Salter XL 3 in 1 Snack Maker review

How easy is the Salter XL 3 in 1 Snack Maker to use?

We found this model took just under five minutes to pre-heat, which is longer than most. The red and green lights on the top of the toastie maker are distinct and easy to see and the green light also makes an audible click when it turns on, which is useful.

Changing the plates is relatively easy – just push the two squares above the plates in and they release. The first few times we used the release we found it quite stiff, but after a few presses, they loosened up. Despite being removable, the plates are not dishwasher safe. Thankfully, the non-stick is effective, so clean up is easy.

The lid isn’t too heavy, so when you’re toasting paninis it doesn’t squash the contents. The handle has a useful lock in the middle that secures the lid when cooking toasties or waffles.

Results

We cooked a classic cheese toastie, deep fill toastie, tomato and mozzarella toastie and waffles in this sandwich maker to put it through its paces.

The toastie plates were too big for a standard supermarket loaf, so we placed the bread in the centre of the plates. There are no cooking times in the manual, so we checked both the classic and deep-fill toasties after 4 minutes. Neither were brown enough for our liking, so we let them cook for another 3 minutes. After 7 minutes total, both toasties were nicely browned – if a little unevenly – and the filling had melted. The deep-fill toastie fared a little better out of the two, and achieved an imprint of the scallop toastie plate.

This model excelled when toasting paninis. It was super crisp and had clearly defined grill lines. It took just five minutes to cook and all the filling was perfectly warmed through and melted in the middle.

We were let down by the waffle plates, unfortunately. Although they were well risen, the waffles were still stodgy and undercooked in the middle. We tried a second batch, cooking them for as long as possible, but the outside was beginning to look dark, so we had to remove them from the plates. The second batch was still undercooked in the middle. We suspect the heating element was too high.

In an attempt to get the waffles right, we tried another recipe with a different method. Not only did the waffles take a very long time to cook (14 minutes), they were also unevenly browned, undercooked and flat on one side. After eight batches of waffles, the plates didn't get hot enough to achieve the results we were after. This inconsistency in temperature is frustrating and renders a third of the sandwich maker unusable.

We also noticed that this model can be quite loud. It occasionally makes some whirring, electrical sounds. It’s also very smoky when heating up for the first few times.

Conclusion

If you’re after a toastie maker that gives you the option to do a little more but you’re on a budget, this model is worth considering. The toastie and grill plates are the two standouts here, offering relatively even coverage across the surface. It doesn’t make the best waffles, so look elsewhere if this was a big draw for you.

It won’t take up too much space and doesn’t cost the world either. It’s a classic looking toastie maker better suited for occasional use.

Specifications:

Multi-functional: Yes (toasties, grill, waffles)
Number of sandwiches: Two
Removable plates: Yes
Dishwasher proof: No
Recipe book: No
Dimensions (cm): H: 11 x W: 29 x D: 25
Weight: 3.4kg
Wattage: 900

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This review was last updated in March 2021. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability please get in touch at [email protected]