CookNation - Posh Toasties: Simple & Delicious Gourmet Recipes For Your Toastie Machine, Sandwich Grill Or Panini Press

Toasties,made correctly are a fantastic snack, meal or treat any time of the day. Heavenin a sandwich - its the ultimate comfort food but so much more. With deliciousfillings and combinations a regular toastie becomes a gourmet posh toastie inminutes. Theyre fun to make, simple and dont cost the earth. Ourtasty recipes indulge in delicious meat & seafood fillings, meat freechoices, sweet & sticky treats and a selection of simple and easy to makehomemade extras like chilli jam, chutney, pesto, hummous and coleslaw. For thesake of simplicity we refer to all the sandwiches in our recipes as toasties,however they can all be made equally successfully using a sandwich grill orpanini machine.

Ifyour sandwich maker hasnt seen the light of day for months, dig it out, giveit a clean and reward it with pride of place in your kitchen. Toastiesare about to get posh! The Rules Rulesare made to be broken and our collection of posh toasties push the boundariesin toastie fare but there are a few basic guidelines you should adhere to whenmaking the perfect posh toastie. *Choosing the right bread. Our recipes use different types of bread to mixthings up but generally, medium sliced day old bread will achieve the bestresults browning nicely and soaking up the ingredients. *Use good quality cheese. Posh Toastie Tips *Be adventurous. Posh Toastie Tips *Be adventurous.

Mix and match. Experiment! *Season the plates of your sandwich maker or Panini press. This isimportant as it will ensure your plates remain non-stick. To do this brushthe plates lightly with sunflower oil, close the lid and heat to its highestsetting for 5 minutes. It is a good idea to do this periodically to getthe best out of your machine. *Always heat up your sandwich maker before adding your sandwich.

Werecommend the highest setting. *Invest in a heat-proof pastry brush and a heat-proof non-metallic spatula. *Always wear oven gloves when using your appliance. The plates obviouslybecome very hot and fingers can easily be burned if you are not careful. *Either brush your plates or sandwich with oil or butter - our recipesstate which. *Where possible try to leave a small gap around the edges of your sandwich sothat ingredients dont spill out onto your machine. *Dont overfill your sandwich. *Dont overfill your sandwich.

Our recipes create just the right level offillings but dont be tempted to overdo it as this will inevitably make a messof your machine. *When making a thicker toastie close the lid slowly applying pressure until itfully closes and/or clicks into place. Do not force the lid shut. *Never cook raw meat or fish in your appliance. *Always read the manufactures guidelines for your appliance. Cleaning Thegreat thing about toasties is they are generally simple and easy to make withlittle cleaning up.

Here are a few tips to keeping your machine cleanafter each use. *Always unplug the machine before cleaning. *While the plates are still warm but not hot, wipe with damp kitchen towels to removeany grease. *Use a non-metallic heat-proof spatula to remove more stubborn residue. *Use a small sponge with warm soapy water to scrub the plates. *If the plates can be removed for cleaning make sure they have cooled downfirst. *No matter how stubborn the mark, never use any abrasive cleaning products orscourers on the plates of your machine. *No matter how stubborn the mark, never use any abrasive cleaning products orscourers on the plates of your machine.

This will ruin the non-stickcoating and render your sandwich maker useless. Persevere with warm waterand sponges to remove difficult marks. *Allow the plates to air dry before closing the lid.

The Best Meat & Seafood Filled Toasties

Mature Cheddar & Chorizo

Serves 1Ingredients: 2 slicesgranary bread 50g/2ozsliced mature cheddar cheese 25g/1ozthinly sliced chorizo Sunfloweroil for brushing Method: Firstbrush your sandwich maker or Panini machine with a little sunflower oil to helpprevent sticking and make your toastie nice and crispy. Switch on and bring upto its highest temperature. Meanwhilearrange the cheese on one piece of the granary bread.

Sit the chorizo evenlyover the cheese. Place the second slice of bread on top and put into yourmachine. Close thelid tightly and leave to cook for 3-4 minutes or until it becomes crispy andgolden brown. Adda little more spice to this toastie with a sprinkle of smoked paprika.

Paprika Spiced Tuna Melt

Serves 1Ingredients: 2 slicesgranary bread 50g/2oztinned tuna steak, drained 2 tspmayonnaise 25g/1ozmature cheddar cheese, grated 1 spring onion,finely chopped tsp paprika Sunfloweroil for brushing Method: Firstbrush your sandwich maker or Panini machine with a little sunflower oil to helpprevent sticking and make your toastie nice and crispy. Switch on and bring upto its highest temperature. Meanwhilemix together the tuna, mayonnaise, grated cheese, spring onion & paprika ina small bowl.

Spread this evenly over one piece of your granary bread. Placethe second slice of bread on top and put into your machine. Close thelid tightly and leave to cook for 3-4 minutes or until it becomes crispy andgolden brown. Smokedpaprika is best for this recipe. Alter the quantity to suit your own taste.