Whipping up a storm on social media, Kmart’s Anko brand microwave toastie maker promises perfectly toasted sandwiches in half the time it takes in a sandwich press or in the pan. But how does reality measure up to the marketing hype?
I love a simple ham and cheese toastie. Such a classic, no-nonsense snack that hits the spot every time. Toasties are also one of the quicker meals to prepare, just butter some bread, whack the ingredients in and then pop your sandwich into the sandwich press or into the pan.
A few minutes later, and you’ve (hopefully) got a crisp, golden toastie with lovely gooey melted cheese running out of the sides.
With that in mind, the thought of using a microwave to make a toastie sounds absolutely diabolical at first. But meet Kmart’s new Anko brand microwave toastie maker, a nifty little unit that promises to deliver toasted sandwiches every bit as good as more traditional methods – but in a fraction of the time and with far less clean-up.
At $15, it has become an overnight sensation on social media, with numerous gushing reviews popping up on TikTok and even a recipe-sharing group on Facebook.
The general consensus seems to be that these things are great and easily match the performance of a sandwich press or frying pan. But surely that can’t be right? Microwaving bread sounds positively ghastly.
I had to put it to the test.
What does it look like?
First things first, the unit is a bit heavier than you would expect for an item like this, weighing around 1.5kg. The outside of the clamshell unit is made from heat-resistant silicone and is available in four colours: black, green, pink and blue. I chose black
On the inside of the two clamshell halves is a non-stick coated hotplate. I suspect this is where most of the weight is coming from as these are not just a thin slice of metal, but an solid cooking plate coated in polytetrafluroethylene – better known as Teflon.
Getting down to dimensions, the toastie maker measures 17.5cm (W) x 15cm (D) x 4cm high, or a little bit wider and deeper than your standard sandwich.
How did it go?
Sceptical, I began to assemble my sandwiches. To keep the test scientific, I used the same ingredients for each one: a standard issue loaf of Coles white bread, slices of champagne ham from the deli, Bega Tasty cheddar cheese slices and Mainland Buttersoft as my spread.
The microwave toastie maker is incredibly easy to use. The longest part of the process is making the sandwiches. Once you have, you just place your sanga between the two halves of the clamshell and fasten shut using the rubber clamps on the side.
The instruction booklet tells me I need to put the toastie maker in the microwave for at least two-and-a-half minutes, but no more than three.
About 10 seconds after I hit ‘start’, the smell of a proper toastie cooking filled my flat. And not a weird, microwaved soggy-bread smell, but the scent of melting cheese and toasting ham.
I prefer a lighter toasting, so stopped mine after the 2.5-minute minimum. Opening the microwave door, I was greeted by a tiny bit of smoke, but nothing to be alarmed about and certainly not enough to set off my smoke alarm.
The unit will be hot, so make sure you use oven mitts or at least a tea towel when taking it out of the microwave. Same goes for undoing the clasps on the sides.
The smell seemed right, and lifting the top half off the toastie maker revealed that the little unit had done its job. The sandwich looked like I’d just pulled it from a café press, all golden and fluffy.
Not only did it look right, but it tasted right too. My biggest fear before starting the test was that the microwaved bread would be soggy and tasteless – but this couldn’t be further from the truth.
The crusts were perfectly crisp, and the cheese had melted just a little but not enough to spill from the sides. This is something I just can’t seem to manage using other methods – I always have cheese leaking everywhere.
This is because your bread isn’t really being microwaved. Well, it is, but the microwave is heating the hotplates in the toastie maker, which are in turn toasting the bread. This ensures your sandwich is crisp and toasted and not the soggy mess you’d expect.
The total time from making the sandwich to eating it (including the 2.5-minute cooking time) was about five minutes – and this is the toastie maker’s greatest strength.
Cleaning up was also a breeze. The unit is totally dishwasher safe, and even if you don’t have a dishwasher the unit is easier to wipe down than a traditional sandwich press.
How does it compare to other methods?
For comparison, I decided to make more ham and cheese toasties (for science) using a sandwich press, and also in a frying pan on the stove. I used the same ingredients as in the previous test.
I’m not going to bore you with the ins and outs of making a toastie in a press or a pan, but I did encounter some frustrations that just weren’t present when using the microwave toastie maker.
First, sandwich presses are bulky and kind of annoying to get out and set up (at least mine is). In contrast, the microwave toastie maker is a little bit larger than your hand and can be kept virtually anywhere within reach. It will easily fit into standard kitchen drawers for instance.
A sandwich press will produce a good toastie, but you then have to spend time cleaning the machine, which can be a lot of time and effort, especially compared to just throwing something in the dishwasher.
Before coming across the microwave toastie maker, making them in the pan on the stove was probably my preferred method. I think you get the crispiest finish in the pan and, for me at least, it feels easier than lugging out the sandwich press.
But you still have to scrub a saucepan at the end of it, adding time to the overall task.
In terms of sandwich quality, I’d say the microwave toastie maker is at least as good as a sandwich press and definitely much easier to use.
Toasting your sandwich in the pan still probably produces the best sandwich, but only marginally.
The real game changer though is the time you save. All three methods will produce roughly the same sandwich, but the microwave toastie maker does it in a fraction of the time and effort.
Have you tried the microwave toastie maker? How do you think it measures up? Let us know in the comments section below.
Also read: History of the humble sandwich
I’ve had one of these for years, bought online ages ago (not the same brand). It has been very well used, and I love it. Recently bought a microwave steak and sausage cooker that works in a similar way but is larger. I love it also.
.The drawback with a saandwich press is the time spent waiting for it to heat up, burning up power ’til the little green light comes on. When we have used ours, it is a breeze to clean, I don’t know what Brad is using, but a quick wipe over the hot plate, wheen cooled, and done . And no messy cheese, yes we have cheese and ham toasties.
Hi all, can someone tell me if you are planning on making more than one toastie, is there a time factor that you have to abide to before making your second toastie? As just one toasie, isn’t enough for me!!