I bought this on a whim when out shopping, as had a real craving for a toasted sandwich. This is the reason I bought a cheap toasted sandwich maker opposed to a brand name product, as I know it is likely that I will be toastie mad for a few weeks, then it will end up in the back of my cupboard for months on end! This sandwich maker was bought from Tesco for less than £5.

This toasted sandwich maker is a standard double sandwich maker, making two triangle cut toasted delights, which is fine for me as I am the only toastie eater in the household, with a bit of an appetite. The design of the appliance is a very basic white plastic design, which isn't overly attractive, however for less than a fiver I'm not really complaining. The appliance is very small, which I am really pleased about as because as I won't be using this regularly I was looking for something small to keep in my already very full kitchen cupboards. The maker has a red/green light panel on the front - the red light comes on when you turn the appliance on, and then switches off and switches to green when the thermostat reaches the right temperature to cook which is really handy. The appliance also has a clip on the front to pull the lid down to ensure maximum heat and to help pull the sides together (and also stops me hugely overfilling toasties - which I do tend to do!!) A cheese and ham toastie is cooked to a nice golden brown in about 2 or 3 minutes from preheated temperature which I think is good, and especially good for the price.

I find there is the same issue with all toasted sandwich makers. Firstly the appliance only turns on / off if you unplug it, so if you forget to unplug your appliance then it will remain on, which could prove hazardous, especially if you have a young curious family - doesn't do your electric bill much good either. Having said that I have not found one with an on/off switch yet. This, like most other sandwich makers can be hard to clean if you do have a hot filing leak / explosion - however is no harder to clean with a wet soapy sponge once cooled than any other I have tried.

I am very pleased with this product and would recommend to:
Small families / single people
Those with limited space