... That was, until I spotted the Micromark sandwich toaster in a local electrical outlet for half of it’s regular price of £21.
The Micromark toaster is white, rather than chrome, and has two lights on the top section. One red one to show that there is power to the toaster, and one green ... Read review
Advantages: makes great sandwiches, easy to clean, inexpensive Disadvantages: I eat too many toasties
...was, until I spotted the Micromark sandwich toaster in a local electrical outlet for half of it’s regular price of £21.
The Micromark toaster is white, rather than chrome, and has two lights on the top section. One red one to show that there is power to the toaster, and one green one which lights to show that the toasting plates have reached the correct temperature. It works on the same principle as other sandwich makers, with a lid ... ...sections.
The Micromark takes around 5 minutes to get to cooking temperature after switching on, allowing you ample time to prepare fillings and bread. Normal practice is to spread butter or margarine on the outside of the sandwich which is melted by the cooking plates, effectively frying the outer surfaces of the toastie while heating the filling. This works perfectly well, and is the method I adopt when cooking sweet toasties (adding ... more
Ever since the shiny chrome Breville sandwich makers first appeared as the must have kitchen gadget, I have wanted one. The fact that the majority of sandwich toasters gather dust at the back of the kitchen cupboards of the land, along with the miracle chopping machines, didn’t blunt my desire for one in the slightest. The price of the Breville didn’t blunt my desire either, but poverty ensured this particular desire remained unfulfilled. That was, until I spotted the Micromark sandwich toaster in a local electrical outlet for half of it’s regular price of £21.
The Micromark toaster is white, rather than chrome, and has two lights on the top section. One red one to show that there is power to the toaster, and one green one which lights to show that the toasting plates have reached the correct temperature. It works on the same principle as other sandwich makers, with a lid and base hinged at the back, each fitted with toasting plates which come into contact with the sandwich when the lid is closed. The sandwich then cooks from both sides at once. A clip keeps the lid and base tightly closed during cooking.
Like the Breville, this toaster is designed to toast 2 sandwiches at once. Many of the other toasters in this price range only toast one round of bread at a time. This is ideal for me, as one toasted sandwich is never enough, and I can’t be bothered with the hassle of cooking sandwiches sequentially, and having the first round go cold while the second cooks. If you are less hungry or less greedy than me, you can always leave one section empty, but having the second compartment available for lunching or snacking with a friend is handy.
Each sandwich compartment has a metal ridge running diagonally through it, so that when the lid is closed, and the upper and lower hotplates meet, the sandwich is cut and sealed along the line of the ridges. In practice this works quite well. The sandwich normally only requires bending along the ridge for it to break neatly in two after cooking. Occasionally, you will need to use a knife to separate the toastie if the filling has a piece of onion or pepper which falls into both sections.
The Micromark takes around 5 minutes to get to cooking temperature after switching on, allowing you ample time to prepare fillings and bread. Normal practice is to spread butter or margarine on the outside of the sandwich which is melted by the cooking plates, effectively frying the outer surfaces of the toastie while heating the filling. This works perfectly well, and is the method I adopt when cooking sweet toasties (adding a light sprinkling of sugar to the outside gives a lovely caramelised finish to sweet toasties too). However, I find for savoury toasties that a less greasy, lighter, and tastier way to do it is to replace the butter with a light smear of olive oil. With either method the Micromark produces a nicely browned, crunchy toastie in 3 – 4 minutes.
Cleaning couldn’t be easier. Just allow the toaster to cool and give the cooking surfaces a wipe over with a piece of kitchen roll. Any bits of filling that have leaked out (normally a sign you have overfilled the sandwich) should also be removable by this method, but an occasional stubborn bit can be softened by adding a splash of cooking oil and leaving it for a while. It can then be rubbed off with kitchen roll or a soft cloth. The cooking surfaces get so hot that bacteria have no chance of survival, and the more you use your toaster the better the cooking surfaces become, just like seasoning a wok or frying pan. Non-cooking surfaces should just be given a wipe with a damp cloth and the toaster should never be immersed in water.
So, how does it measure up to the Breville I craved all those years? Fortunately, I am in a position to comment as I found a Breville gathering dust in the cupboard of a holiday cottage I rented early last year. I find these 2 models cook the sandwiches equally well. I really couldn’t choose between them in this respect. However, the chrome of the Breville marked very easily, which didn’t look hygienic, and I found its cooking surfaces much more difficult to clean. The compartments of the Breville were smaller, requiring the crusts to be cut off a regular sized slice of bread before cooking. This was an original, first-generation Breville, so perhaps the modern ones are more practical. The Micromark will easily take a full-sized slice, crusts and all, and seals the edges nicely.
Far from gathering dust, my sandwich toaster is used at least once per week for a quick, satisying lunch or an evening snack. My favourite savoury concoction is cheese, with onion, black olive, and red pepper (the red pepper benefits from a quick blast in the microwave first). Using olive oil instead of butter really adds to the mediterranean flavour, as well as being healthier. I’m not huge on sweet toasties, but an apple and cinnamon (or choccie spread) toastie makes a nice change (pop the apple slices in the microwave for a few seconds to soften first), and at least you can kid yourself you’re having one of your recommended fruit/veg portions for the day.
All in all, I think my money was well spent on the Micromark sandwich toaster. Even at its full price of £21 it outstrips the classic Breville and the one-compartment toasters available in the same price range. At half price, it was been a very well-used bargain.
