Perfect Paninis and so much more

The Salter 3-in-1 Snack Maker with Waffle, Panini and Toasted Sandwich Plates.  

Product Description. 

This Salter EK2143 Deep Fill 3 in 1 sandwich maker comes with interchangeable top and bottom waffle, panini and toasted sandwich grill plates.

The plates are non-stick to release the snacks without tearing or crumbling and to make cleaning easier.

With power and ready indicator lights, easy to remove plates and a locking latch, this snack maker is simple to operate.

It has 900W power and large 28.5cm x 15.2cm plates for thicker waffles and tasty paninis up to 25cm long.

Product Review.

At First Glance...

The Salter EK2143 Deep Fill 3 in 1 sandwich maker is a reasonably priced, multifunctional machine that makes toasties, waffles, and grilled sandwiches.

The removable and interchangeable plates, mean you get a versatile product with toastie plates, grill plates and waffle plates. 

It’s simple and basic design is similar to most other machines on the market. 

It has a locking handle, stainless-steel cover, as well as the standard indicator lights.

It is relatively compact and doesn’t take up too much space and yet the sandwich plates are large compared to most of the basic toastie maker machines.

At First Use...

Upon plugging in for the first time, we found there to be a smell of smoke to start with but we put this down to the elements being new, and found that this gradually diminished over time and use.

There was also quite a lot of clicking sounds as itheated up but got used to this after a number of uses.

This model took about five minutes to warm up ready for use and the indicator lights on the top of the toastie maker are easy to see which is useful.

The interchangeable plates are easy to switch by just pushing in the two squares above the plates, and they release, a little stiffly at first, but after a few changes this eased considerably.

They appear to be reasonably effective as a non-stick coating, so as long as you take care to quickly hand-wash them after use (not in the dishwasher!).

This machine has a lock in the handle which secures the lid when cooking toasties or waffles.

Also, the lid is relatively light, so will not squash the fillings when you’re toasting paninis. 

Useful Observations...

We found the Salter EK2143 Deep Fill 3 in 1 sandwich maker to be particularly good when toasting paninis. 

It provided a nicely crisp surface with clearly defined grill lines when the grill plates were fitted, and took just 4 to 5 minutes to complete, while the filling was perfectly warmed through without squashing out and nicely melted in the middle.

With the toastie plates fitted it was found that they required a good sized sliced loaf rather than the more basic models where you often had to cut off the crusts to fit. 

There are no set cooking times as it can depend on the thickness of the bread and the density of the filling, so it is best to check as you go. 

For example we checked after 4 to 5 minutes and found that they were still not done to our liking but after 6 or 7 minutes (depending how you like them), they were a nice golden brown.

As a tip we found that with this "deep fill" model it was best to ensure they were not underfilled as it may result in uneven browning.

With the waffle plates fitted, and using a standard shop bought waffle mixture, we found a good rise and were cooked on the outside but a little undercooked inside. 

It may be due to the deeper plates but to obtain a more even cooking it would be necessary to experiment with different mixtures  anf fill levels.

We also found that most of the waffle recipes tried took 12 to 15 minutes cooking time to complete.

In Summary

If you’re looking for a reasonably priced sandwich maker that gives you the option to do a little bit more, then the Salter EK2143, at £30 to £40 is worth considering. 

The toastie and grill plates are the two better features, offering the possibilities to make all sorts of perfect toasted and grilled sandwiches.

The waffle plates are a little more difficult to get right, but fine as an occasional option to try something different, but not if you were choosing this machine as a specialist waffle maker alone.

The Salter EK2143 is a traditional looking 3 in 1 sandwich maker, great for occasional use, doesn't take up much space, stores away easily and doesn’t cost a fortune either.