Harts of Stur Kitchen issue 09, spring 2019 | Page 40

The Kit Make tantalising toasties and cafe-quality panini with a new generation of sandwich toasters that can take any type and thickness of bread lthough the Earl of Sandwich deserves credit for asking his servant to chuck some meat between two slices of bread because he didn’t want to leave the gambling table, the person who worked out that adding cheese, heat and pressure would invent the toastie for all mankind is possibly the greater genius. There are few items of quick comfort food greater than the toasted sandwich. Yet making them at home is far from frustration-free. Invest in a dedicated sandwich toaster or panini press and the glories of crisp bread encasing blissful melted cheese and other delights are literally minutes away. Although making a toastie is almost too easy (you can become addicted) with these gadgets, choosing one is more difficult. There are some important factors to consider. How many sandwiches do you want to make at once? When it comes to bread thickness are you a farmhouse loaf doorstep kind of person or thin sliced white? And do you want to include panini in your toastie repertoire? What about the waffle? That’s as well as the usual considerations of worktop space and how to clean up afterwards. Here are some of our favourites sandwich toasters that we stock at Harts of Stur. 40 www.hartsofstur.com