You know? You can probably sandwich press that!
Crazy what you long/crave for when you’re under lockdown. During Sydney’s June-October Covid19 lockdowns, I listened to a foodie podcast where they chatted about pressing a Panini sandwich in a sandwich press- and from that point on I wanted a sandwich press so bad. My wife had wanted one for ages, but we already had a Jaffle iron, so I told her that we didn’t need two very similar products cluttering up our kitchen.
However, our Jaffle iron was shedding Teflon and the purchase of a new sandwich press just seemed like something nice to look forward to after months of being locked up. And if I recall correctly, when I told wifey that we could finally get a sandwich press, I think she was a little bit happy. Or was her exact response “What changed your mind?” Spoken in a bit of a disinterested tone. *Shrug*.
But as soon as we were out post-lockdown, it seemed like everyone had the same idea of upgrading their household whitegoods. Literally everywhere we went, a simple sub $60 two slice sandwich press were all out-of-stock! Grrrr!
We gave it 2 months post lockdown to allow stock shortages to replenish themselves, but still no luck. All we could find in store was a 4-slice sandwich press, which was as wide as a kitchen benchtop- so honestly where were you going to store that when you’re not using it? And a ‘returned goods’ BrevilleToast & Melt, which was double the price of a standard sandwich press- were the only two options left.
I remember saying “Stuff it! Let’s get it!” As I couldn’t wait another day to create our own glorious, flattened works of art! So, we picked up the battered and roughly taped back together Breville T&M box and took it to the check-out counters. It seemed that Damaged/returned goods equated to a $21 discount, but when we got home we found out why it had been returned.
The little plastic window which ought to cover the on/off light was missing, so there’s a gaping hole for crumbs to eventually find their way into it- but this minor defect wasn’t going to compromise its squash-ability. While the design of the product is a little bit weird, it has this massive handle, like you’re operating an industrial sized dry-cleaning press. But it’s the melting that matters…….
What justifies the premium price (at the time RRP $130), is the fact that the Toast & Melt has an adjustable hinge. Therefore, you can raise it up one of 4 different heights, the highest Hight is at least an inch apart.
So, what that means, is that the Toast & Melt isn’t just a sandwich press which only does one thing- squash two slices of bread very closely together. But you can melt the cheese on an open sandwich! You can add top-side heat to a frying egg! You can cook French toast twice as quickly, as you’re adding heat from both directions while not squishing it to an oozy mess! And you can now flatten things which otherwise couldn’t or shouldn’t be flattened! We’ve sandwich pressed Cheese & Bacon rolls! Hot Cross buns! Burritos! You name it, we’ve pressed it!
And with a flat bottom hotplate, you can use the cooking surface for all sorts of quick frying- not to mention it’s super easy to clean.
So, although it’s kind of bulky when you’re not using it, and it is more expensive than a simple sandwich press (while these days I’ve seen it being sold for under $65)- however, its versatility makes-up for any of its shortcomings. So, these days, we eat out less, just because we enjoy making our own weekend lunches, with our Toast & Melt!
To check-out the BrevilleToast & Melt, click HERE! Say hello to countless ways to squash your food!
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