| Product: |
Breville Daisy Toasted Sandwich Maker |
| Date: |
09/08/02 (1348 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: Tasty stuff comes out of it, easy to use
Disadvantages: Lasts no time at all, bugger to clean
Kitchen appliances don't usually make the most fascinating of subject matter. Sure, you can make some top food with them, but how much can you write about a wok? However, when it comes to a special appliance like the subject of this review, things get a bit more interesting. So?
- What is it?
For the uninitiated a sandwich toaster is just what it sounds like - it creates a sandwich of two slices of toasted bread with some filling in the middle. "What about just using a grill like a normal person?", I hear you ask. Well, that's all well and good, but what a sandwich toaster makes is a proper sealed sandwich. Plus you can fill it with things that would just prove unfeasible with a grill. You want to try and make a backed bean sandwich in a grill? I'll see you in A&E?
- How does it work?
Well, a sandwich toaster is a hinged two-face device (imagine a book on legs) with a moulded non-stick hot plate on each face. When the power is on, the plates heat up and cook the bread and the filling (so DON'T touch them!) until it's ready to eat. In order to keep the two plates pressed firmly together, there is a latch between the edges of the two plates. With the bread inside, the slices of bread will be divided by the plates into two easy-to-handle triangular sandwiches. Whether this is strictly necessary, or whether it's the simple fact that it makes them look so much tastier, remains to be seen.
- Preparing for first usage
As with most non-stick appliances, it is recommended that you prime the coating before you use it for the first time. With woks and frying pans, you usually cook a small amount of oil in the pan. With the sandwich toaster, you just apply margarine to the plates using a piece of kitchen roll, much like greasing a baking tray. Then just close the lid and turn the sandwich toaster on for 5 or 10 minutes. Don't worry about the steam and the baking smell - that's meant to happen! (hon
est! :) )
- Using the toaster
So, you've returned from the pub, and you have serious munchies. Solution? Why not cook up a quick cheese toastie? It's quick and tasty, and most of all doesn't require huge amounts of manual dexterity, which is handy for a typical Friday night/Saturday morning!
First thing to do is to plug in the toaster and leave it to heat for 10 minutes - you want the plates to be hot when you add you sandwich. Now while you're waiting, get two slices of bread (or four if you're using the toaster to full capacity), and butter one side completely. Make sure you get a good amount of margarine on all parts of the bread, or you'll have a messy situation in 15 minutes time! Now, prepare your filling. If you're just going to use cheese slice it up, grate it, whatever you feel like, although try not to use TOO much or you'll just end up splitting the sandwich. There is a light indicator on the lid of the sandwich maker to indicate when it had heated up enough, so when goes out, open the lid, and press the BUTTERED sides of the bread into the moulded plates. You'll hear the margarine sizzle enticingly, but be careful not to burn your fingers. Once you've done that, add the filling to the slice on the base, and try not to put it too near the edges or it'll ooze out. Now close the lid firmly, and secure the latch. Take in the wonderful smells!
It should take about 5 minutes for the sandwich to toast, but it sometimes helps to check, so lift up the lid occasionally after the 5 minute mark, and when the bread has turned a lovely golden brown, your treat is ready! Remember to extract with a wooden or plastic cooking implement (spatula preferably), as metal will scratch your non-stick coating and screw up your poor toaster :( Oh and another tip - place your toaster on some removable material (some kitchen roll will do the trick), to catch any spillages should you overfill your sandwich?
r>
- Eating the delight
Open mouth, move sandwich towards? No, but seriously, because of the nature of this device, the filling which is sealed off from the open air will be VERY hot when removed from the toaster. I've found the best way to avoid second-degree burns to you tongue is to bite the very corner of the sandwich, where the toast is hardest, as you can open up the sandwich that way without pain or massacring your precious sandwich with a large knife. Cheese gets very hot, but the mother of all burning materials appears to be tomato, slices of which heat to approximately the same temperature as the interior of a star when toasted in this way. So be careful children!
- Cleaning is the devil's work
Unless you're a complete sadist, open up the toaster and let it cool a little before you clean it. One of the unfortunate things with sandwich toasters is that there are complete buggers to clean. Your aim is to remove all the bits of crap from all the nooks and crannies of the appliance, but at the same time manage to clean the plates without extracting the non-stick coating with it. My advice would be to try to clean any residue left on the plates with a wet thick piece of kitchen roll shortly after use before it has time to entrench itself. But don't let the sandwich go cold. God no!
- Gone to the great kitchen in the sky
The other unfortunate thing with sandwich toasters is they tend to be about as durable grass in a hailstorm. They typically last about a year, give a take a few months, if used properly and often, but there inevitably comes that one fateful day when your sandwiches no longer stay in one piece when you open the toaster and tend to favour the 'still attached to the plates approach'. Yes, your non-stick coating has become decidedly 'stick'. Sorry, time to buy a new one. Trust me, I have much experience of this with a variety of brands, and I look after my kitchen appliances. Those th
at stick knives into the heart of their poor toasters can expect a much shorter life.
- Excuse me Mr Griffiths, can I have some more please?
So what should you toast in your beautiful new cookery device, while it still works? Well the beauty of the sandwich toaster is that you can put practically anything that fits into that mould and make a lovely sandwich (within reason). I even heard of someone making a toasted egg sandwich in one the once, but I would imagine you'd want to be careful how much you cooked it. So here's a few ideas anyway:
CHEESE - obvious really, but some people don't think of it.
CHEESE + SOMETHING - tomato is my favourite, but onion works, as does ham. If you're feeling really adventurous, you could cook some bacon beforehand and stick that in!
BAKED BEANS - unusual I know, but it really works! Just make sure you press the bread into the mould well, and spoon some into the dent! How did I find this out? I'm a student, what can I say?
JAM - very tasty, nice sweet sandwich.
YOUR CHOICE - experiment, you can always lob it in the bin if it doesn't work, but most things do!
- So do I need one?
No, of course you don't, but you'll be missing out on all the fun if you do. I'll admit I'm currently without one since my last one died, but I'm still yearning for a new one. They may not be durable, and may be a bugger to clean, but that taste! Mmmm!
Summary:
|
|
