We used to review the Hamilton Beach panini press here, a press whose floating hinge was the main selling point. It isn’t available on Amazon UK any more. If you came looking for a press that copes with thick and thin sandwiches equally well, here’s the one we’d buy now.
The pick: Breville 3-Slice Sandwich Press
The thing that made the Hamilton Beach good was its floating hinge, and the Breville Sandwich/Panini Press (VST025) has the same feature. The top plate rises and rests flat on whatever’s underneath, so a stuffed ciabatta gets pressed as evenly as a thin wrap, rather than squashed at the back and barely touched at the front.
- Floating top plate that adjusts to the thickness of the bread
- Large flat plates with room for up to three sandwiches
- Non-stick coated aluminium plates
- 1000W
- Stands upright for storage, with a cool-touch handle, non-slip feet and a cord wrap
It’s rated 4.6 stars from nearly 15,000 reviews on Amazon UK.
Who it suits: anyone who makes paninis, toasted wraps or quesadillas, or warms up flatbreads and crumpets. The flat plates are more versatile than toastie pockets.
The honest downside: flat plates won’t seal the edges of a sandwich the way a toastie maker does, so very runny fillings can escape. And the listing doesn’t mention removable plates, so it’s a wipe-clean job.
If the floating hinge was what you liked, the Breville VST025 is the one to get.
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