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In our new small van, we were unable to have a grill or oven. We wanted a grill but it was just not feasible to get one in. This is a major disappointment as we love cheese and marmite on toast.
Some friends recommend a hob top toaster (Diablo), but it was round and online videos appeared to make it look awkward. But, the seed was planted and we found the ridgemonkey toaster. We didn’t know if it was a fad or a useless kitchen gadget but thought we’d get one and experiment. as of van is small we got a small one, still big enough for slices of bread, but bigger ones are available
Its basically a heavy 2-sided frying pan that sort of seals when you close it. Similar to the old Breville type toasters but smooth.,
And in use, its actually superb! Our uses so far
- 2 slices of bread, buttered externally, and inside cheese, ham, marmite, whatever. Put in, close, put on hob for a min or two, turn over, and hey presto a perfect toastie! Surprisingly quick and really very good.
- Frozen or chilled battered/breaded fish – in, medium heat, and turn, and check till both sizes are brown. unable to tell its not been grilled
- Cooking Lardon – which normally makes a mess. Put in, close lid, cook, turn, cook – and hey presto – no splashes!
- Fry onion and lardon, when cooked crack in 2 eggs, and let go white, add a slice of bread externally buttered on top. turn upside down, add another bit of bread, and you end up with a breakfast omelette toastie! Yummy.
So we’ve used it as replacement for grill and more, and happy to use as a mini oven (low heat) for things like frozen fish – and it makes no mess at all. It really surpasses expectations. The bigger one would probably allow pizzas too, but ours is only slightly bigger than a round of bread. So for its use, it is fantastic. No idea how big the bigger one is – but if we had a bigger van we’d try both. Only drawback is its small size so suitable for 1 or 2 only.
Totally recommended, and totally replaces our requirement for a grill. Cooks quicker than expected and really very good!