A sandwich toaster (also known as a toastie maker) can be a cooking utensil or an electrical appliance used to toast sandwiches. Sandwich toasters are notorious for being owned but used relatively little, because of their specialised nature. A survey carried out in 2005 suggested that 45% of adults owned but did not use sandwich toasters.

 

The appliance is known by various names around the world, including toasted sandwich maker or jaffle iron in Australia, toastie maker or toastie pie maker in the United Kingdom. Breville, manufacturers of some of the earliest sandwich toasters, is sometimes used eponymously.

Typical toasted sandwiches are a grilled cheese sandwich, tuna melt, or patty melt. Toasted sandwiches are also known by various names. They are frequently called toasties in Britain, brevilles, jaffles in Australia or toasties in New Zealand. Jaffles are so named after the original jaffle iron (U.S. English: "pie iron"). Sandwich toasters are less common in the United States where grilled cheese sandwiches are more popular.

 

The toasted sandwich maker presses the edges of the sandwich together to form a seal during toasting. The filling ends up in a cavity within the bread, making the sandwich convenient to eat, but also rendering the filling extremely hot - so always remember to practice safe jaffle.

 

Perhaps the most commonly used filling is cheese, on its own or together with tomato or ham. Pickles and sweet toppings such as jam, banana, or chocolate spread are other examples.

 

The original Australian jaffle iron was the same size as a slice of bread from a square loaf, and designed to be used in a fire, on a stove or gas ring. This was especially useful for outdoor cooking, which was popular. The iron was made in two parts, identical except for the edge where they hooked together. Long handles enabled the two parts to be clamped firmly together, and to be inserted in a fire or stove easily. The jaffle has always been a popular snack in Australia, originally developed as an easy means to reheat leftover food, or to add to a worker's lunch bag.

 

In 1974, the Australian company Breville released the "Snack 'n' Sandwich toaster", which sold 400,000 units within a year of release. This toaster used what was referred to by Breville as a "Cut-n-Seal" mechanism, which came to define the appearance of the toasted sandwich. Another product, the "Breville scissor action snack 'n' sandwich toaster", was released to the British public in the early 1970s. Nowadays, the same design is used by many manufacturers.

 

The Sweatshop proudly serves only original Breville jaffles.

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