If you’ve ever wondered what makes the PERFECT toastie – we’re talking method AND flavoursome ingredient combos, then keep on reading as we spill the beans on exactly what it takes.
PLUS, to celebrate school going back (WOOHOO!) we have a school lunch box-friendly toastie for you to try too.
I’m not going to lie, I do fancy myself a bit of a toasted sandwich aficionado. I was raised on grilled cheese and I continued to hold the torch making my own kids’ weekend lunches. Anyway, I digress…
There are two important factors to consider in making the ultimate toastie.
- Firstly, your cooking method/machine is super important, and
- You need a good quality cheese that tastes terrific and melts just right. *chef’s kiss*
How you cook your toastie matters
OK listen up, I want to spare you the heartache of your fillings spilling out and making a mess by getting your cooking method right. These are my four go-to cooking methods below:
- SANDWICH PRESS: The heavy plates of a sandwich press are awesome for heating through thick bread cuts like burger buns, panini, Turkish bread and so on. If you use normal loaf bread in a sandwich press it will mostly squash it flat. Still delicious, but flat.
- SANDWICH MAKER: Made for traditional square sliced bread, a sandwich maker seals the edges of the bread to make a pocket for your toastie fillings. Toasties with fillings like spaghetti, stewed apple, baked beans etc are best cooked in this machine to keep them contained!
- FRYING PAN: You don’t need a fancy appliance to make toasties, you can make them in the frying pan! Brilliant for odd-shaped bread slices or making multiple toasties at once for a crowd of kids, just remember to leave enough room between the toasties to flip them over!
- OVEN OR GRILL: The most suitable choice for open cheese melts and toasties minus the ‘lid’. We have a recipe down below for a school lunch box idea using this method, scroll on down to see it!
Let’s talk cheese
We all know it’s the cheese that sends your toastie to next-level good. So you’ve got to get it right. Nobody wants a mediocre toasted sandwich! My pick of the bunch, and best-kept secret to the most awesome toastie, will always be CHEER™ cheese. You can buy it in blocks or ready-sliced packets which are just-the-right thickness for sandwiches. PLUS, you can choose from Tasty, Colby, Mozarella – and even Vintage. Much deliciousness, much perfect melting goodness, much choice!
CHEER’s top 10 toastie flavour combos
Looking for some toastie flavour combo inspo? You’ve come to the right place. Here’s CHEER’s top 10 flavour combinations. eat them straight or mix and match for a flavour sensation!
- Roast chicken, pesto and CHEER Tasty™ on sourdough
- Fried bacon, tomato, avocado, CHEER Tasty™ and Caesar dressing on multigrain bread
- Chargrilled eggplant, tomato, pesto and CHEER Tasty™ in pita bread
- Salami, roast capsicum, olives and CHEER Tasty™ on ciabatta
- Smoked ham, sauteéd mushrooms, CHEER Colby™ and mustard on sliced Vienna bread
- Ham, pineapple, spring onion and CHEER Colby™ on thick white toast bread
- Smoked salmon, avocado, baby spinach and CHEER Tasty™ on rye bread
- Prosciutto, basil, sundried tomatoes and CHEER Tasty™ on focaccia
- Tuna, rocket, roast capsicum and CHEER Tasty™ on wholemeal bread
- Baked beans, bacon and CHEER Tasty™ on multigrain bread
How to cook the perfect toastie
You’ve chosen your filling, got your appliance and now what? Here’s how to cook your toastie to perfection!
Sandwich press and sandwich maker:
- Preheat the sandwich press or maker.
- Butter two slices of bread of your choosing and sandwich butter sides together.
- Lift the top slice with the filling off the bottom slice and place the buttered side down in the sandwich maker/press.
- Top with the other slice of bread, the butter side facing up.
- Close the sandwich maker/press and toast until crisp and golden. Enjoy!
Under the grill
- Preheat the grill.
- Grill your bread on both sides until toasted.
- Place your toppings on top of the toasted bread slice, finishing with the cheese.
- Place back under the grill until the cheese melts. Enjoy!
Frying pan
- Butter two slices of bread and sandwich them together.
- Place the filling on top of the two slices.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan.
- Lift the top slice with the filling on top, off of the bottom slice.
- Place it in the pan, buttered side down.
- Top with the remaining slice of bread, the buttered side facing up.
- Use a large flat spatula to press down and flatten the toastie as it cooks until golden underneath.
- Carefully flip over and repeat until golden on both sides. Enjoy!
Finally, three cheers for this lunch-box friendly cheesy soldiers recipe!
Check out this awesome recipe from Jarrad at The Real Dads of Melbourne. Yum!
Ingredients
- 200g bacon
- 2tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 100ml tomato sauce
- 1 loaf ciabatta bread 9cut lengthways0
- 1 pack of 12 CHEER Tasty™ cheese slices
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Dice your bacon into squares.
- Fry off the bacon with oil in a stovetop pan over medium heat.
- Mix together the Worcestershire sauce and tomato sauce until combined.
- Lay bread out flat and spread the sauce mixture along both sides of the bread until fully covered.
- Once cooked, evenly distribute the bacon onto the bread.
- Lay slices of CHEER Tasty™ Cheese on top of the bacon, until fully covered.
- Put your bread pieces on a lined baking tray and place them in the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted.
- Once cooled, cut the bread into bite-sized soldiers.
Perfect for packing in lunch boxes, these cheesy soldiers would also freeze and defrost well if you want to stock up!
We wish you happy toastie making! Tell us, what’s your favourite flavour combo, we’d love to hear it!
For a twice-weekly dose of Mum Central, subscribe to our newsletter here.
