A sandwich is one of the oldest foods known to man. In its basic form, it is nothing more than two slices of bread with some sort of filling in between. Over the years, the art of making sandwiches has improved so much that countless different types of sandwiches are now obtained, but traditionally sandwiches were eaten when it was not feasible to eat normal food, such as when you were working or traveling.
A sandwich maker, or sandwich toaster as it is also called, is a very simple gadget. They are just two concave square pieces of cast iron that can be clamped and then held over hot coals or an open fire using long handles like tongs. The fire not only toasted the bread, but also melted the cheese that was part of the filling making everything taste so much better. This type of sandwich maker was carried in Australia and South Africa until the mid-20th century because it was one of the most convenient ways to eat hot food outdoors when camping.
Sometime in the early 20th century electric sandwich toasters were invented that used electricity to do the same thing that fire used to do before. It was nothing more than the same concave device as traditional toasters that was heated on the outside by electric heaters. Everything was covered with heat resistant material so the heat wouldn’t get out.
In 1974, Breville in Australia released their “Snack ‘n’ Sandwich Toaster” which had a unique “Cut-n-Seal” mechanism that cut the sandwich diagonally down the middle and sealed the sides as well. This design was so popular that it sold 400,000 units in the first year of its release, which is why, even now, Breville is used by the same name for sandwich toasters in different parts of the world. Since then, almost every manufacturer has copied the same design, making it the most common and common design among sandwich toasters today.
Sandwich makers are inexpensive machines that are one of the most used items in a modern kitchen. In fact, the only thing that outsells sandwich toasters is the waffle and sandwich combo because it gives you the option of making waffles and sandwiches.
