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COPYRIGHT 2006 Australian Consumers' Association
Once considered the staple diet of poor students everywhere, toasted sandwiches have undergone something of a gourmet revolution. No longer confined to the traditional cheese toasty, some of these new sandwich presses can toast focaccia, panini and Turkish breads, as well as make melts and open sandwiches.
The main difference between these new sandwich presses and the traditional jaffle maker is that a jaffle maker seals the edges of the sandwich and cuts it down the middle, while a sandwich press just presses and heats it.
And with most presses quick and easy to use, they're a perfect way to liven up your lunch without leaving your own kitchen.
THE TEST
We first tested how well the sandwich presses toasted sliced white bread with a cheese and tomato filling, and assessed how easy they were to use and clean.
Of the 11 models tested, eight did a good enough job of toasting the sandwiches, while the remaining three (the TIFFANY two-slice and the TIFFANY and MAXIM four-slice models) performed poorly, producing unevenly cooked sandwiches with large untoasted areas.
We then tried toasting focaccia and panini breads, and found that our top performers with regular sliced bread also cooked these very well. You don't need to look for a 'panini press' in particular to toast panini--some of the regular sandwich presses did just as well.
As well as toasting the bread evenly, they warmed up the fillings to a good temperature (and even managed to warm--but not cook--smoked salmon).
Raisin bread, brioche and other breads with a higher sugar content will toast more quickly than more savoury breads. Breads with a hard crust, such as panini, on the other hand, take longer...
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