Sandwich toasters offer an easy and quick way to create your own hot sandwiches, and some even come with add in grills, which will create other types of food. If you like sandwiches of any kind, from cheese to peanut butter and banana, there’s probably one for you. Most of their features are common to all types, but there are a few points worth bearing in mind when making your choice.

Type and number of sandwiches

Sandwich toasters work by pressing two pieces of bread together to ‘seal in’ whatever your filling is, then heating it up. Some of them do this by just pressing together all four edges of the bread and some work by pressing the edges together and also making a diagonal cut, effectively making two triangular sandwiches. Which type is best for you depends on personal taste and also who the sandwich toaster is for – the latter option might be better if you have children because it effectively makes smaller portions.

The number of sandwiches which these machines can toast varies between one and four – obviously the number you choose will depend on how many people are in your household.

Style

Sandwich toasters come in just about every colour imaginable, with some novelty versions available too. Notable additional features include whether the model has cord and upright storage or not, both of which will save space. Some also have cool touch handles and locks – especially handy when you have children.

Extras

Most models have a ‘power on’ indicator so you know the toaster is hot – some also have a ‘ready to cook’ signal to tell you when the sandwich toaster has reached cooking temperature. If you want to make sure the cooking plates keep very clean, removable plates (often dish washable) are an option, and sometimes they allow you to cook other foods, such as grilling fish.

It’s also worth looking for recipe books etc that are included – they often come up with some bizarre (but nice) ideas!