Sandwich toaster

A sandwich toaster (or toasted sandwich maker, also jaffle iron in Australia and Canada) is an electrical appliance used to toast sandwiches. Ordinary kitchen units generally consist of indented hot plates, clamped together around the sandwich. Usually two sandwiches can be toasted at a time. The plates are heated by electrical coils inside the appliance. Usually the exterior is somewhat separate from these to ensure the outside of the unit does not get too hot.

Some of the earliest such household appliances were made by Breville, still used as a generic term in some parts of the world.

Industrial units range from those similar to the kitchen appliance (squashing or clamping the sandwich) to grilling units, which use dry heat to toast the bread. Paninis are often made using equipment similar to sandwich toasters.

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

In South Africa, these appliances are sometimes called Snackwitches, after a once popular brand of sandwich toaster.

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