches, rather it produces toasties with grill lines. We were impressed with the toasties produced; they were evenly browned with an oozing, cheesy interior. It’s also very quick to cook, taking just 4 minutes to do so. Read our full review of the Morphy Richards MICO.
George Foreman Steel Grill Medium
Best large sandwich grill
Pros:
- Floating hinge sits flat on food, plate has large surface area, slim, easy to use
Cons:
- Plates cannot be removed, toasts a little unevenly
This is a classic George Foreman grill; it has a floating hinge and slanted plates with a non-stick coating. There’s little set up required and it takes just two minutes to heat up. Like the Netta model, this George Foreman has a floating hinge that sits the lid lightly on sandwiches.
Our toasties and paninis were super crisp and perfectly melted. There’s a large surface area to play with and we found we could comfortably fit 4 sandwiches on the grill at once. But we did find that this model browns bread a little unevenly, though this was our only aesthetic qualm. Read our full review of the George Foreman Steel Grill Medium.
Daewoo SDA1389
Best cheap sandwich maker
Pros:
- Cheap, no set up needed, cord storage
Cons:
- Plates cannot be removed, plates are very large, some more information needed in instruction manual
This cheap and cheerful toastie maker from Daewoo produces toasties with a neat scallop design. Like a couple of other models on the list, we found the toastie plates a bit too large for standard supermarket bread. Despite this, all sandwiches were tightly sealed.
Both our classic cheese toasties and deep filled toasties took around six minutes to cook. They were relatively well-browned with no leaks. We’d have like to have seen a little more even browning, but for the price, it produces great results. Read our full review of the Daewoo SDA1389.
Netta Deep Fill Toastie Maker
Best compact sandwich maker
Pros:
- Small, compact design, easy to store
Cons:
- The plates are not removable for easy cleaning, the plates are larger than most pre-cut slices of bread
At just 29cm wide, this compact little toastie maker takes up very little space on the kitchen counter. It’s easy to use; just plug it in and it begins to heat up – this took under two minutes. The plates aren’t removable, so you’ll need to hand wash it after use.
We found the toastie plates are larger than a standard slice of bread, which meant our toasties came out a little lop-sided. But, they were well sealed and toasted and we could fit a generous amount of cheese inside each one. It’s fuss-free and makes a great toastie. Read our full review of the Netta Deep Fill Toastie Maker.
How we test sandwich toasters
We tested a range of sandwich toasters and toastie makers and used them to make a simple cheese toastie, a deep filled toastie, a filled panini, and, if a model came with waffle plates, we made BBC Good Food’s waffles, too. We used all plates supplied to test against the following criteria:
Ease of use
Sandwich toasters and toastie makers are designed to do a simple job. We made sure that each model tested was straightforward to use.
Versatility
Many of the sandwich toasters and toastie makers we tested come with different plates for different tasks, such as grilling plates, waffle plates, and even flat plancha-style plates. We tested these out to see how well they performed.
Cooking results
We looked for toasties that were evenly browned and crisp. Fillings, such as cheese, should be totally melted. For those machines with waffle plates, we wanted to see waffles that were fully cooked, soft and evenly browned.
Value
We scored each sandwich toaster for its value for money, taking into account the accessories provided and its performance.
Toastie maker reviews and recipes
Breville two-slice sandwich toaster review
VonShef 2-in-1 snack maker review
Cuisinart sandwich maker review
Cuisinart 2-in-1 grill and sandwich maker review
Netta 2-slice panini maker and health grill review
Morphy Richards MICO toastie maker review
Tefal snack collection review
George Home 3-in-1 sandwich toaster review
Cheese toastie recipe ideas
5 ways with grilled cheese sandwiches
This review was last updated in March 2021. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability, please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.
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