Cuisinart sandwich maker review

Score: 5/5

Read our full review of the best sandwich toasters and toastie makers

Solid, sturdy and stylish, this is a sandwich toaster that’s built to last. It comes with clear instructions and a well-designed recipe book that includes chocolate & mixed berry turnovers and apple & mincemeat pastries as well as traditional toasties.

We were surprised that there was no indication in the general instructions of how long to cook your toastie. This is fine if you’ve used one before, but might leave sandwich toaster newbies (students, we’re looking at you) a little unsure of what to do. However, the recipe book did include timings for its sandwiches and other recipes.

The sandwich maker is the only one we tested that allows you to choose whether to cook your sandwich on 'low', 'medium' or 'high', which is perfect if you're fussy about such things.

The plates are removable for washing and can initially be a little tricky to slot into place, with the top and bottom ones having to be fitted in the correct sides, but they are labelled to make this easier. We seasoned them with oil before the first use as suggested, and also buttered the outside of the bread for extra browning.

Preheating was slow, with the high setting taking five minutes and 20 seconds to get to temperature. However, preheating took just three minutes and 15 seconds when we tried it on low.

The instructions explain that the sandwich maker is designed to accommodate breads of all shapes and sizes, so we took it at its word and tested both a cheese & tomato panini and a cheddar & grape sandwich using oversized white bread. As per the instructions, they both had to go in lengthwise in the middle of the two sandwich plates, as they wouldn’t fit in the normal slot. It didn’t affect performance.

With both of these, the sandwich maker coped well, and there was no problem securing the latch. The sandwiches were very brown after four minutes on high and really crispy.

We tried again making a standard sandwich on 'low' and it was very lightly toasted, even after six minutes. So this is a product that really does cater for all tastes.

The plates are easy to remove for cleaning and, joy of joys, fit in the dishwasher to make clearing up quick and easy.

Specifications

Multi-functional: no
Number of sandwiches: two
Removable plates: yes
Dishwasher proof: yes
Recipe book: yes
Height: 11cm
Width: 28cm
Depth: 24cm
Weight: 2.4kg

Read our full review of the best sandwich toasters and best toasters

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This review was last updated in June 2019. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability, please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.