Sandwich Toasters

Sandwich toasters can described as a cooking utensil or an electrical appliance used to toast sandwiches.

Sandwich toasters can described as a cooking utensil or an electrical appliance used to toast sandwiches. Alternately known as a pie iron, pudgy pie iron or jaffle iron, the basic design includes two hinged, round or square metal pieces set on long handles.

The pieces form an enclosed compartment used to cook toasted and stuffed sandwiches. Traditional sandwich toasters are typically made of cast iron for use over open flames or coal. Stove top units can be found and are usually made from aluminum and some times coated with a non-stick surface.

Electric sandwich toasters are two hot plates clamped together around a sandwich similar to a waffle iron. With most models 2 sandwiches can be toasted at one tie. The plates are heated by coils inside the appliance and are normally covered with some sort of heat dissipating material to ensure that the outside does not get too hot.

Often times the plates are engineered to clamp around the edge of the sandwich sealing in the filling and occasionally will leave a diagonal line across it to keep the filling from spilling out. The pressing action of the sandwich maker seals the filling in the bread, but as a result renders the insides extremely hot.

The convenient seal does help make the sandwich easier to eat. Professional units can range from those similar to what you would find in a home setting clamping or smashing the sandwich, to entire grilling units which use dry heat to toast the bread.

Panini’s are made using similar equipment. In South Africa these appliances are oftentimes called Snackwiches, after a wildly popular brand of sandwich toaster. If you do not have a sandwich toaster, you can also use a waffle iron provided the hinges open wide enough.

In Australia and South Africa a sandwich toaster is refered to as a jaffle iron. The United Kingdom refers to the sandwich maker as a toastie pie maker or a toastie maker. The most common toasted sandwiches are grilled cheese, tuna melt or patty melt.

In Britian and New Zeland they are refered to as toasties, they are Brevilles, or jaffles in Australia and South Africa. Jaffles are named after the original jaffle (or pie) iron. Sandwich toasters are far less popular in the United States where grilled cheese sandwiches are more familiar.

The sandwich toaster has a bad wrap for not being used very much because of their specialized nature. A survey in 2005 suggested that 45% of British adults owned but did not use their sandwich toasters. Italian’s are famous for their Panini sandwiches which translates into English as "little breads".

These toasted sandwiches are prepared with sandwich presses which often produce distinct parallel grill marks. Panini-presses can accommodate sctions of breads varying in length unlike traditional sandwich toasters which require standard sliced bread. You can also prepare toasted sandwiches using a toaster oven.

Arranged open face and then toasted. This method not only toasts the bread but also warms the filling. In many restaurants such as Quizno’s use conveyor belt style ovens to toast sandwiches, but has since been adopted by Subway and Boston Market.

Some of the most commonly used filling in a toasted sandwiches are cheese with tomato or ham, or most famously by itself. Other fillings include such strange items as pickles, jam and even banana and Nutella.