The step beyond toasted cheese sandwiches

[Zarco]

Cornbeef and tomato.

[hiccy18]

Cornbeef, cheese and sauerkraut.

[RizzoTheRat]

Thai sweet chilli sauce and a strong cheddar.

Quite a few toasty makers these days have interchangeable plates so you can do waffles and pannini in them as well

[DannyScene]

Harry Flashman said:

This is a thread I can get on board with.

Firstly, you want a flat plate toasting machine, rather than one of those abortions that crimp your creation.

Secondly, you need the cheese base to be sharp, tangy mature cheddar, not the rubbery mild stuff.

Thirdly, avoid watery nonsense like tomatoes. Interferes with the crunch, and makes everything slippery. Yeuch.

Fourth, don't overheat. No-one like thermonuclear napalm cheese and browned bread. Go for just melted, and golden.

Fifth, chorizo slices, and some chilli flakes.

Can't disagree with any of that

[Lotobear]

AlexC1981 said:

Simple cheese and onion for me

This takes some beating in fact, ...so long as lots of black pepper is included.

And never forget to chop the onions, not slice them, the agony of a hot onion strand hanging down and burning your lip is rarely forgotten

[extraT]

Corned beef, cheese and onion.
Salt, black pepper.
A few dabs of Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce.

Toasted extra long for a deep, rich dark colour.

I know what I’m having for dinner tonight!

[R6tty]

Talking to a friend the other day about toasted sandwiches and she had never put butter on the outside. As if we both thought there was only one way of doing it! I'm sure I'm right.

Any recommendations for a small flat plate toaster with removable plates?

[Gin and Ultrasonic]

My wife used to run a cafe and acquired this book - Some cracking recipes in there,

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chefs-Eat-Toasties-Too-re...

Some examples.........

https://www.delicious.com.au/recipes/collections/g...

[boyse7en]

The outside of the sandwich needs a coating of fat to help it go golden and crispy, rather than hard and toasted.
Butter or marg is traditional, but you can also use mayonnaise (which is basically oil and eggs)

[Zarco]

R6tty said:

Talking to a friend the other day about toasted sandwiches and she had never put butter on the outside. As if we both thought there was only one way of doing it! I'm sure I'm right.

Any recommendations for a small flat plate toaster with removable plates?

Don't buy a Sage one. Mine broke a month out of warranty. Cheap and cheerful one does the same job.

[droopsnoot]

ferret50 said:

And do not forget to clean the machine after use!

That's my biggest problem with my omelette maker (which is like a sandwich toaster but with semi-circular dishes) - the dishes don't come out, so they're a real pain to clean properly. I have a sandwich toaster that's the same, the plates don't come out, so I haven't tried it. I do have a George Foreman grill at the back of the cupboard which I expect will do.

I tend to use a method a mate suggested - toast the bread in the toaster, stick in the fillings, then put the lot in the microwave for 40 seconds. Long enough to melt the cheese, not long enough for the bread to go soggy. Would a sandwich toaster provide enough of an improvement to be worth the extra cleaning?

[Riley Blue]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Massive overthinking on this. I've got a panini press but most of the time I just use one of those little reusable bags you pop in the toaster, that cost about a quid and are good for about 100 sandwiches. Gives pretty much the same result.

We use them most lunchtimes for a quick, no-fuss, minimum clean-up snack. We also have a Breville deep fill toastie maker but it's such a PITA by comparison.

TwigtheWonderkid said:

I like extra mature cheddar cheese with pretty much anything, tuna, tomato, onion, ham, whatever's going at the time. Ffs, it's a toasted sandwich, not a lobster risotto. Chuck it together, toast, eat.

Yup, a good strong cheese plus something to give 'mouth feel' (sliced onion and a dash of Henderson's for me); done in no time!

[Ham_and_Jam]

Zarco said:

Cheap and cheerful one does the same job.

They really don’t

[Ham_and_Jam]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Massive overthinking on this. I've got a panini press but most of the time I just use one of those little reusable bags you pop in the toaster, that cost about a quid and are good for about 100 sandwiches. Gives pretty much the same result.

I like extra mature cheddar cheese with pretty much anything, tuna, tomato, onion, ham, whatever's going at the time. Ffs, it's a toasted sandwich, not a lobster risotto. Chuck it together, toast, eat.

I have to disagree. I’ve had loads of toasties in cafes, who should be the experts at such a simple meal. They can be absolutely disgusting.

Key is good fresh ingredients, cooked simply.

Personally Ive found that a good panini press far outperforms any other sandwich toaster / air fryer / toastie bag / grill or whatever you can make them on.

I agree it is simple, but very easy to get wrong.

Edited by Ham_and_Jam on Wednesday 28th February 11:48

[number2]

Ham_and_Jam said:

Zarco said:

Cheap and cheerful one does the same job.

They really don’t

I've no skin in the game, but an appliance with two hot plates, heating to a fixed temperature, pressing against bread, can't be very different in the job they do?

[droopsnoot]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Massive overthinking on this. I've got a panini press but most of the time I just use one of those little reusable bags you pop in the toaster, that cost about a quid and are good for about 100 sandwiches. Gives pretty much the same result.

I like extra mature cheddar cheese with pretty much anything, tuna, tomato, onion, ham, whatever's going at the time. Ffs, it's a toasted sandwich, not a lobster risotto. Chuck it together, toast, eat.

Interesting, I'm sure I've seen some of those bags in a drawer in the kitchen, I'll have to try one out.

I'm sure I saw a TV programme (something like "Inside the Factory", where they were talking about making pizza) and they said that mature cheeses aren't so good for making pizza, the less mature are better, which isn't that different. I can't remember why, something to do with the structure of the cheese. No good for me as I don't buy much else, apart from the odd bit of Stilton.

[Sheets Tabuer]

Ham_and_Jam said:

I’ve had loads of toasties in cafes

Username checks out.

[Ham_and_Jam]

droopsnoot said:

they said that mature cheeses aren't so good for making pizza, the less mature are better, which isn't that different.

I’ve tried every level of ‘mature-ness’ cheddar in a toastie.

Extra mature just goes too greasy. Mild has no flavour.

Bog standard mature seems to be the sweet spot for flavour vs texture, although brand dependent.

M&S mature cheddar is perfect. Creamy and tangy and doesn’t go fatty when melted.

[Ham_and_Jam]

Sheets Tabuer said:

Username checks out.

I might even do it for a living

[Rollin]

I use the sandwich toaster to crisp up some chorizo before putting in the sandwich with cheese, smoked ham, mixed herbs and Tabasco.