What makes the ultimate cheese toastie

Which gadget makes the best cheese toastie? Does an air fryer toastie beat a microwave toastie maker - and what about a Crimpit? Discover the smoothest route to a top-class toastie for when you're craving a quick satisfying snack.

I pitted a microwave toastie and an air fryer cheese toastie against a Crimpit, toastie bags that slot into your toaster, a stovetop toastie maker you can also use for camping, a traditional toastie maker and a non-stick frying pan to see which turned out the best cheese toastie. 

My verdict? Most gadgets will make you a decent toastie. The difference is in the level of faff and, let's face it, that's important after Christmas when you're exhausted from all the celebrations and just want to take it easy.

Find out which I'll be choosing for my cheese toastie betwixtmas when I'm snuggling down on the sofa for my yearly fix of Elf, plus a few additional tips I've picked up along the way to lift your toasties to the next level.

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Toastie maker

I tested using the Tower T27013 Deep Fill Sandwich Maker - one of the models in our recent test to find the best toastie makers.

Pros Crunchy crisp toastie made me nostalgic, dead easy to use

Cons A big thing to store if you don't make toasties regularly (I don't), can't submerge it to wash and wiping down can be a faff if you have leaks

Verdict Crimped edges best for toasties with bulk

In the 1970s, Breville released the Snack and Sandwich toastie and it transformed my Saturday lunches. 

Mum worked on Saturdays. Dad's culinary repertoire didn't go much further than omelettes, so when I got the hang of this new machine Mum brought home, there was no stopping me come lunchtime once Saturday Superstore was done (Google it young people!). 

Everything got Brevilled. My favourite remained the jeopardy involved in cracking an egg onto your piece of bread already starting to sizzle in the Breville and speedily but carefully getting the top slice on and hooking the lid down before any of the egg white started to seep out. 

'A toastie with the sides sealed remains a thing of glee'

A toastie with the sides sealed remains a thing of glee for me (and many of my colleagues, who highlighted a crisp edge as a toastie must-have when I did a straw poll of the tastiest unusual combos - see further down the page).  

Could a 2020s version of my childhood fave reignite those happy memories?   

The Tower sandwich toaster I tested advised that the normal cooking time would be three to six minutes. I checked after three minutes and again after five and decided to leave it for the full six minutes to get more of a crunch. 

Then, there it was, just as I remembered. The scalloped grill lines, the wedged shut edges, the satisfying crack as I split my cheese toastie in two.

Those wedged-shut edges though, in my opinion, make this sort of toastie maker better for a bulky toasted sandwich that you don't want to leak, such as my fried egg from back in the eighties, or baked beans and cheese or a mass of combinations.

I reckon though, I found better options for the simple best cheese toastie.

Also see our reviews of the best electric grills and George Foreman grills. 

Air fryer toastie

I tested using the Ninja Foodi Max 15-in-1 multi cooker OL750UK. Also, see our pick of the best air fryers.

Pros Super buttery, no need to stand over it while cooking (just set the timer), air fryer can be used for more than just toasties

Cons Slightly more brittle toastie might not be to everyone's taste, check your bread fits the size and shape of your air fryer

Verdict Joint-top toastie 

I'm one of those people who are evangelical about their air fryer. Mine is a multicooker that air fries as one of its functions and I can't remember how I functioned without it. 

It was just over a year ago when I bought a reconditioned Ninja Multicooker when the world was trying to cut the cost of cooking.

The Ninja Foodi Max 15-in-1 multi cooker OL750UK also slow cooks, pressure cooks, proves and bakes bread, dehydrates (it's wonderful for making dried liver dog treats), makes yoghurt, grills and more.

You can read what happened when we tested it with others to find the best multi cookers.

Yes, it's a big ugly beast on my worktop. However, it meant I could get rid of my on-its-last-legs toaster and pack away my slow cooker to bring out for Christmas only when it's useful to have an extra for mulled wine on the go.

I make yoghurt for us every week in my multi cooker. Having a pressure cooker again has transformed cooking fresh beans and pulses - chickpeas take just three minutes after an overnight soak. No more pans bubbling for hours and windows streaming with condensation come winter. 

I've made so much in my multi cooker in the last fifteen or so months since I bought it. However, I'd never attempted a toastie. 

'Results didn't disappoint'

I followed BBC Good Food's guidelines to cook for 10 minutes at 190ºC and ended up adding on a minute-and-a-half extra to get my bread properly crispy. 

The results didn't disappoint.

Of all the toasties I'd made so far, this one had somehow managed to get the butter from the outside of the bread to permeate into the bread while still crisping it on the outside. 

It was delicious, if slightly more brittle than my other favourite - the cheese toastie in the stovetop toastie maker. 

Discover 5 things you should know about cooking Christmas dinner in an air fryer. 

Stovetop toastie maker

I tested using the GoSystem GS2700 Toastie Maker, 1400 W, Black

We've also tried out the ProCook Stovetop Sandwich Toaster (only available at ProCook, £19.99). You can find out how it compares to alternative toaster makers in our toastie maker reviews. 

Pros Small footprint, also excellent for frying eggs, press-down clamp makes a handy hanger, lovely even browning. 

Cons You need to keep checking the toastie is done or you could easily burn it, it's a struggle to cook two at a time on a standard hob

Verdict My joint-favourite

This is the wildcard in our line-up of toastie-making gadgets. It's advertised for use outdoors but reviews I'd read included people getting excited about using one at home. Full disclaimer - I have a gas hob so it was fine for me to use it.

So glad I did. You need to keep an eye on it as there are no instructions about how long a cheese toastie should take (it depends on the size of your flame). It also takes longer than others as you're only cooking your cheese toastie on one side at a time. 

'Reminiscent of Girl Guides'

The flip-it-over design made it dead easy though and felt quite fun (kind of reminiscent of Girl Guides camping toasting marshmallows on a campfire). 

You'd struggle using it to cook two toasties together on a standard hob though as the gas rings are too far apart.

As it was close to lunchtime when I tested this, I also used it to cook a fried egg (see pic below). 

It turned out perfectly with a nicely cooked top but soft inside. All without the jeopardy involved in flipping and potentially breaking your yolk when cooking with a frying pan.

We've got everything covered for your next camping trip. See our reviews of the best tents and best pop up tents, best camping stoves, sleeping bags, camping chairs and torches. Not forgetting the best vacuum flasks. 

Microwave toastie maker

I tested using the Microwave Sandwich Maker from Coopers of Stortford in my Siemens microwave. See how Siemens compares in our rundown of the top microwave brands. 

Pros Small size makes it easy to store (it's not much bigger than a slice of bread), easy to wash, can also be used for grilling sausages, chicken breast, fish, asparagus etc in your microwave.

Cons Not the best grill lines, nor the best toastie.

Verdict I found better

I'd never tried a microwave toastie maker, so this one piqued my interest. Before I read the instructions I figured it would be something to do with using my microwave's grill. 

However, that's not the case. You use the microwave setting, preheat the microwave toastie maker for no less than 30 seconds, and then build your sandwich on it. 

Watch out when you lift it out of the microwave after preheating as the plates are hot. However, the silicone sides are no problem to manage with oven gloves. 

'From the toastie-with-grill-lines-but-open-sides school'

No jammed-together edges with this cheese toaster maker. It's from the toastie-with-grill-lines-but-open-sides school.

The instructions advised that a cheese and ham toastie should take three minutes on 900w power, after pre-heating the 'grill' for two minutes, so that's what I did.

Sadly, there wasn't anywhere near as much crunch to the bread as with the Tower toastie maker. 

The grill lines were fainter but you could make them out. 

I expected more mess in the microwave though. However, I was pleasantly surprised as just one small cheese drip remained to wipe up.

See what we recommend as the best microwaves. 

Frying pan

I tested using the Prestige Earthpan Eco frying pan. See how it compares to others we tested for our reviews of the best non-stick frying pans. 

Pros No need to buy and store another gadget, easy to wash up

Cons Need to keep flipping it to check when it's done

Verdict Toastie that stands up to scrutiny

Most people who cook have a frying pan and after making a toastie in one I reckon you won't go far wrong if you don't want to pay out for an extra toastie maker gadget.

It's true  you need to keep flipping it to check if it's done and you don't get quite the crunch you'll find from a cheese toastie made in an air fryer or dedicated toastie maker. 

'Use a decent-sized flame to ensure an even crunch'

However, if you're short on storage and/or cash you'd be hard-pressed to pick a frying pan toastie out as a poor relation in a toastie line-up. 

Make sure you heat your frying pan in advance for a good crisp and use a decent-sized flame to ensure an even crunch. 

Toastie bags in a toaster

I tested using the Jeopko 5-pack reusable toaster bags. We also tried out Lakeland Toastabags (£8.99 at Lakeland and Amazon) when we carried out our toastie maker reviews.  I also used the Russell Hobbs 2 Slice 24081 toaster - follow this link to read our review. 

Pros Small to store, easy to wash, useful for turning your toaster into a toastie maker (or mini oven, see below) without mess

Cons Check your bread is the correct size to fit, more fiddly than other methods, might need to keep checking to ensure the toastie isn't burned

Verdict Decent alternative to an air fryer

These reusable toastie bags turn your toaster into a toastie maker without the faff of having to clear up escapee bits of melted cheese. 

Not all bread will fit - the sliced white I was using was a bit of a squeeze. 

I'd also buttered the outside of both slices of bread (as I did for all the toasties) and this made getting my toasty into its bag a little messy.

Once in, it popped neatly into the toaster (make sure yours has a wide-enough slot to fit two slices). 

You do need to keep checking it's done unless you're really familiar with your toaster's settings. 

The toastie bags made a decent toastie, as with most of the gadgets I tried. 

Which? followers on our social channels also recommended using toastie bags in a George Foreman Grill (see how it measured up in our toastie maker reviews).

'Also did an excellent job of reheating pizza'

Other reviews I read (as the toastie bags I bought didn't come with any instructions) also included recommendations to use them for reheating pizza or making small portions of oven chips. 

I can testify that they did an excellent job of reheating pizza. However this is something I'd normally do in my air fryer, so I wouldn't need the bags for this.

If you have a wide-slot toaster, want to make toasties in it and don't care about clearing up the mess, it's worth seeing if your toaster brand works with one of the many sandwich cages on sale. 

They're more expensive than toastie bags (from around £5 up to £17- £20 for the Dualit Toaster Cage - cheapest price at Nisbets, also available from Amazon and Dualit). They should have a longer lifespan than toastie bags which claim to last between 50 and 500 toasties, depending on which type you buy. 

Crimpit

I tested using the Crimpit - a toastie maker for thins.

Pros Cute sandwiches, good size for children, easy to use, give you the crimped sides people love, smaller sandwich could equal fewer carbs

Cons Need specific bread, not as satisfying as a bog-standard toastie

Verdict One for children and anyone trying to limit how much bread they eat

I'd not heard of the Crimpit until I started doing this testing. It seems I'm one of the few people who haven't. Many, many people are evangelical about this little gadget. 

For anyone like me who is new to the Crimpit, it looks like a tiny lunchbox. To use it, you open it up, and insert a slice of sandwich thin (tiny bread slices you find in your supermarket bakery aisle). 

I used Warburtons Sandwich thins as they were the first ones I came across in my local Tesco. However, you can also get own-brand ones from Waitrose, M&S and Aldi and there are other brands available. 

You add your topping (making sure there is space left around the edges of the bread), top with a second sandwich thin, pop the lid back on and push it down firmly. This pushing should give you your crimp around the edges.

Finally, you open the Crimpit and tip your packaged-up sarnie out. 

I'd seen some users complaining about their Crimpit being difficult to remove from the box, but that wasn't the case with the ones I made - they popped out quickly and cleanly.

'Perfectly edible little sandwich, but didn't wow'

Once you have your Crimpit sandwich you can pop it into a toaster, air fry, oven bake, grill or dry fry it. I went with the air fry option.

It provided a perfectly edible little sandwich but it didn't wow me. 

I can see why those wanting smaller portions rave about the Crimpit and why the cut-sized sandwiches would appeal to children. 

However I eat singed bread and cheese rarely, as a treat, so when I do I want it to feel like a treat and the Crimpit just didn't give me that feeling. 

What makes the best cheese toastie?

My favourites were the air fryer in my multi cooker for ease, speed and taste combined and the stovetop toastie maker for an unusual experience. 

However, like I said, pretty much everything tested made a decent cheese toastie.

I tested with plain mature cheddar cheese. If you want to elevate your cheese toastie to the next level, here are my picks from the myriad 'cheese and...' recipes my Which? colleagues and members of our Which? Conversation Facebook Group suggested as the best way to spice up a cheese toastie.

• Cheese and kimchi - way out on top as the most popular
• Cheese and pesto
• Cheese and Marmite
• Cheese and aubergine pickle recommended by Ele Clark, Which? senior editor, who also added: 'Must be Pataks - done in the George Foreman.' She's also eyeing up a pot of truffle honey as her next toastie experiment. 
• Brie with cranberry or bacon or both - ideal for Christmas leftovers.
• Cheese and date - ditto
• Cheese with marmalade or any type of jam. Suggested by our Which? Conversation Facebook Group and surely the ultimate solution for those: 'I really have nothing in the cupboard' days. 
• Cheese and Gochujang. My personal pick. Nigella Lawson turned me onto this moreish Korean red chilli paste. Start with a small amount and add more as you feel braver. 
• Cheese, pineapple and Worcester sauce.
• Cheese, chilli jam and peanut butter. Michael Passingham, Which? senior researcher/writer, told me a friend of his swears by this toastie combo and added: 'I just tried it myself because I was curious and it is actually fantastic.' 

Best toastie fillings

I also reached out to my colleagues and our social supporters for their best unusual toastie fillings for anyone who might fancy trying something a little different this Christmas. 

These are the ones that caught my eye from their recommendations:

• Mashed banana and...- so many 'ands' to go with banana, including: honey, cinnamon, bacon, peanut butter, Marmite and peanut butter
• Cadbury's Cream Egg. Yes, I know it's bad for you and please only eat it as a very special treat very sparingly if you're going to try it. However, our home content editor Victoria Purcell told me: 'I used to work on the toastie bar at uni and this was one of our most popular requests'. The recipe? 'Just a smashed-up Cream Egg between toasted bread. 
• Nutella
• Peanut butter and honey
• Sardines and tomato sauce
• Panettone and dark chocolate - this is one of my favourite quick desserts to whip up and is so tasty and easy that it's replaced Christmas pudding in our house. 

How I tested to find the best cheese toastie

To discover what it takes to make the best cheese toastie, I shortlisted all the most popular gadgets used to make toasties, bought them (except the products I already owned which I've mentioned above) and put everything to the test.

Find out more about how Which? is not influenced by product manufacturers or retailers and how your support helps us to stay editorially independent.

My credentials to bring you this test? As the senior editor at Which? responsible for testing the latest and trending gadgets it's my job to ensure we're bringing you the definitive verdict on the the products that you want to read about at the right time. 

In the last few months, I've commissioned our crack team of researchers to test and publish new reviews on everything from the best eye masks and knife sharpeners, to the best window vacs and pressure cookers. 

I'm also a journalist and editor with more than 20 years experience in homes, food and health, including almost 10 years as an editor at Which?

See our pick of the best extra-mature cheddar cheese from a  blind taste test.

1. I made a plain cheese toastie in each toastie maker. I used the same sliced loaf (except for the sandwich thins needed for the Crimpet) and the same amount of the same pre-sliced cheese. 
2. Each cheese toastie was made according to the instructions given with the gadget. If there weren't any (eg my multi cooker) I followed the instructions from reliable sources online. 
3. I buttered the outside of each cheese toastie I made. 
4. Each toastie was then photographed, examined and tasted. 
5. No food was wasted. I couldn't eat all the toasties at once or I wouldn't fit into my Christmas party frock. I did, however, freeze them and discovered were almost as tasty when defrosted and reheated in my air fryer (160ºC for 15 mins) as an accompaniment for soup. My tip is that you could batch cook some up in advance of Christmas and do just this if you envisage a really lazy day might be on the horizon. 

We are not able to feature every retailer for the gadgets on test, and cheaper prices may be available than those stated.