Let's toast this little breville devil (Breville TR16 Easy-Clean)

Member Name: blissman70

Product:	Breville TR16 Easy-Clean
Date:	14/09/09 (47 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to use, even easier to clean and does the job in minutes

Disadvantages: The catch can be a little tricky sometimes

The good old sandwich is as old as the hills for being a quick snack which can be as delicious as you want to make it, depending upon your preferences, then there's the option of a few slices of toast to warm your cockles on a cold morning, although the fillings here were slightly limited to maybe cheese, jam or marmalade.
So to find a warm bread based snack which could be filled with what ever you wanted was a little bit of a challenge, until, in the mid seventies, some genius took an old idea and came up with a great little invention, combining the two options of a sandwich and a piece of toast, calling the new design a sandwich toaster (obviously).

Anyway, the idea of the now very popular sandwich toaster have evolved into many designs, some calmingly quaint looking whilst others just simply surreal, with many companies trying there hands with the idea. But the most popular brand has to be from the boffins at the Australian company known as Breville, who have created many different types of sandwich toasters.

The sandwich toaster I actually own, and have done for a while now, is from the mentioned Breville range and is, in my opinion, a godsend when it comes to creating warm sandwiches for all the family, in a matter of minutes.

** THE TECHNICAL BITS first...

This sandwich toaster comes with removable easy to clean, dishwasher safe, heating plates to toast your bread and melt the filling to perfection.
It has a simple single heat setting with a built in thermostat to so the 'plates' never exceed a set temperature, the little green and red light taking turns to illuminate dependant on the units temperature.

Unfortunately though this one does NOT come with such things as a cancel button, nor does it have a defrost selection, although why you should need these settings I don't know.


** IN CONCLUSION...

This rather fine looking machine is such a useful little invention, opening the doors to a massive variety of lovely toasted sandwiches, and with the deep 'plates' you can cram loads of your favourite fillings into each sandwich.

Like most sandwich toasters this one seals around the edges of the two slices of bread whilst also cutting and sealing down the middle, giving you four triangles of deliciously warm stomach fillers to keep you going for a while.
I tend to use my little Breville delight when I feel a bit peckish yet not really ready for a full meal, if you know what I mean, then, after a few minutes of preparation, as the toaster warms up. Then I slide the bread onto the bottom plate, butter side down so there's no sticking', and add what ever filling I have decided on for the day, my favourite being cheese, ham and onion, but it depends what is in my fridge.
Then it is a matter of waiting a few minutes for the sandwich to be toasted, this usually takes about five minutes but I do tend to keep checking on the toasty, and I suppose this releases the heat somewhat.
Finally, it is just a matter of eating the finished product, enjoying the flavour of the moment.
There are just no limitations to what fillings you can squeeze into a toasted sandwich and as long as you place the pieces of bread in the correct place on the 'plates' then the filling will not ooze out of the side and onto your work tops.

This particular Breville design is, in the kitchen world, quite attractive, with its white body and streamline curves, so it would not look out of place sat on the work top in your kitchen, even though it can be easily stored standing upright or lay down in a cupboard, (but do let it cool down before hand).
It heats up pretty quickly and toasts the sandwiches in a matter of minutes so you don't have to wait too long before you can eat.
Like I said, I have had mine for quite some time now and am so happy with it almost has pride of place in my kitchen, it may as well have it is out on the worktops being used that often.

It may not be the best machine on the market but for the price it certainly does what it is meant to do... it toasts sandwiches, and although the heating plates may seem a little on the delicate side, with the catches to lock them into position feeling like something out of a childs dolls house, they are stronger than you think, giving many hours of toasty goodness for a long time to come.
The locking catch can be a little tricky to click shut when your sandwiches are jam packed with your favourite filling, but I find this is the same for all sandwich toasters, so you may have to push down on the lid to get the catch to lock securely so your sandwiches will toast properly, but this is not to difficult and will not spoil the enjoyment of your quick snack.
In my opinion it is a fine specimen in the toasted sandwich brigade and, if you decide to go for this particular product, will make you very happy with your purchase

If you are interested in this rather splendid little Breville it can be bought for around the £30.00 region, which for that price you can have as many toasted sandwiches as you want.

Summary: Warm your cockals... and your sandwiches

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