The Toastmaster Snackster Sandwich Maker was one of the most popular press in the 90’s. All the manufacturer were getting on on the craze. The average retail price for this machine was 29.95. It was made in U.S.A, all metal and had the Toastmaster brand backing it. Throughout its years, this model came primarily in two model, the 294 and the modern 289. Both machine promised easy to make sandwich for breakfast, lunch or even dinner. It was the start of the convenience compact food maker. This review will take a closer look at its design, construction and performance.

Paula Deen Cookware Set Review Quick Summary

Categories	Toastmaster Snackster Sandwich Maker
Performance	Acceptable
Colors	White and Black
Release Date	1990’s
Average Price When New	29.99
Power	900 Watts
Warranty	1 Year
Brand Awareness	America
Country of Manufacturer	USA
Thoughts	An American made Sandwich maker. This technology has been around for almost a centuiry. The only difference is the mold of the plate. If anything, you can probably make waffles in it. Today, you can only get similar product that is made in China. One such example is the Gotahm Sandwich Maker.
Modern Version	Toastmaster 289 Snackster Sandwich Maker

Toastmaster History

The first popup toaster was invented by Toastmaster. It had the signature three heating logo loop that made them famous. From there, they started building several different appliances such as the waffle iron, slow cooker, and electrical skillet. Unfortunately, the history of build quality and performance did not last. There was a shift in the consumer market around. Price was more of a concern and quality declined. The Toastmaster 294 was one of the last products that was made in USA. Since then, the majority of products was outsourced to China. The all metal construction that American products are known for is now a thing of the past. What we have now are things constructed primarily of plastic to save cost and weight.

Toastmaster Snackster Sandwich Maker Design

These type of press are not anything new. They are basically a waffle iron with a mold change. Instead of the traditional griddle shape, now you have a triangular mold. These molds allow for pockets of food. The most popular version would be cheese and ham.

The mold itself looks like a hard anodized aluminum finish. In the early days, waffle makers were made with plain stainless steel. Those tend to last longer as there is no coating to wear out. The Teflon do have some key advantage, one such being is that its easy to clean. The Toastmaster Snackster and other integerated electronic cannot be submerged in water. Hence, making it difficult to clean. With the teflon coating, all you would need is a soapy sponge. One way to get around the Stainless Steel limitation is by making the plate removable. Past waffle makers had that capability, but I am assuming that the cost was simply not worth doing.

Near the bottom the of the Sandwich maker, there is a latch to keep pressure onto the sandwich. This ensures that you get a nice even grill mark. What is interesting about the 294 and the 296 model is that there is no heat indicator. Past waffle makers had a integrated thermostats with a indicator that let you know when its done. The newer model, the 289 have this. Interesting that they skipped a generation. You are basically left wondering if you sandwich is done.

Heating Coil and Power

The Snackster is heated via a coil. When you plug it in, power is drawn and the coil heats up. A design that has been around for nearly a century. The way the power is attached is also very antiquated. You can see on the bottom that its connected via a plug. The only difference with this one is that its not removable like other units.

On Snackster 296, the power draw is only 900 watts. Not weak but not as strong as the 1200 watt waffle maker that Toastmaster use to make. I should note that this is plenty power, but I am just being nit picky.

Toastmaster Snackster Sandwich Maker Thoughts

While the metal construction is nice and the build quality is good. This isn’t a revolutionary gadgets. It is basically an old existing product that had some minor tweaks. Even then this suited the need of consumers and demand was strong. Today, the panini press is more popular and it seems to have taken over. These snackster device are pretty much gone and the only examples you can get are the cheap Chinese version you can get on Amazon.

I hope you like thisToastmaster Snackster Sandwich Maker Review, If you would like to see more, please visit our Vintage page.