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Cookworks Sandwich Toaster
by Elaineee
I love a toastie and probably have one a couple of times a week. I needed a new Sandwich Maker but don't like spending much because I know from experience that regardless of the price they don't really have a long life, it's not long before the non stick comes off and you end up with black bits on your toastie.
Looking in ... Argos a few months ago I spotted this Cookworks one on sale. The 2 slice toaster is currently still on sale at £7.89 where as the 4 slice version is £14.99. Doesn't seem dear, I usually buy Value Range ones for about £6-10 so seeing as how this was about the same price I decided I'd try it (it had to be better than value surely). After paying only £6 for the 2 slice at the time, I was pleased with my purchase and couldn't wait to give it a test drive.
The quality is good, it feels better than my usual. The appearance looks stylish in black plastic with a stainless steel top. There is red light to tell you it's on and a green light to tell you when it's ready. There is no switch or temperature control, you just plug it in but the previous ones I've had are the same. It is also cool wall but obviously it does get warm. In the box is the usual instruction leaflet.
The 2 slice is 600 watts.
The 4 slice is 1100 watts.
Handle locking clip.
Non-stick plates.
Power on indicator and ready light.
Easy to clean.
Stores upright.
Non-slip feet.
Performance:
After giving it a wipe down I got to work preparing my butty with the butter on the outside to stop it sticking. I switched it on it heats up really quickly so a good start. Of course a gripe with all cheap Sandwich Makers is that they just aren't big enough to fit an average sized sandwich which either has to be cut down or made one at a time side on, this Cookworks one is no exception. Having tried 2 sandwiches it is much better to do just one at a time, 2 makes it difficult to close and the filling is more likely to pour out the back of the machine and make a mess everywhere. The machine sandwiches the bread together well, and clips securely. It's quick enough, a few minutes is all that's required depending on your preference. The toasties come out nice and evenly toasted. Cleaning it isn't easy but there's no such thing as an easy clean with these things. I was pleased with the results and the non stick hadn't come away with repeated use which with Value makers I find start to lose their non stick within a few months.
but............
It broke within a few months, the locking clip snapped off without rough use. I just closed it as normal. Having a broken clip makes it impossible to use. So I'm back to Value.
I don't think I'd buy it again.
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Haden 11326
by eilidhcatriona
I'm not a big fan of toast. I find it dry and a bit boring - even with jam or other tasty spreads on it. But a toaster is one of those things you should have in your kitchen, and I do love crumpets, muffins and toasties made in toastabags. The Haden 11326 is actually the first toaster I owned; we had had toasters in previous flats but ... they belonged to the flat, and as there wasn't one in the flat we moved to in London, we decided to buy one. That was over five and a half years ago, and here I am just getting round to reviewing the toaster.
We purchased the Haden 11326 toaster in John Lewis for somewhere in the region of £8-£10, which seemed like quite a bargain. We only wanted a toaster, we didn't want some massive contraption which could toast four slices and probably do a dance to entertain you while it did. It didn't seem necessary to spend any more on a slightly fancier toaster or better known brand - as long as this Haden one toasted stuff, it would do the job.
The Haden 11326 toaster is white, with a silver panel around the controls. Toasting level is controlled by a dial numbered 1-6, and there are buttons for cancel, reheat and defrost functions. The toaster also has a bun warmer, which is simply two pieces of metal which are raised over the toaster by a little button; they are barely noticeable when not in use. There is also a crumb tray under the toaster.
The toaster slots are a reasonable size. They can accommodate fairly thick bread, although if you slice a muffin too thickly on one side, it can get a bit stuck - fortunately you can use the lever to lift the toaster slots out higher so you can retrieve stuck items or smaller things which might not reach the top. The main problem I have with the toaster in terms of size is its depth. Supermarket own brand bread is fine - it will all fit in the toaster and be toasted evenly. More expensive branded bread (Kingsmill in particular) sticks out the top, meaning you have to turn it over halfway through.
As far as toasting goes, the Haden 11326 does the job. It toasts evenly and fairly quickly - you don't have to wait forever for your toast. There is, however, a very fine line between nicely toasted and black, and it seems to lie around the 4 mark on the dial. I like my toast to be light - "warm bread" it has been called, but my partner does prefer darker toast. But when I turn the dial up to do this, the toast ends up burnt - so after a while I started to leave the control turned down a bit lower, and then put the toast on again for a little longer, which seemed to result in less burning incidents than simply going for the higher setting. I do this with crumpets as well, as they require more toasting time than my toast.
The Haden 11326 is surprisingly easy to clean, given that it's white. Also surprisingly, it doesn't get too grubby to start with. The crumb tray should help to collect crumbs, but it had a tendency to pop out the side of its own accord, and therefore wasn't a great deal of use.
However, our Haden toaster came to a sudden end a couple of months ago. I didn't see what happened as I was away at the time, but my partner called me and said "Erm...the toaster just exploded". Whether a fault in the toaster or with the plug socket, we don't know, but after around five and a half years of service it packed in.
I'm not fussy when it comes to toasters, and while there is part of me which would like a nice big shiny one that catches crumbs and does all sorts of clever things, we only really need a basic toaster like the Haden 11326. So although it was far from perfect, it did what we needed it to do - as long as we paid attention to whether it was burning the toast or not.
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Kenwood TT370
by MamaC
We needed to buy a small 2-slice toaster for which we would use in our caravan whilst away. I came across this stainless steel toaster whilst I was shopping in Tesco's. I purchased it here, as I wanted to bump up the points on my club card.
IN THE BOX:
It was packaged very well and looked far too elegant for the likes ... of our caravan. The entire body is made from stainless steel and it has a variable slot width, which is ideal if you need to warm your buns in it. It draws 950 watts, which is about what I'd expect from a toaster. Underneath the toaster you'll find a crumb tray, which does what it's designed to do. I noticed that it also has a handy little cancel button that I've never seen on a toaster before and works well if I think that my toast is browning too much. The warming rack is totally removable so that I can wash periodically and you can set the dial to re-heat or cook bread slices from a frozen state.
There's not a lot more that can be said with regards to the taste of toast the science about how it cooks. But this toaster gives you great even cooked toast whilst letting you you control how brown you like it to be, it's that simple. I also really like the fact that it can cope with warming up bus - very handy for Good Friday!
In conclusion, it's a great little toaster, which only gets used about 6 times per year. I most certainly could have purchased a cheaper one than this.
Purchased from Tescos for £44.99
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