The ultimate grilled cheese sandwich is the one that has a crispy crust and delicious, ooey-gooey melty cheese on the inside. To get this perfect sandwich, you need the right sandwich maker, and let’s face it; not all sandwich makers are the same.
Read on as we look at the best grilled cheese sandwich makers on the market to help you get your daily fix.
Table of contents
What Features to Look for in a Grilled Cheese Sandwich Maker
Before you get sucked into buying a sandwich maker that isn’t even capable of toasting plain bread, let alone prep your sandwich, you need to know what key features need to be in the ideal sandwich maker:
The Grill Space
Standard sandwich makers are designed to hold up to two whole sandwiches for bread that is around the size of the standard white bread available at your grocery store.
Some sandwich makers will have a grill design to get the nice char marks on the outside of your bread.
There are some new, sleek sandwich makers on the market that don’t have compartments designated for sliced bread, so you can use any kind of bread you like, from brioche to potato rolls depending on your personal preference.
Multipurpose or Not?
Like we mentioned earlier, some sandwich makers have a smooth space without any compartments for bread.
However, the sandwich makers that have bread compartments can be used to make multiple other dishes as well, such as eggs benedict, omelets, and more.
But if the sole reason why you want a sandwich maker is to get your grilled cheese sandwich fix, then you don’t have to worry about this.
The Size
Grilled cheese sandwich makers, on average, make around 2 sandwiches at a time, but some may also fit 3-4 sandwiches in one go.
Related: How to Clean a Panini Press
Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich Makers
We’re reviewed the top 3 sandwich makers that you should consider buying:
Cuisinart Dual-Sandwich Electric Grill
Cuisinart Dual-Sandwich Electric Grill
Key Features:
- Number of Sandwiches at a time: 4
- Design: Compartment for Sandwiches
- Purpose: can be used to make grilled cheese and other dishes like French toast
This classic sandwich maker provides great value for money and has pretty much all the features you’d need at a solid price point.
The machine seals your sandwiches from the outside, gives them a nice golden crust, and also crimps them in half diagonally.
When you place the sandwich inside, a red light switches on, and once your grilled cheese has been toasted to perfection, the light turns green.
But this sandwich maker is only ideal for the traditional, small-sliced sandwiches. You won’t be able to experiment with different types of bread, or making an extremely stuffed sandwich, or you’ll have an explosion on your hands.
Another thing to watch out for is that the compartments for the sandwiches are not removable, so you’ll need to grease the inside well, or you’ll be hacking away at crusty cheesy bits later on.
Overall, you can call this Cuisinart model “old reliable” because this low voltage, low-cost sandwich maker will give you a classic grilled cheese within minutes, it’ll take up minimum counter space, but you can’t get too creative with it.
George Foreman GRP360R
Key Features:
- Number of Sandwiches at a time: 4 Triangles (sandwich count may vary depending on the bread size)
- Design: Non-compartmentalized grill plate
- Purpose: multipurpose- suitable for grilled cheese and other grilled dishes
This George Foreman grilled cheese sandwich maker is certainly a price hop from the first one, but it does come with a range of additional features.
The grill plate makes it possible to a) toast multiple sandwiches instead of fitting them into the compartments, and b) gives you the option to use any type of bread and fill up the sandwich as much as you want.
You can also use the same grill to add some chicken to your sandwich and make it a meal or throw in some grilled vegetables for a healthy component.
Another plus is that the grill plate itself is removable and dishwasher friendly, making cleanup a breeze.
One thing to watch out for is that there aren’t any temperature controls, so you’ll have to keep an eye on your sandwich to avoid burning it.
This sandwich maker doesn’t offer the benefit of crimping the sandwich edges, which means you’ll definitely have plenty of cheese dripping out.
Hamilton Beach Panini Press Grill
Hamilton Beach Panini Press Grill
Key Features:
- Number of Sandwiches at a time: 2 large sandwiches (4 triangles) or more depending on bread size
- Design: non-compartmentalized grill plate
- Purpose: grilled cheese sandwiches and other grilled items
This sandwich maker features a floating lid to ensure that your sandwich gets an even toast all over it without any plain edges where the cheese didn’t even melt.
The grill plate is on the top and the bottom, so if you want to make an open face grilled cheese, you can lock the top lid.
While the grill plates are not removable, they are non-stick, and any crusty bits or drips can be wiped off easily.
Another plus for this grill is that while it is quite big, it can be switched into the vertical position and stored away easily.
The Grilled Cheesus Sandwich Press
The Grilled Cheesus Sandwich Press
Key Features:
- As seen on the TV show Glee (Season 2, Episode 3: Grilled Cheesus)
- The face of Jesus will appear on each piece of toast
- Makes amazing grilled cheese sandwiches
Any religious connotation aside, the Grilled Cheesus Sandwich Press is perhaps the best grilled cheese sandwich maker we have tried.
True, it only makes sandwiches one at a time. However, two features more than make up for this.
First, the rays of sunlight design on the grill plates makes for a very even melting and excellent grill marks.
Second, because of the hinge design and the depth of space where the sandwich goes, you can really pile up your grilled cheese with additional ingredients such as eggs and meat.
Certainly the slowest of our favorite grilled cheese sandwich makers, the Grilled Cheesus Sandwich Press makes a heavenly single grilled cheese.
End note
These grilled cheese sandwich makers combine a decent price point with all the features you’ll need to make your favorite sandwich.
Whether you like sealed edges to keep all the cheese inside, or you like to see the cheese melting out onto the plate, invest in the right sandwich maker, pick up your favorite cheese and bread and transport yourself to cheesy heaven.
Last update on 2023-11-18 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
