This is currently the toastie maker that I use to make all my toastie maker toasties. It provides good versatility without too much compromise of features and power.
The Tower 3-in-1 has been a great toastie maker for me over the last three years and in this post I cover its features in more detail and some of its limitations as well so you can decide if it is the right toastie maker for you.
Features of the Tower 3-in-1
Here are the main features of the Tower 3-in-1 Toastie Maker
- Comes with three cooking options for traditional closed “clam shell” toasties, sandwich press toasties and finally waffles.
- All plates are non-stick and easy to clean
- 900 watts of power
- Light weight and easy to store
- Extra deep pockets for closed toasties to allow you to really fill up on ingredients like cheese, ham, onion etc
Price of the Tower 3-in-1 Toastie Maker
The Tower 3-in-1 Toastie Maker cost me approximately £30 and still ranges between £30 and £40 on Amazon UK.
This is a good, mid-tier, price for a toastie maker and I am very happy with the cost for what I got.
Issues with the Tower 3-in-1 Toastie Maker
While the Tower Toastie Maker has been a great and reliable choice for me over the past few years it does have a couple of issues that you should be aware of and if I am totally honest will probably stop me from buying it again when it comes time to replace it.
The Clam Shell Plates are too big
The clam shell plates to make a traditional closed toasted sandwich are too big on the Tower Toastie Maker.
Basically, the bread doesn’t sit completely in the plates and I cannot get a seal all the way around the edge which is very annoying when making things like a Baked Bean Toastie.
I suspect you may be wondering if it is just my choice of bread but sadly not. I’ve tried several different types including the special toastie bread but it just doesn’t fit. The plates are large and very square where British bread is rectangular in shape and slightly smaller.
Just to make it easy to understand here are two pictures of the issue.
While it has never been a huge problem, over time it has annoyed me more and more. I will be paying special attention to the plate size for my next toastie maker. Especially as my son loves a good Baked Bean Toastie.
Fillings get under the plates
This is a common problem with all toastie makers where the plates are detachable but is probably made worse with the tower given the issue above and that issue is fillings e.g. melted cheese, get behind the pates and into the toastie maker where it is harder to clean.
Essentially, the seal on the detachable plates is not water tighter and probably never would be for a £30 toastie maker and so whenever you have some leakage of filling it can get behind the plate and into the toastie maker and become a bit of a pain to clean out.
The answer is to use a firm but small cleaning brush but it is still a hassle.
However, I do stress that for a £30 toastie maker this isn’t so bad to live with and the only way to get a better seal would be to get a toasted sandwich maker with only one choice of cooking plates.
Alternatives to the Tower 3-in-1
If you don’t fancy the Tower 3-in-1 but still want a 3-in-1 toastie maker then check out this option from Salter.
Overall
Overall, the Tower 3-in-1 Toastie Maker is a reliable toastie maker with some good features at a fair price. It does have two issues for you to consider before buying but I would still recommend it, especially if you are just starting out on your toastie adventure.
Toastie Club
If you are just starting out on your toastie making journey, or perhaps looking for fresh toastie inspiration, then you should join my toastie club and receive fresh recipes and videos to your inbox.
Additionally, you will also receive a free digital recipe book with 30 easy to make, delicious, toastie ideas.
Affiliate Links
For awareness, this guide to the Tower 3-in-1 Toastie Maker includes affiliate links to Amazon UK. If you click on this link and then make a related purchase in Amazon I may receive a very small commission. This goes towards the running of this website and the development of more toastie recipes and tools for you benefit. For more details on this then please see the Toastie Recipes Privacy Page.