I received my Hinari Lifestyle SW293 Sandwich Maker as a Christmas Gift but decided to wait a couple of months before reviewing it until I had familiarised with myself it.
The particular version that I received was White in colour, although they are available in a wide range of different colours including Red, Green, Yellow and Black. Since it was a Gift I did not know how much these things would normally cost but I had a quick look Online for completeness of this review and found that they are currently on sale at Tesco for £9.99, which is considerably cheaper than I imagined.
Anyway on with the review.....
APPEARANCE
The Sandwich Maker itself is quite modern looking yet rather simple in design. It is roughly rectangular in shape with its longest sides curved outwards, and at the front there is a handle which is preformed into the shape of the plastic design.
On the top of the appliance there is a Red/Green indicator light but other than this and the name of the product, which is also on the front, the outer design is principally of plain White plastic.
The appliance itself is in two halves folded together and hinged at the back with a plastic clip at the front to hold it flat. At the back there is a single wire attached to a moulded plug, which comes complete with a 13 amp fuse.
Opening up the Sandwich Maker reveals there are two Black coloured plates inside which have square shaped indentations in them, these are each just large enough for a slice of bread to sit inside, these square cut outs are then each split diagonally to form four triangular shaped indentions.
Overall as I said earlier the design is simple, yet effective and the whole thing folds neatly away. Size wise the appliance is approximately eight inches square and weighs about 1.5kg.
USING THE APPLIANCE
Prior to using the Sandwich Toaster for the first time it should wiped clean with a damp cloth.
Once the inner plates have been cleaned they should then be smeared with grease to prevent the bread from sticking to it. I always smear the plates with margarine but you could use butter, cooling oil or even lard. After this you are now ready to make your Toasted Sandwich and at this point you should close the flaps and fasten the clip at the front to keep it flat, before switching the appliance on at the plug. One small point to note is that there is not a separate on/off switch so turning the Toaster off and on is via the mains plug switch.
When the power is turned on the Red indicator light on the front lights up to tell you that the power is on and the Green indicator light also comes on. This Green light is a temperature gauge and when this light goes off the Toaster is up to temperature and ready to use.
MAKING A TOASTED SANDWICH
This is very simple but for the benefit of anyone who has not used anything like this before I will briefly explain the process.
The first thing to remember is that all four slices of bread should be buttered on both sides, again I use margarine but the choice is yours. This is very important as buttering both sides of the bread not only prevents the bread from sticking to the plates it also adds to taste and appearance of the finished Sandwich.
Unclip the front and open up the flap and then place a slice of the buttered bread onto each of the two bottom plates, then add your choice of filling on top. If you are using the Toaster for the first time I would suggest that a Cheese Toastie is always a good place to start, but for best results I would recommended that the Cheese is grated rather than sliced.
Add the top slice of buttered bread to each Sandwich and close the flap, clicking the clip shut again.
Throughout the cooking time the Green indicator light will turn on and off, this is normal and shows that the thermostat is keeping the Toaster at the correct temperature.
The Toasted Sandwich will be ready to eat after just 2 or 3 minutes, when the bread has turned a lovely Golden-Brown colour. The Finished Sandwich should then be removed using a wooden spatula or something similar.
If you are using the Toaster again then the lid should be closed to help to preserve the heat whilst you prepare the second round of Sandwiches, if you have finished with the Toaster then turn it off at the plug to allow it to cool.
MY EXPERIENCE
I find that making Toasted Sandwiches with this appliance is very simple and the finished product takes on a whole new form. The edges of the bread seal together and go crispy whilst the middle of the bread remains soft and spongy.
I had not had much experience of Toasted Sandwiches prior to using this appliance and in my naivety thought that the bread would end up tasting like Toast that has been done in a conventional Toaster or under a Grill, but how wrong I was. The bread has a lot more taste to it than Toast and the fact that it is buttered on both sides adds to the taste enormously and gives a result that reminds me more of the taste of Fried bread, but without all of the unhealthy fat in it.
Cheese Toasties have remained a firm favourite for me throughout but I also love a Corned Beef Toastie, and even Baked Beans work surprisingly well. I know that I have not been particularly adventurous with it to date but the scope for experimentation is endless.
FINAL POINTS
So I conclude by saying that I would strongly recommend this Sandwich Toaster which is excellent value for money.
It is also surprisingly easy to clean after use as the plates have a special non stick coating, although they are easier to clean whilst they are still slightly warm.
Thank you for reading.
More details
Cleaning & Maintenance
Very easy
Safety
Safe
How much did you pay?
Gift
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