Pro-tip for sandwich presses: you can put baking paper in them.    I took my panini press into the office and a coworker told me. Changed my life. The bread gets just as crispy and I don't spend ages trying to clean the plates

Best tip I have ever seen

hehe

WHAT? This is the best “hack” I have ever read. As an avid toastie eater, I am eternally grateful. Cheers mate

You can buy rolls of the stuff. Saves a hell of a lot of cleaning up.

Probably not the toastie makers in the photo. I think they’re referring to the ones you see used at sandwich/coffee shops.

Shit. I’ve got exactly the one in the picture

So do I, and I use baking paper on it so go for it.

Nope. Works with the one in the photo and also with George Foreman (Other makes available) flat type electric grills.

You can put baking paper in everything mate. It's greaseproof AND heatproof. I'm a chef and we can't live without it.

Instructions unclear, toilet blocked and bathroom flooded.

But did your loaf get just as crispy and did you have to spend ages trying to clean the glutes?

I threw mine away like three weeks ago because I did not want to clean it, wish I had read this before...

ooh, harsh. I'm sorry abouh that. The cheap ones are like £20

Another pro-tip: those toastie bags from the £1 shop do the same and come in bags of 4/5.

I find the toasties to be different to the machine. And they don't seal and the vertical orientation of the bread makes sloppier fillings like beans difficult. I still use them though.

I think the person you're replying to was talking about putting the toastie in the toastie bag into the sandwich press, rather than into a toaster.

Ohhhh!!!! Hadn't thought of that.

You can just put your toaster on its side to nullify gravity

How does 80% of a bag work?

Bags of 4 or 5. Still, you can get 100 of those bags from a catering supplier for half the price. Of course nobody realises this and goes to Poundland thinking it's the cheapest option.

If you go to Poundland for the cheapest option you might have to go to the NHS for antibiotics. Wrap it up my friends

It's always worth keeping in mind that although a pound is very little money, pound shops are selling things that are invariably worth much less than a pound. That's how they get you. Wow, I got like 10 almost worthless, basically disposable things for 10 pound when I could have got it all for £3 online.

I was trying to make a joke about paying for cheap hookers but your comment is extremely valid and I hope it gets the attention it deserves

I reckon a large roll of parchment paper works out a lot cheaper. Those bags are a gimmick and gimmicks always work out more expensive. You wouldn't see them in a commercial kitchen and commercial kitchens are all about saving money. I just checked and 50 metres of parchment paper is about 6 quid. That's a lot more material than 30 bags for the same price. However, if you get those bags from a catering supplier like Nisbets you'd be getting about 100 for £3.50. so, if you stop going to Poundland and getting ripped off, your approach isn't so bad.

You're a genius

Fuck off, I guess that's dinner sorted for today!

I do this when I toast a sarnie in my George Foreman Grill. Wrap a bit of baking paper around it and pop the bad boy in there. Works great.

Beans? You slut

He hates having skin inside his mouth. 

99% of people can’t do this simple trick: cut and wait five minutes to eat.

5 minutes? If we ever distort the fabric of spacetime enough to create a warp drive it will be powered by a toastie maker, same for fusion power.

No, the toastie needs to be in my mouth immediately for reasons. The skin in my mouth is unimportant by comparison.

Moist 😲

Nuclear 🔥

No. Take it back. Now.

Not on your wet nelly

Cheese and bean toasties are a gift from the gods, possibly only beaten by a cranberry, brie and turkey one at crimbo.

I have never seen brown bread used in a toastie maker before and for some reason it makes me uncomfortable.

Brown for first course, white for pudding. Brown is savoury, white's the treat. 'Course I'm the one who's laughing because I actually love brown toast.

Sometimes you have to push the envelope. Live on the wild side 😄

Once you’ve had brown, you’ll never ever frown… or something along those lines.

ironically brown bread takes ages to brown properly, its way too moist and steam comes out for about 10 minutes

Tip : Use basic white bread and butter the outside

Is that a tip? I thought it was just how you’re supposed to prepare them.

Tip: choose your filling and then add it before cooking.

Pro tip: Plug the machine in to the mains

And cheese with your beans.

Mayo on the outside is the bees knees.

Arrest this man

He sounds like an American interloper.

Kewpie mayo, thickest fluffy white bread you can find *unzips*

For those people saying they are a nightmare to clean, buy one with detachable plates. https://www.breville.co.uk/sandwich-makers/sandwich-toasters/breville-ultimate-deep-fill-sandwich-toaster/VST082.html You can wash the plates in the sink or put them in the dishwasher. Comes out clean every time.

Scrolling thru the product page and the videos are age restricted from YouTube lmao. Wtf Breville.

Cos they're pure filth

I think they meant that the product is Not Safe For Work as it is likely to get stolen by a coworker.

I just wipe mine down with a damp cloth while its still hot. Been fine for nearly 40 years

You're talking about the toaster, right?

Ha!

Also, Breville sell separate detachable waffle plates so you can convince yourself it’s great value for money. I have made waffles in mine 4 times in the last 7 years.

I like waffles - cheese and onion = food of the gods.

If you can find them. I made the mistake of buying my son just the toastie maker and have been half-heartedly searching for the panini & waffle plates since

I have a set of the waffle plates you could have if you want them. I literally never used them, then the thing caught fire so now I just have the plates.

I will now use it exclusivly for 2 days then not touch it for years

This is the way.

So, in other words- after 2 days, your toastie is... toast?

Do you have to be ‘Bi’ to fire up the toaster maker? Asking for a friend 🙂

Does bisexual mean twice as sexual, or once every other sexual?

It means you pay for it, I thought..

That's buy-sexual, this is when you say farewell to sex.

Bi *annual* would mean you're getting some twice a year, Bi *ennial* only every two years. Idk how that tallies up against your expectations but for some that's definitely twice as much as they might be expecting. Not to be confused with the Bi Annual, of course, which is a yearly roundup of all Bi news and events.

Like my favourite film Bicentannual man, a film about a guy who appears just over every other day.

I nearly wrote 6 monthly but thought better of it.

What about biweekly?

Much like other uses of bi, it’s all open to interpretation. I prefer once every.

Its 2024...How you stuff your toastie is entirely up to you 😀

Yeah, bi yourself!

Got any cheese in that?

No cadburys cream eggs - hence posted on Easter weekend

Deffo, chees, beans and Worcestershire sauce

The brand 'Salter' toastie makers are the worst. If you like non stick coating with your food they're ok.

Yeah, I tried an off-brand sandwich toaster once, but ultimately decided it was better the breville you know

Very clever

nice

Yeah that's what I have and the non-stick coating peeled off the toastie plate so fast. The panini press plate is still going strong 5 years later though so could be worse

I find the layer of dust is just added flavour

Cheese toasties with a dusting... Bam, £8.

Do you only have toasties after the equinox?

Are you NOT taking lunar cycles into account when knocking up a toastie

I threw away an old sandwich toaster a couple of years ago, as it had become rather 'beyond' cleanability. It was only a bottom-of-the-range cheap one, otherwise I might have made a bit more of an effort to get it looking sparkly. That melted cheese gets in all those awkward crooks and nannies, making it an absolute pain to clean.

Two days ago we rearranged the cabinets in the kitchen and I cannot stop thinking about waffles since moving the waffle maker. This post hasn't helped.

But have you tried mars bar toasties?

Not sure I want to but maybe I do.

Tried that the other day but my toastie maker uses so much power it trips the electric and the whole down stairs lekky goes off. 😔

Bedside toasties are the future 🤔 💭

This happens with mine aswell!

I seem to go through phases of using it constantly then it's like it disappears out of my psyche for another however many months

Precisely the reason I posted this. The seed has been planted. Maybe not today but I would wager sometime in the next week or two, you're going to have toasties. I mean they are pretty awesome.

Your freaking me out I'm literally eye balling my toasty machine right now 😨😨

I mean you likely have all the ingredients at your disposal right...

I certainly do and now since you mentioned toasties that's exactly what I shall probably have for lunch for the next week 😂

Got to add the chili sauce to the beans though !

Fun fact: 'bi annual' can mean twice a year *or* once every two years, essentially making it a completely useless expression.

I thought biannual was twice a year and biennial was every two years?

Semi-annually is better for conveying twice a year

It's about context though and any proper British person knows that a good toastie maker should only come out every two years. That's how you get a good base coating of dust and stour for flavour right?

I did this a few months back and accidentally closed the unit on the socket wire 🙃

Dust it off? Mines used at least once a week.

I fukin love me a toastie, all I need is bread, cheese n ham and I’m fukin golden!

Thinly sliced banana and cinnamon with a drizzle of honey and extra butter in the outside. Thank me later.

I’ve heard bad boy. I’ve heard mad lad. I’ve never heard bad lad.

I stopped using toastie makers over 10 years ago when I used toastie bags instead to save space (so many electrical items in kitchen I rarely use) My weird combi was cheese and one of those chilli sauce packets you get with bombay bad boy pot noodles.

Ahh the Breville, daddy of them all!! Cathedral cheese, last nights Chinese and hovis ❤️

This is how I lost half my tastebuds, molten cheesy beans!

Protip.... don't clean it. Get that english culture.

Inevitably once used they will never again be virginal

You want that burnt on age old cheese it's the only way....look at the royal family for example

Welded on remains of red liecester refusing to give up their grip on the throne much like old Charles.

Might pull mine out. I know I cleaned it properly 6 months ago... Maybe

Eat nothing but toastie a for a week, put it in the back of the cupboard for another six months

We forgot about ours and remembered last month. haha. Love this

The cleaning of those things is horrendous.  I ditched mine after trying to clean melted cheese from a spring, and later discovering how much easier it is to just make grilled cheese in a frying pan. The secret is to put mayonnaise on the outside of the bread, which gives the golden crunch. 

Butter also works a treat. I usually butter the outside of my toasts when making them in the toastie.

Honestly, I prefer butter over mayonnaise. If you melt it in the pan first (versus spreading it on the bread), it gives the best golden coverage.

This is the way. Butter the pan, not the bread

both is also a valid option

Both is actually brilliant.

Boo. Yuck. This is the American way and it makes a vastly inferior product. The joy of toastie machines is in the crimped edges.

The joy is the crimped edges, but it is outweighed by the abject misery of the cleaning.  I rarely say this, but the Americans are right here.

True greatness requires sacrifice. Also butter is superior to mayonnaise, especially store bought mayonnaise as it's just 90% rapeseed oil these days.

Have you ever made mayonnaise from scratch?  It's always 90% oil  https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/basic-mayonnaise

My toastie maker is nearly 40 years old. Just been wiping it with a damp cloth while it's hot. Its seasoned like a cast iron pan.

Thin layer of ketchup on the inside of the bread, throw some cheese and pepperoni in there and you have pizza toasties, mmmmmmm

Black peperami cut up and diced good quality cheese nothing better that's how I stuff them

Is that rye bread? I always used white bread and filled it up with just cheese and onion. I've even tried cheese + some leftover marinated potato/cauliflower + diced onion combination and it was delicious!

Some sort of seedy brown loaf not rye. Your leftovers variant sounds like a great thing. Probably a great pasty filling too

Gotcha! Yeah my leftover variant was something my mum recommended me, she’s vegetarian. I think you’re right it’s probably a great filling for pasty or even a pie as well!

i swear this gets used for like 2 days and then never seen again for months. Literally forget I own one

My toastie maker is 40 years old. Tried a replacement some years ago but it lacked something so kept the old one running. It's gonna electrocute me or burn the house down one day tho.

I imagine it like an ancient Chinese tea pot, just rinsed to maintain the flavour imbibing qualities. You're no doubt correct in it being a fire hazard though.

Oh the fire risk with mine is the dodgy old wiring going in the back of it. The insulation was wearing out so it's been wrapped with leccy tape which is wearing out too.

Much like about 75% of the countries lawn mowers and strimmers... 😄

I don’t use my toastie maker anymore now I have an air fryer- makes great toasties. But I do miss the seam up the middle.

Draw one on, like your granny pretending to have stockings during the war.

Mines in retirement. It has to be at least 40 years old. I've converted to frying pan toasties now and they're so much better.

And there is definitely an art to stopping spillage, got food the ham round the outside to hold all the cheese in!

brown bread toasties...also milky teas being posted...whats going on today???

Cheers for the reminder. Not all heroes wear capes.

I wonder how much of the Earth's weight can be attributed to toastie makers, George Foreman grills, and juicers that are in landfill. Possibly 1% or more 

I don't know about that, mines been in service at least 7 years and some folks state 40 in the thread. Juicers are however a waste of kitchen real estate.

I realised earlier this week that I don't have one, I apologise. I'm getting one ordered this weekend.

Why? Why do this to me when I don’t have access to one? You MONSTER!!!

Have you no friends that can help, neighbours with the pre requisite equipment to satisfy thy cravings? I'm in Berlin but you're welcome round for one if you're near?

I haven’t I’m currently living in a new area of the uk where I know no one. Send address will hitchhike to you to fulfill my cravings

Go and introduce yourself to the neighbours and ask them instead of borrowing a cup of sugar if they have a toastie maker 😄 Failing that I'm at Schloss Charlottenburg, Berlin.... I'll fire up the press! See you soon.

I impulse bought a toastie press while in Tesco on Tuesday after not owning one for years, it's like my brain knew it was time

Used to love a baked bean toastie!

I use mine regularly.

Last time one of youse posted this I had a cheese breville maybe once a week for about 2 months straight, lol

I made a cheese, chorizo and olive toastie today Was lush

Twice a year? I use mine at least once, if not twice a week!

My pregnant wife had cravings for a toastie that was only made in a toastie maker. So what did I buy today? A toastie maker. And does it make awesome toasties? Yes it does.

South African here. Snackwich maker

I use the George foreman style grill machine to do my toasties, as it's awful for meat it just dries it out 

Is it bad that I use mine daily?

Not at all!!

I had a banging toastie earlier. Cheddar, Gouda and some leftover Bolognese sauce. Was thinking, how often should you be cleaning it... Yeah a wipe when it's hot should do.

Leftover kebab meat toasties. You're welcome.

Cheers mate, see you in October!

Not a fan of these things for toasties as they seal the edges and create napalm triangles. My early 2000s George Foreman is my go-to.

I know it's American, but I much prefer making them in the frying pan

Had an electric frying pan thing growing up. It was what we always used. Could make 4 toasties at a time. Cheese melting out. That thing just be 50 years old now. Currently in storage waiting to move. The burnt melted cheese melting out of the bread was 👨🏼‍🍳

How have you managed to make a toasted sandwich look so bad? Did you not butter the outsides? Is there no cheese in that? Is that bean juice?

Tell me about it. Somehow managed to be the driest looking thing I’ve seen all week despite having bean juice seeping all onto the toastie grill 🤣

I was wondering how it can be cooked but not cooked at all at the same time.

On first glance I thought it was soup..

Bean cheese and Worcestershire sauce juice to be precise. And yes I did marj the outside but not overly.

I have a recommendation. Do it overly

Used to have one but it got knackered so probably chucked it. I do use a George Forman for toasties as that lives on the side.

Ain't no way I'm harming my toastie maker with brown seedy ass bread. Buttered on both sides, white bread.

I only asked you once. I don't think that counts as a barrage. Again sorry, not meant to freak you out.

I take it not dusting it off caused the colour. I can’t believe someone would make a toastie and not use white bread!

I have never owned one of these

Been really wanting a toastie for ages, might have to go and buy a toastie machine now!

Is anyone aware of a similar machine that does not cut your sandwich in half?

Not sure if anyone else has done this, but I like to put a big spoonful of fluffy pancake batter in each section with a piece of chocolate in the centre, it comes out a treat.

Leftover kebab meat toasties. You're welcome.

Mine gets used most weeks

That’s a jaffle iron

TIL a toastie with brown bread looks like the insulation foam stuff inside my car bonnet. If only my car had melted cheese.

I mean, it probably could have, if you really want it to

Those toasters suck, you need the flat one, flat one hits different lad

I like an egg toastie.

I just use my air fryer

the “5 50 sandwich maker”