Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich Maker - Red

When I first saw this I was skeptical that it would work without making a mess to clean up afterward. I've bought many of these little gadgets in the past and usually the clean up is never as easy as it is shown on TV or the product doesn't quite come out the same. This one works great!! I was eager to check it out when I first received it from UPS. I didn't have any english muffins and just had some thin lite bread in the fridge so just used that. Seasoned it first (and I highly recommend doing this every time you use it) with some vegetable oil after I washed it like recommended. I heated it up, squeezed the first piece of bread in so it fit in and didn't leave any gapes, added my cheese and bacon, then an extra large egg (it's what I had) and then gently shaped the top piece of bread to fit too without squeezing out the egg. Came out great! Then my daughter came over and I remembered I had some frozen pancakes in the freezer and offered to make her a sandwich and she loved it. My "McGriddle" is made with two small blueberry pancakes (store bought that come in a big bag). I put the first one in, put a small bit of maple syrup to coat it, add some cheese and the sausage or bacon (have done both), then the egg and the top pancake that I also put a thin layer of maple syrup as well. Those come out tasting so good! I've made them with English muffins, bread and pancakes. I believe because I season it with the vegetable oil each time after I've cleaned it and it's dried that when I go to use it nothing sticks at all. I don't have the white residue from the egg that one of videos showed except once and that was when I made another sandwich right after the first one. It wasn't a big deal, still cleaned up easily. I also tried to make a Reuben style sandwich as well. I used Weight Watcher's rye bread that I put in and squeezed into the bottom to fit, a little mustard, Swiss cheese, pastrami and sauerkraut and the top piece of bread also molded to fit. I had the "egg" tray slid out when I tried this and the top bread didn't brown because it wasn't up high enough but it was warm and crispy. I may try to arrange the ingredients a bit differently next time and leave the "egg tray" in this time and put the meat on top of that so it gets a bit hotter because it was just warm before and the bread should toast nicely. Bottom line is, you could make a variety of hot sandwiches in this and doesn't necessarily have to be for breakfast. One thing I did notice and I think others had mentioned was the top and bottom having a sticky residue feeling to them after using. I ran into this too and as it tells you not to use a scrubbing pad on it it is hard to get rid of. I do have non scratch type scrubbers for my smooth top stove and I gently tried using that. Still found it was sticky. One of the things that I think helps tremendously is that after your sandwich is done leave it on and closed while you eat and then wet a dish cloth and wipe the top and bottom with that being careful not to burn yourself and that helps remove that residue. I also just rinse and repeat and wipe down the rest of the the cooking surfaces as well. A couple of other tips, if you want to try making a sandwich and your bread is too big and you don't want to deal with trying to squeeze it in just use the one of the circles to "cut" the bread like a cookie or biscuit cutter and it will fit perfectly. The pancakes I use are varied in shape and sometimes too big too fit and are frozen so trying to use the cookie cutter idea isn't plausible so in that case I just trim them around the edges a bit with some kitchen scissors I have. Also, the sausage I buy that is round is rather small and we found the first couple of sandwiches would slide around so, after I microwaved it to thaw, I mashed it down a little bit to spread it out to fit better and give you more sausage per bite (and I do recommend thawing out any frozen meat first in the microwave). We also like to scramble up the egg sometimes before we pour it in and that works out well too, haven't tried this yet but for a western style sandwich you could scramble up the egg, pour it in and throw in a little bit of chopped up peppers and onion. Things I haven't tried but think would be good for hot sandwiches are Italian bread with butter spread on it and garlic powder sprinkled on top of that with the buttered side facing the heating sides and maybe some mozzerella and mashed meatballs or sloppy joe mixture on the inside, the reuben style I already mentioned, maybe a hamburger bun with a thawed chicken patty and your choice of cheese. Basically, just be creative and don't just limit your ideas to breakfast. Edited on 1-18-2014 Still enjoying my sandwich maker very much. One thing I'd like to suggest and it worked well for us is that if you are making your own biscuits or buying a can of pillsbury grand biscuits you can make up a batch of sandwiches or cook for a crowd easily. While the biscuits are baking in the oven I cook up a couple of eggs at a time in the sandwich maker. I crack an egg in a bowl, scramble it up a bit, pour one egg in the bottom slot, quickly scramble up another and pour it into the "egg" slot and cook for about three minutes. I repeat this process while the biscuits are baking and then when they are done I put my sandwiches together reserving the last two hottest eggs for my husband and I to have a hot sandwich. I get everything ready ahead of time, precooked bacon and the cheese out and just do it like a quick assembly line. The rest of the sandwiches I individually wrap in wax paper and have some breakfast sandwiches ready to throw in the microwave or for my husband to take a couple to work with him. I like that the sandwich maker makes perfectly round little egg patties. Think you could cook up a dozen eggs like this and freeze them too to have a quick and handy, throw in the microwave, pre-cooked egg whether you wanted it in a sandwich or just to throw on a plate with some bacon or sausage.

This product lives up to the hype. I have to admit I am a bit of an appliance junkie. But as a vegetarian, and someone who has very little time in the morning to eat breakfast, my fast food options are limited to Starbucks and Panera Bread drive thru ($5/sandwich +$5 for a coffee drink I'm always tempted to get) or a donut from the Krispy Kreme drive thru (cheaper but not a very balanced breakfast). So when Amazon suggested this for me, I read the reviews and I was convinced although I was a little hesitant because like I said I am a appliance junkie and often buy useless crap I never end up using again. But this has already paid for itself in a week of breakfast at Starbucks/Panera. I even didn't entirely read the directions at first and didn't "season" it with oil and it still was fine to clean. In fact all I needed was a damp paper towel. So far I've used it all week without any oil (I probably will start once I get to the store and buy some of the natural version of Pam from TJ's) and I've yet to have to do more than wipe it down. Anyways, I noticed a lack of reviews on vegetarian meats so here is what I've done: I've used Trader Joe's extra sourdough english muffins, Morningstar Farms maple flavored frozen veggie sausage, a free-range egg, and a slice of organic mild cheddar cheese. I was worried the frozen veggie sausage wouldn't cook all the way through since some people complained about that with their frozen Jimmy Dean sausage, however it was perfect for my Morningstar Farms veggie patty straight from the freezer. The only problem was the sausage patty was too thick to put cheese on top without closing all the way. So what I did was break up my slice of cheese into 1/4ths and pile it on top of the raw egg right before I put the top muffin on so the egg cooks with the cheese. I think it comes out really well this way. I cook for the whole 5 minutes and I don't set the timer until I close the lid. Some people complained about raw egg touching the english muffin, but I think of it like french toast and actually really like it! I have many more options to try and am excited to be no longer limited to only one vegetarian sandwich item on the menu and pay a small fortune to buy it. I just wanted to share a few ideas I had for other vegetarians (often I find many vegetarians aren't aware of just how many meat substitutes are out there). - Yves Meatless Canadian Bacon - This is really good and so is their pepperoni! In Seattle they sell it at PCC, but I imagine in other cities you might be able to find it at natural foods stores and sometimes I see it at Fred Meyer. - Morningstar Farms Bacon, Sausage Patties, and Sausage Links - I've seen these sold in every grocery store - Quorn naked "chikn" filets - this is the only vegetarian chicken I've had that actually has the same texture as chicken and tastes just like it. You can also buy their strips as well. Fred Meyer/QFC has the best selection and price but I've also seen it in other stores as well such as Whole Foods. - Tofurky deli slices - I love these so much. They taste just like turkey lunch meat. These can be bought almost anywhere, I've seen them the cheapest at Trader Joe's. - Lightlife Veggie Sausage and Bacon - I like how their ground veggie sausage comes in a tube. Most of their products are refrigerated instead of frozen. Anyways, I could go on about the exciting possibilities, not to mention what you could do with tofu and endless different kinds of cheese (Trader Joe's has a pretty amazing selection!) as well as veggies and herbs. Bottom line: If you are trying to talk yourself out of buying this because you think you don't need it or its a waste of money, just stop thinking and buy it, you won't regret it!

Great product, after reading some other reviews it seems people just don't follow instructions. unit MUST be pre-heated. if that egg's not cooking when it hits that tray, it WOULD leak. I say would, because I follow instructions and have used this grill preheated every time and had ZERO issues. spray a bit of cooking spray into the egg compartment and when you rotate out the divider, it slides right off with zero issue or mess. Have your sandwich ready to go! don't put in the bread, then dig around for cheese, take your time placing meat etc. that's how people end up with burnt on the bottom sandwiches. 5 minute pre-heat, 5 minute cook time is perfect as long as the entire sandwich gets an even 5 and not Bottom gets 6-8, egg and top get 5...I have the bottom pre-built so all I have to do is drop it in, close the egg tray, crack an egg, break the yolk, place the top and close. anywhere from 15-20 seconds from empty to the whole sandwich in and cooking. it came in yesterday, used it a grand total of 4 times so far and 4 perfect breakfast sandwiches that put the fast food places to shame. (I don't pour my eggs from a bottle) Dice up some green pepper and onion to pour into the egg tray, maybe some bacon bits and have a mini omelette on top of your breakfast sandwich. I've been making my own breakfast sandwiches for years and this just simplifies the entire process. the unit will pay for itself using less energy than the stove and using less hot water for clean up and washing pans. if you use the cooking spray it cleans up with a wipe from a paper towel so it doesn't need washing as frequently. a couple accessories that help, a plastic fork for puncturing the yolk: you don't want to ever use metal on non stick. (normally That goes without saying, but we already have people using it without heating it up first so.. yeah.....no metal.) and one of those plastic mini spatulas (I grabbed a spare from one of my old foreman grills, perfect for taking up the sandwich) not sure why items like that weren't included, but that's why it got 4 stars instead of 5. that and I think it should have come with a built in 5 minute timer, small details like that would make this a perfect 5 star item.

This little gem is amazing. Easy to clean. Easy to use. I was a little bummed I can’t use store bought egg whites, but I easily got over it after using it the first time. I haven’t had fast food breakfast since I purchased. It is so quick and easy to use for a breakfast Sammy in the morning and easy clean up so u don’t have to come home to a mess.

I've used this about 5 times since I've bought it and it works awesome. Remember to spray before each use or your eggs and cheese will stick. Believe me I tried lol. Takes about 5 mins to cook and so worth it. Comes apart and easy to wash.

UPDATE MARCH 2, 2024: I dropped two stars from this. I haven't used the thing in over two months. Why? Because every screw holding it together is solid rust. I saw a couple other reviews mentioning this and am surprised there's not more. So now I can either toss the thing despite it being a rather clever and nice appliance, or hopefully extract at least one of the screws, go to some hardware store somewhere, ask the nice people there if they can match the screw in a STAINLESS STEEL VERSION, pay them money, bring it home, hope I can extract all the other screws, hope the new ones actually do work and that my old, untalented fingers can manage screwing them in, and only THEN might I be able to again use the thing. I dislike hassles. I buy things on Amazon to avoid hassles. Hence the passage of at least two months since it rusted and it still sitting on my counter untouched. So, hey, manufacturer. If you'd like to just send me a new one of these with stainless steel screws, I'm all in for it. I like the mint green. I'll even send you the stupid-screw one if you want it. I'm so torn between really liking it and really not liking hassles, but honestly, I wouldn't gift one to anyone as is or really even be able to advocate for the thing now. I won't bring it up out of the blue, but if someone says, wow, you have such a cool sandwich maker, then I'll have to say, yes, but it involved tassle, and they'll say why, and I'll tell them, and we'll both be bummed about it, and that person will never buy one because they don't like hassles, either. No one likes hassles. Mint green with stainless steel screws. See what you can do. I'm a gadget-aholic, but this was a stretch even for me. Who needs this thing? I have wonderful cast iron pans, a top-notch toaster oven, and the ability to cook everything that goes into a breakfast sandwich - so why bother with this? Because it is WONDERFULLY easy. That's why. It works every time, I never don't make a breakfast sandwich because I don't want to wash it (it's a 30-second chore to clean), and I can snub my nose at the Mc-place I used to go to for these when they cost half what they do now. Win-win-win.

Wow! This thing is awesome! This was my husband's favorite Christmas gift. I had seen it on an ad somewhere and thought it was probably a hunk of junk, but decided to look on amazon for reviews just to see. To my pleasant surprise, it looked like it just might be a good product, so I bought it! All the good reviews are true. This thing is quick, easy, and makes the most delicious, perfectly cooked, soft, satisfying egg sandwiches. My husband can't stop talking about how good the sandwiches are. We love how the egg is perfectly cooked, it is piping hot right down to the center of the sandwich, the cheese is perfectly melted, and the muffin is cooked, but still soft. Here are a few tips we discovered: Don't spray the nonstick cooking spray until the thing is totally heated and ready to go, AND YOU have all your ingredients ready to go. This thing is FAST, and if you are all ready, it goes very smoothly. At the last minute, spray on the cooking spray on both the top and bottom levels, and quickly assemble your ingredients. Place the bottom part of the english muffin on the bottom part and lay on the cheese (but don't leave the cheese hanging over the edge too much), and add the canadian bacon (Trader Joe's Canadian Bacon is great). Then close the top part and crack the egg right into it and put the top part of the english muffin right on top of the egg and close the lid (but don't press down on the lid. It will be slightly raised and that's ok). Also: You will need to set the timer on your stove because there is no timer on the sandwich maker. It says to let it cook for 4-5 minutes. At first, 4 minutes was perfect, but now it seems that even 3.5 minutes is even better, so you may want to play around with how long to let it cook so that it is right for you. I wouldn't go over 4 minutes, though, as it will get overcooked. Another tip: Thomas' English Muffins are TOO big, so I'm guessing bagels will be, too. They fill it out too much, so the top ends up getting slightly overcooked. The perfect sized English muffin is Trader Joes' kind, or the kind you find in a cylinder shaped bag at the grocery store. They are smaller and better suited for this machine and it keeps the top from overcooking. It is still perfectly soft. When the timer rings, slide the lever that starts on the right all the way over to the left. The top part of the sandwich falls on the bottom part. Lift the handle up and there is your sandwich! Scrape it off with a wooden or plastic utensil only onto a plate. Be careful not to burn your fingers! It is piping hot! This will be awesome for when we are in a rush getting ready for work, but we still want and need a satisfying breakfast. There are several recipes in the book, too, for variety. We found that Tillamook Muenster cheese melts beautifully and is super tasty. My parents were just here for the holiday and now my dad wants one of these things! He might go for the double maker! Enjoy!

This is a substantial sandwich maker. In 3-4 minutes, the egg is cook through and any cheese is melted. I've bought several of these over the years. The design is well-made. The middle section lifts out for easy cleaning. If using extra large or jumbo eggs, be aware that these eggs will leak out the sides when the top is closed. I usually use English muffins, one egg, cheese, Canadian bacon, and onion without any issues. The size doesn't take up much shelf or counter space. I have the red color, and I really like it. Good value for the money.