Breville TR46 > Reviews > Sandwich Making for Dummies

Author's product rating:   

Performance	Excellent
Ease of use	Very easy
Durability	Long
User's Manual	Good
Value for money	Excellent

Advantages:	The only kitchen appliance you'll ever need .
Disadvantages:	Won't cook soup .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I'm 27 now (I know, I only look 23 in the picture, don't I?), and it was therefore time to start cooking proper meals on a regular basis. Most people do this as a matter of course, I suppose, but I'm really astonishingly lazy and pot noodles were designed to be so incredibly user-friendly that there really wasn't much point. That's not to say I can't cook, mind you. When I can be arsed (or I've forgotten a family member's birthday) I can knock up a bloody good meal from little more than an out of date egg, a pepper and some ham. They based those Lion egg adverts on me. However, there's only so long that imbibing huge quantities of Ribena will stave off scurvy for, so it was time to bite the bullet and invest in some vegetables and a sandwich toaster.

Some of you may mock the humble sandwich toaster, but if you do you're foolish and have never been a student. By the end of this review you'll have come to realise the error of your ways and will not only bow down before me, but will also eschew microwaves, hobs and ovens in deference to the superior cooking potential of the Breville.

Anyway, having decided I needed a sandwich toaster I headed for Tesco (who, bearing in mind the sheer volume of times I've mentioned them in reviews should really think about some kind of remuneration). They were selling their own brand sandwich toaster for a fiver. Well, any fool knows that electrical equipment costing less than a tenner is bound to be a sound investment, so I bought one. I got home and full of joy at the imminent toasted sandwich tastiness I plugged it in. Within seconds it crackled to life, hissed and fused the entire house.

That's where the mighty Breville comes in. Having shoved the defunct Tesco toaster in a cupboard (and persuaded my stepfather to replace all the fuses) I found it. I have no idea who actually owns it, but it's mine now. This'll come as no surprise, but it doesn't look anything like the Ciao picture, and that's not just because it was nursing a thick layer of dust and grease. The shape is basically the same. But there's no black bits, and it's a uniformly metallic-y whitish plastic. There's also no series of little lights as pictured, just a power light and a ready light. This is all just superficial though, as all you really need to know about the average sandwich toaster is that it's on, it's hot and it's raring to toast whatever selection of fine foodstuffs you deem worthy.

Even though it's a bit dull, I suppose I'd better deal with some of the more technical aspects. Bear with me. It doesn't have waffle plates, so don't be getting any fancy Belgian style breakfast ideas. You'd only have used them once and got bored with them anyway. Nor does it have floating hinges, so whilst you can cram a reasonable amount into your sandwich, you won't be able to roast a whole suckling piglet in there, no matter how hard you try. It claims that it 'cuts and seals' but, in the manner of all sandwich toasters, this is a lie designed to seduce you. You'll still end up with crusty bits of cheese everywhere. You'll forgive it, though, because it's a Breville and is uncomplainingly preparing you a delicious and nutritionally satisfying meal in under 4 minutes. The plates (of which there are 4, so you can do two sandwiches for an extra big dinner, or perhaps be generous and give one to a friend) are dishwasher friendly. It's a bit of a bugger getting them out, so you'll probably do what I do and just scrape the residue off every couple of months and leave it at that. It also has sandwich plates, which means little more than that it leaves a pleasing geometric design impressed on your dinner (or your hand, which is what will happen if you forget to turn it off and then try and lift the plates to put them in the dishwasher. Learn from my mistake - just don't wash it). Incidentally, as mine was a random find in the kitchen cupboard, I can't comment on the usefulness of the manual. It's probably alright, though. Anyway, reading the manual would only take the element of surprise out of the Russian Roulette possibility that one wrong move will result in the entire house being plunged into darkness.

You may be forgiven for assuming that all the Breville does is toast lovely sandwiches. However, believe me, there's a whole world of culinary experiences that can be achieved using little more than the Breville and a spatula. Those of you who did not devote a significant portion of your time as a student watching 'Ready, Steady, Cook' may not be as impressed by this as I am, but then again, you probably make meals with components from all the main food groups, so you're wasting your time reading this review anyway.

If, like me, you really object to having to clean more than three dishes per meal, you will find the sandwich toaster a godsend. It will cook bacon, eggs, thin chicken pieces, burgers, sausages, baked beans (this was messy but possible, nonetheless) chops, steak and will chargrill vegetables. In short, it'll have a go at pretty much any meal you fancy. Unless you fancy soup, that is. I did test that one out, but found that re-fusing the house was once again necessary.

So there you have it. The finest kitchen appliance you can buy. Unless you eat a lot of soup. And all this for £19.99.