I have been living my boyfriend now for about six months. When we were preparing to move in together we had a lot of appliances to buy. After we’d got the house nearly sorted we went to Tesco one evening and picked up some smaller electrical devices, things like the iron, etc. While we were there we spotted some sandwich toasters, obviously we nearly bought the Tesco Value one but then we saw the Hinari SP275, not like the old sandwich toasters, it was just to hot plates?! I ummed and ahhed for a few minutes as it was more expensive, but then it looked great and for £19.97 I couldn’t really argue besides which it was already in the trolley.
So, we brought the toaster home, unpacked it and found it a place on the kitchen worktop. To be honest after this I forgot about it for a few days but when I came home one day and my boyfriend had clearly been using it so I decided to have a go and I’m so glad I did.
As I said this sandwich toaster comprises of steel ceramic plates, a bit like hair straightners I thought. The outer casing is steel with a plastic handle. On the lid of the toaster there are two lights, one red and one green. The red light comes on when the power is on and then the green light comes on when it is hot enough to cook. The toaster stands of four black plastic feet so it is raised from the worktop an inch or two. Even my boyfriend would agree that this is a very stylish appliance, it looks very modern.
My parents used to have an old style sandwich toaster and we have to butter both sides of the bread to make sure the toasted sandwich didn’t stick. Using this sandwich toaster the plates are non-stick so there is no need for any kind of greasing. It is very easy to toast your sandwich, you simply make it is as normal, ham or tuna and cheese is the best I have found, place the sandwich on the plate and then close the lid. You may need to tilt the lid to accommodate the sandwich.
One of the main problems I have had with this toaster is that the lid becomes hot, I have tried to move the lid while cooking and I can assure you it isn’t worth the trouble. When I do want to move the lid now I always make sure to put on an oven glove or use a tea towel to avoid getting burnt.
It is up to you to decide when to remove the sandwich as there are no timer or alarm when the sandwich is done. A good indication is when the cheese starts to come out of the sandwich then the contents are usually warm and tasty. I would advise using some sort of spatula to remove any sandwiches as both the plates and the sandwiches do get quite hot.
My boyfriend has experimented a bit with the toaster far more than I have, but he has made some interesting discoveries and creations. The Hinari SP275 can be used to warm sausage rolls, he has also made a number of delicious panninis using the half cooked baguettes you can buy from Tesco. He has also toasted single pieces of bread in order to make croutons for a salad. I am sure there are also a number of far more adventurous creations that could be made with the help of this sandwich toaster.
The SP275 is larger than the old style sandwich toasters, two large sandwiches can be cooked side by side, or two baguettes lengthways can be cooked at the same time. A huge number of sausage rolls can be warmed at any time.
I would say that know that we use this sandwich toaster a few times a week. We have never had any problems with it. I usually clean it once a week, Saturday mornings I give the kitchen a good going over. Every week there is a small amount of grease on the bottom plate and I just wipe it down with a Dettol wipe to kill the bacteria. It is very easy to clean as it is simply two flat plates.
There is a very good safety feature built into this toaster, the lid can be locked down with a simple switch mechanism. I think if you have young children this could prove invaluable as even if they managed to turn it on they wouldn’t be able to touch the plates which are obviously the hottest part of the device. I would not advise leaving this anywhere children could reach it as I mentioned earlier the lid can become very hot and could cause a severe burn.
It is not really necessary to have a user manual for a device this simple to use. However there is some useful information contained in the Instruction Guide. - Product Safety - Electrical Safety - Preparation for Use - Initial Use - Normal Use - Maintenance and Cleaning The best information in the guide had to be Hints for Best Results - Any type of bread can be used in your sandwich press - Breads with a high sugar content such as fruit loaf, will toast more quickly than plain bread - For sweet snacks sprinkle caster sugar over the buttered sides of the bread - For a wholesome meal, large pieces of focaccia bread can be toasted with your desired filling - Bread rolls can also be toasted with your desired filling - For a light snack savoury or sweet bagels can be toasted with your desired filling
Technical Specification Power source 230 Volts AC 50Hz Power consumption 920W
There is a 12 month guarantee on the Hinari SP275.
All in all this product is great value for money, it produces tasty treats and snacks in minutes with great ease. The safety of this product is not ideal but I certainly wouldn’t say it is a dangerous product. The HP275 is easy to clean and has never yet needed any maintenance. I would recommend this product to anyone, kids would love the tasty treats produced by this sandwich toaster. I think this just makes a change to normal sandwiches.
Contact information Customer helpline 0870 873 0077 Website www.hinari.co.uk
