Asda Smart Price Sandwich Toaster

Asda offer two different sandwich toasters (toastie machines). They offer a stainless steel toaster for just under £10. They also offer a more basic sandwich toaster which is part of the Smart Price range and costs around £5. I am reviewing the Asda Smart Price version which is model HD-606.

Sandwich Toaster

This sandwich toaster is designed to cook 2 sandwiches at any one time. It is white and measures 23.5 x 23 x 10.5cm. The machine weighs 1.65kg.

This sandwich toaster has non-stick plates and has a thermostat controller to avoid overheating. It also has a heat insulated handle. The sandwich maker is presented in a basic white box with an instruction manual.

Set up is simple. The plates should be wiped over with a damp cloth and dried before performing a 'dummy run' of making a toastie. It is recommended that you wipe the plates over with some butter or margarine and make two toasties. These toasties should be thrown away afterwards. The machine features two lights - the red light is the power indicator and the green light is the heating indicator.

When it comes to preparing a proper toasted sandwich or toastie, it is recommended that you butter the outsides of the bread (the sides touching the plates), add your filling. Before doing this, plug the machine in and wait for the green light to click off as this means the unit is hot enough to cook your sandwich. Slot the sandwiches in and close the lid shut. Once your toastie is cooked, remove with a plastic utensil and allow to cool before wiping over.

My Thoughts

I love toasties - they are tasty and there is plenty of filling options. Toasties are relatively cheap to make at home and are ideal for a light snack or lunch. We owned a more expensive machine when we moved into our first home and despite rare use, it broke so we didn't replace it. Last year I was browsing my local Asda and decided to buy this Smart Price sandwich toaster. At under a fiver it is an absolute bargain and has been a worthwhile purchase!

The machine itself is quite small and although not as fancy as some sandwich toasters, it doesn't look cheap and nasty. It is a good size for a small family in my opinion and is nice and compact. I have my machine sitting on my work surface because if something gets put in the cupboard, it never sees the light of day again! There is a thick cable to the back which isn't all that long and requires to be used near to a plug socket.

The lid opens fully and the hinge stays open. I was able to set this up quickly and get on with making a delicious toastie. This sandwich toaster is reliable and does exactly what it is supposed to do without any fancy gadgets. I normally use Warburtons Toastie Bread but find the slices in the larger loaf are far too big for this machine and hang out the side of the machine. When making a toastie, I now use the smaller slices that Warburtons offer as I can fit two full sandwiches in with no issue with this bread.

The manual states the machine will be ready to use within 4-6 minutes but I would say 4 is more accurate. This isn't an issue as I need time to prepare my sandwich anyway. I arrange my sandwich the way the manual states ensuring I butter the outside of the bread for a golden finish. If you are a fan of lots of fillings in your toastie then this isn't the machine for you as you will struggle to close the handle over (which remains fairly cool I may add). I have tried different fillings including grated cheese and thinly sliced tomato, ham and cheese and a few others. I try to keep the filling in the middle of the bread and flatten it down as much as possible.

The machine heats up well so care must be taken. I usually use my plastic fish slice to slot the sandwich in and remove it to avoid burning my fingers. The lid closes over well and the catch closes neatly and remains closed during the cooking process. If I use cheese I can hear it bubbling away during cooking but the machine is quiet otherwise. I would say it takes 3minutes or so for my sandwiches to achieve a cooked and golden toastie status.

Once I feel my toastie is ready, it is easy to remove due to the non-stick plates. This sandwich toaster cooks the contents through, toasts the bread and neatly seals the edges of bread to give a triangle appearance. It doesn't cut the bread in the middle but this is very simple to do once cooked. I serve my toastie up with some salad and coleslaw for a filling lunch or simply alone if I fancy a late night munch. The toasties are quite small due to the size of bread this machine will take but two toasties are more than filling. The contents are roasting hot and cheese melts perfectly inside.

Conclusion

Cleaning the plates is very simple. Once cool I just use a damp cloth and any marks or food come off easily. I also wipe over the exterior of the machine to keep it looking fresh.

Overall this has been a fantastic purchase. It has never let me down and is well worth the price I paid. The manual is basic but very easy to follow and the machine as a whole, is simple to use.

Highly recommended, thanks for reading :)