Want to know which Sandwich Maker  to buy?  Go  to our Recommended Best BuySandwich Makers.

PainFree Shopping Guide to Buying A Sandwich Maker

A  Sandwich maker is an electric press grill with hinged plates shaped to take  slices of bread or rolls with a filling between them. When closed the plates heat up, toasting the bread and heating the filling. The result is  a 'Toastie' a  hot sandwich with crispy toasted bread on the outside and a hot gooey filling.

There are two types of toasted sandwich makers:

The sealed type:

Normally used with bread slices - There are raised ridges around the edges of the plates which clamp down on the bread sealing the filling inside. These types typically have a diagonal ridge across the middle which cuts the sandwich in two making two triangular  sealed toasties.  The most famous example is the Breville, made by the company who invented the sealed toasted sandwich maker.

The unsealed type:

Or sandwich press is more like a standard electric grill which shuts lightly on the sandwich toasting it but not sealing the edge, this type is  suited to making 'roll type' sandwiches like panninis.

If you want to try something  different The Hamilton Beach Sandwich maker makes   traditional American breakfast sandwiches. We   know these in the UK as the breakfast muffins sold by burger chains.

You can do bacon, sausage or ham, cheese, tomatoes and a fried egg (yes really) in a roll, bagel  or Muffin.  We've tried this and it really works well, but we think it's more of a novelty item than a serious contender for our traditional toasties.

There are also traditional non electric sandwich makers, these are simply a long stick with a folding pan on the end.

The bread and fillings are placed in the pan, it's closed and  placed on  the cooker hob, over a live fire or on the BBQ, these are great for camping trips and cook outs.

What to look for:

Size: Sandwich Makers usually come in   1, 2 or 4 sandwich grills. Sandwich Presses have a wider variety as they can handle panninis, baguettes etc...choose depending on what you need.

Power: Some toasted sandwich makers are low powered and only lightly toast the outside, others a firmer crispy one so choose a power rating suited to your preference.
Eg :- A Judge single slice toaster   is 375 watts, giving a lightly toasted sandwich while our recommended best buy the  Breville Deepfill, is rated at 850 watts, giving a much darker crisper toasted shell.

 Non Stick & Easy clean:   Opening your sandwich maker and finding bits of bread sticking to the plates and  tearing it apart so the filling falls out is disappointing to say the least.

Smearing the outside of your sandwich with butter to stop it sticking in the sandwich maker should be a thing of the past by now.

Look for a genuine non-stick surface, many sandwich makers now come with detachable plates which are non stick and dishwasher proof. If the plates aren't removable any grooves between ridges must be wide enough to be able to clean easily.

Some non-stick sandwich makers  require you to 'oil' them by toasting a piece of buttered bread before your first use, this 'seasons' the surface and activates its non stick qualities, make sure you read the instructions before using.

Versatility: Why stick to just sandwiches?

Many sandwich makers come with a range of interchangeable plates, you can make waffles, pancakes calzoni and even doughnuts.

These multi machines are not recommended as results are very much poorer than a dedicated sandwich, waffle maker or grill.

The  VonShef 3 in one is about typical of these appliances, it makes,  waffles, toasties, and grills. It has a 2 year guarantee.

An adjustable thermostat: Very few sandwich makers come with these, but some sandwich presses have them, you can tweak the temperature to match the size and types of your Pannini fillings.

A floating hinge.  For sandwich & Pannini presses  a floating hinge keeps the top level and helps ensure even cooking on both sides.

Grill & Melt: For sandwich & Pannini presses an upper plate you can lock above the food means it can grill cheese on toast, melts & bruschettas.

Our Recommended Best Buys :-

Breville are the inventors of  toasted sandwich  makers, have been making them for over 40 years and are the UKs top-selling sandwich makers.

Unless you really must have a sealed toastie you are better off with a sandwich press as every single toasted sandwich maker we have  tested has the same problem, overload a sandwich, force it shut and eventually, or immediately in some  cases the handle or locking clip snaps.

We have listed the 4 best of what are disappointing appliances:

Breville are the inventors of  toasted sandwich  makers, have been making them for over 40 years and are the UKs top-selling sandwich makers.

We have listed the   Breville Deep Fill Sandwich Toaster as our recommended best buy, it has dishwasher safe removable plates and  despite the plastic handle issues and  only having a 1 year guarantee, it works well, has an 89% customer satisfaction rating and is our top selling sandwich maker.

The Andrew James costs a little less the Breville, has more power but no removable plates but  it does has a 2 year  guarantee, and an 87% customer satisfaction rating

The Cuisinart 2 in 1  Is our best performing variable heat control sandwich maker. It also has handle issues and  a lowly  84% customer satisfaction rating. We've selected it over the similar Waring deep fill sandwich maker  because  the Cuisinart has a standard 5 year replacement guarantee. If the handles (or anything else breaks) they send you a new  appliance. The Waring only has a 3 year guarantee.

Krups FDK 451 : Eventually we  had to go to Germany to get a decently made sandwich maker, it might be made of plastic but its built like a battleship. Even with this sturdy appliance in a small amount of cases the handle or clip still snaps when closing down on oversized sandwiches. 90% customer satisfaction rating and a 2 year guarantee.

Our advice, if you are a serious sealed toastie person get a Krups, or else get a cheap Breville so you won't be too upset when it breaks other wise :

Your better of with a sandwich press, they don't seal sandwiches but they have better build quality and better performance

We have  included  our recommeneded Best Buy sandwich press,  the brilliant  Breville VST026 Sandwich Press  it doesn't do sealed toasties, It has flat plates more suited to panninis, but it does do lovely toasted sandwiches too. We've featured the 4 sandwich  family  model. There is also a 2 sandwich version the VST025 which is our best selling sandwich press, both of these have a   95+% customer satisfaction rating

Now you’ve seen the options you should have a better idea of what kind of Sandwich Maker you need, you can browse  our selection of Best Buy Sandwich Makers here