Comments on: Brown Bag Lunch Idea: Make Your Own Hot, Melty Sandwiches

By: Adam

Adam — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:42:44 +0000

I stole your idea. Was at walmart last night and got the $9 durabrand sandwich press, and a pound and a half of roast beef, cheese slices, bread, non-stick spray, and a spatchula. i can’t wait to try it. When I was a kid my mom had a sandwich press and we used it a lot. only thing I don’t like about the $9 unit is no on/off switch, you have to unplug it from the wall. thanks for the great idea!

By: nomad

nomad — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 08:33:30 +0000

You know what’s really good? Grilled Peanut (or Almond) butter and Jelly sandwiches. Those sandwich makers work really well for them too!

By: What I eat, apparently » Blog Archive » My and my sandwich maker friend make all sorts of delicious fun!

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 04:58:08 +0000

[...] never really considered it’s full range of possibilities, though, until My Money Blog did a little write-up on the myriad of cost-effective lunch possibilities that are to be had with [...]

By: pffft

pffft — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:07:06 +0000

for me, when deciding on appliances like this, it’s not just about cost. sure, this is cheap – but it’s another piece of equipment that i have to maintain and find space for on my counter or in a cabinet.

you can make great hot sandwiches in a toaster oven (which is MUCH more universal in its uses) or with a frying pan and a flat, metal stockpot lid.

By: Emily

Emily — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 04:06:55 +0000

I am a huge fan of these sandwich makers! Someone from my old job brought one of these into the kitchen and I would make a sandwich with roast beef and cheddar. The bread got sealed together and it was so gooey and delicious! I would dip it in ketchup and it tasted like a cheeseburger. Very cheap and yummy lunch….now that I’m no longer there, I need to get one for myself!

By: teeej

teeej — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:22:54 +0000

they also make a sandwich maker press for camping thats pretty sweet. loaf a bread, some hearty canned soup or whatever you want

By: Jim

Jim — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:10:20 +0000

In response to TomL,

I doubt many restaurants use Teflon anymore. I worked in a major restaurant in the 80′s as a saute chef and we went through expensive Teflon skillets every three weeks. We never scrubbed them with anything harsh, always a rag and soap and water. Where do you think that Teflon went? In our customers….

I still will eat in restaurants, but try to minimize anything with Teflon. Now I use only cast iron skillets and pans.

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 11:52:09 +0000

My wife and I also have a Griddler and it is one of our most used appliances.

Sandwiches, sausage, grilled chicken and pork, bacon and other things go on it.

If it died it would be replaced immediately.

It is a great appliance that will save you money because it really helps to make great meals fast.

By: Cristobal Colon

Cristobal Colon — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 03:53:36 +0000

“leave one at work and just bring it to the office kitchen when you use it…You might even make a few new friends”

DISGUSTING! Call me a germaphobe but do you know where your co-workers food and hands have been? Sorry but I don’t mix food with work.

Not to mention the toxic qualities of non-stick.

By: auntie_green

auntie_green — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:39:31 +0000

Ian says he likes the Griddler, and I agree. I used to have a Foreman, and I got rid of it because it was too darn hard to clean! yes, supposedely with a paper towel – key word “supposedly” – too much of a pain. What I like about the Griddler is the sides/grill pieces/ what ever you call them pop off and you can put them in the dishwasher. (Maybe the Foreman does that now. The version I had a few years ago, that wasn’t available). I use the Griddler much more than I used the Foreman, especially in winter when it gets dark so early and I can’t use my grill outside cause I can’t see

By: Hugo

Hugo — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 00:45:36 +0000

I understand your need to lower all of you operating costs to survive in this market, but is the cost or cuase effect for eating unhealthy food in the present time worked into you low cost scheme. Are you saving now to pay for large medical expenses later? You can not fool you body. Feed it garbage and it will fight back.

By: financePHI

financePHI — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 23:32:03 +0000

I still use a cooking spray on my grills. The coat will wear off after a while if you’re not careful or ruin it with harsh scrubs.

By: arz

arz — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:27:26 +0000

OK, what happened to the iron skillet that was so going to replace everything pots and pans?! I actually like this idea though I’m sure most people will eat grilled sandwich for like a month then vow to never touch it again for another 6 months. It’s like you bought all the right stuff for making good garden salad, but those right stuff made only 1-2 right salads that actually resemble anything from your favorite restaurant.

By: Jason

Jason — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 20:51:21 +0000

I have been using one for about 5 years. I have found that the best one (for me) was a flat panini press as opposed the to the one with lines. I tend to let eveyone at work use it and find the flat one much easier to clean esp. since not everyone at work remembers that their mum doesn’t work their too.

Also it is more versatile in that you can cook other foods on there…I have used it for bacon and eggs a couple of times!!

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/i.....SS400_.jpg

By: Rob

Rob — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:38:43 +0000

I would recommend using pie filling, white bread and confectioners sugar (sprinkled after cooking) to make some pies. We ate like kings in college because of this thing.

By: Pete

Pete — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:07:11 +0000

TomL: Regarding Teflon skillets at restaurants, I would imagine that most of them probably don’t use anything with “non-stick” coating. Not necessarily because they don’t want to poison their customers, but because it wouldn’t hold up to heavy commercial use.

I would imagine stainless steel and cast iron are more typically used.

By: Joe

Joe — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 17:21:39 +0000

My parents used to use these for me as a kid… I’m only mid 20′s… They put apple sauce in the sandwich.. So it was almost like a hot apple pie sorta.. Diff twist, but it tasted good!

By: chris

chris — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:47:32 +0000

You also have to watch for stuff oozing out the sides. You always have to leave some space in the pockets for when the food expands.

By: Grill Cheese at Work « Family Money Today

Grill Cheese at Work « Family Money Today — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:08:55 +0000

[...] Grill Cheese at Work This was a classic money saver that ranks up there in those ideas that go, “Why didn’t I… [...]

By: TomL

TomL — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:04:26 +0000

In response to Jim — do you know how may restaurants use teflon skillets and similar? You might want to eat at home for the rest of your life.

By: TomL

TomL — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:03:17 +0000

$1 soup?!? Eww.

I like something a bit more substantial.

DintyMoore stew is more up my alley but expensive. Something like almost $4 a can.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 02:13:36 +0000

Actually, I regularly find cans of Progresso soup for around $1 per can when on sale and stock up. Minestrone is my favorite.

By: TiffanyT

TiffanyT — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 02:03:45 +0000

That price sure beats $8 sandwiches @ Cosi!

By: Cara

Cara — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 23:30:53 +0000

I’ve been using sandwich pressers since I was 10 years old. My favorite was pepperoni pizza (pepperoni slices with mozzarella, little bit of pasta sauce)

One thing you have to be careful of is catching the cord in the back hinges! I did this in college, and the cord was split in half and caused sparks. Fuse went out thank god.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 23:21:07 +0000

Nice! I’ve seen a lot of similar products (panini, George Foreman, etc…), but this looks super simple for work & home.