Hamilton Beach Dual Breakfast Sandwich Maker with Timer, Silver (25490)

I bought this so that I wouldn't have to spend so much on McDonald's Egg McMuffins every morning. With Barack Obama in charge, I can't even afford Egg McMuffins any longer. Lost my health insurance because of Obamacare, and the 10,000 deductible means I have to make my eggs at home. So I use the Local store bought English Muffins and American sliced cheese and the ham that is cut to size in the round. Its the best value I found. I can't afford the actual Canadian Bacon. so ham in the round is substituted, since prices at the grocery stores have skyrocketed under this economic illiterate in the White House. My eggs are large sized, because they are the better value, so I get a larger sandwich than McDonald's provided me in the past. I cook it for exactly 4 minutes and 30 seconds. Trick is to heat it 'till the green preheat light comes on, and then take a brush and hit the egg section with butter (well actually not butter, but country crock as its cheaper) so the egg won't stick. I cut the cheese into the round shape and put the excess pieces in the middle, and that way I don't waste anything. With the way this unit is designed, I just slide the bottom plate over after the egg is cooked and it comes right off without having to clean it at all. No residue and the unit stays clean the way I do it, because paper towels... well they are too expensive for me, and so I try to create the least amount of clean up. I'm working 24/7 nearly 365 because as a small business owner, it is difficult to stay in business with all the costs, and so If I can save a nickel at breakfast I'll do it. I'm sucking minerals out of the air to stay alive the rest of the day, so if I didn't have this cooker, I'd probably be in the hospital because let's face it, who can survive when they suck minerals out of the air.... Anyway, I have to say this is the greatest tool for cooking egg McMuffins that I've ever used, although I've never used any other ones. With that, I can say I recommend it highly. Get one yourself and save a bundle and have larger egg McMuffin sandwiches. You won't regret it..

Right off the top, I love yet loath gadgets. I only bought this because of the incredible deal on it, so 'why not', right? If you don't want to read a bunch of extra stuff then simply.... this actually does make me eat breakfast, it's just too easy not too. Now for the long part of it. Space wise it's smaller than a toaster over, but just about the size of a small pop up toaster. You do need some clearance on the sides (if you have a small work area, this matters to you) to slide out the egg cooker/separator things. Overall, the footprint isn't that bad, especially if you have a space to store it away. Basic usage and tips. Read through the reviews and you'll get the gist of it, that's what I did. But in summary, I use an oil sprayer that I fill with whatever oils I choose to use, and I mist the egg part (not doing this results in sticking and left over egg 'skin'). The machine takes no time to pre-heat, so if you need to microwave a frozen sausage patty, start that first. The lights seem counterintuitive considering the 'pre-heat' light comes on when it's heated, but there you are. From here you decide what goes in, add ons, bread choice, what have you. Before inflation doubled the price, the best thing I found was the whole wheat burger buns as the bread choice. At the time they were .88 and fit the rings perfectly (this is no longer the case). I'd started with canadian bacon (way to expensive for what it is) then switched to frozen pre-cooked sausage patties. A minute in the microwave was good enough (45 seconds was better but took finding an extra button to press) and the machine was already set to go. Place bottom bun, sausage, close that part, then add egg to top part. How do you like your egg? Use part of the shell to break the yoke and swirl it around a bit, or if you want to mess up another dish, scramble before hand. Do not add top bun, just don't! Let cook for about two minutes or so (check how done the egg is) and now season if you didn't before, unplug machine, add top bun and close. This way you can walk off and finish getting ready, whatever, the come back and slide out egg ring thing, take out sandwich, and NOW is when you can add cheese. Don't add cheese before hand unless you are using something other than sliced version. I top mine with salsa and this is how I get great results every time. I mean, this isn't fast food results, and is always messy, but good enough for me. Someone asked and at the time it was about .77 a sandwich. It's a bit more now thanks to inflation but still cheaper than getting take away. That is unless you are grabbing a $1 deal somewhere, then by all means, that's honestly a better option probably. Things that angered me in the beginning: (I say 'angered' cause people pay $40 for this) The egg tray is temperamental. Large egg? = mess. Maybe it will spill over, maybe not. This is the reason to not only make sure the plate is well heated but that you don't even try to put a top bun/bread on it for a couple of minutes. Short power cord. Seriously, it's annoying. One of the main reasons I could only suggest this thing to someone is because they have kids and would like them to be able to make something without using the stove. However, this also means they prob won't take the time to do it properly and just throw an egg in and put the bread on top, worse yet, even the cheese and just walk away. Both of those things will be burnt to the sides of the machine and maybe spill onto your counter. There you have it. I wanted to dislike this thing as using it I said "I can do all of this with just one pan", but it serves a purpose. It's a no fuss devise that does what's indented but with caveats. It encourages me to eat breakfast (that I don't normally do) and others can use it with a bit of learning curve. I'd fully expect to see an overflow mess on the counter when I got home if you have others who don't take basic precautions. But then again, they probably didn't burn down the house with it.

Where has this been all my life?! SO easy to use! Healthier, quicker and more customizable than any drive thru breakfast sandwich. I used to eat oatmeal everyday for breakfast but I was always hungry 2-3 hours later. But one sandwich will keep me full for 4-5 hours. I use an English muffin, a piece of pre-sliced cheese, pre-cooked bacon and half an egg(a whole egg is too egg-y for me). Assemble and cook for 5 min. Perfect for breakfast on the go. It comes out perfectly cooked every time and is VERY hot. I let it cool before eating. You can use frozen pancakes, frozen waffles or even croissants or cinnamon buns to create even more fun sandwiches! Fruit or hazelnut spread make great fillings too if you prefer sweet over savory.

What a wonderful idea! It never has made a perfect breakfast sandwich, although it does work. I made about 20 breakfast sandwhiches trying different methods. (Pretoasing bread, adding butter, cooking longer, loading bread first then after a minute add other items. etc) The novelty is good; but adding in time for cleanup and putting it away, there is little time saved. A quality breakfast sandwich and saving time was my focus in purchasing it. As far as quality in construction; I would say excellent. It is very easy to assemble and easy to use once you know the routine. I also never had a problem with leakage. I have a number of items (like this) in my kitchen that I do not use very often, but I still appreciate having them there; because of the novelty and the thought of the brilliant mind that created them.

This is a really great breakfast sandwich maker. I bought it as a gift and I was a bit skeptical but it’s really nice, makes lovely sandwiches and it’s easy to use and clean afterwards.

Awesome machine. So easy to use, easy to clean, and makes delicious breakfast sandwiches.

Not a lot of kitchen gadgets live up to what they advertise but this is an exception. It is well made, reasonably priced and works as hoped. It’s really convenient, just plug it in wait a couple of minutes to warm up then put on your ingredients. I cook one egg McMuffin on one side and 2 perogies on the other side. 6 minutes later it’s done and perfectly cooked. They suggest non stick spray but without it the non stick still works great and it’s easy to clean. As per a lot of reviews I highly recommend.

It is a great unit. Easy to clean

I love McDonald’s breakfast sandwiches but the nearest McDonald’s to me is over an hour away. And I find the frozen breakfast sandwiches you can get at most grocery stores to be tasteless and too expensive for my liking. As a writer, I like to get up between 5:00 am and 6:00 am and I don’t want to spend too much time making breakfast so I decided to give the Hamilton Beach Breakfast Sandwich Maker a try. I have to admit after reading some of the reviews, I was skeptical. Unpacking the sandwich maker and seeing how loose the parts were did nothing to diminish my fears. However after a couple of weeks of use, my initial fears were quickly alleviated. I only experienced a small amount of leakage from the top once but that was when I decided to try putting the cheese in the top section instead of the bottom section. Lesson learned. Apparently the loose fitting parts are part of the design and don’t seem to have any negative impact on the usage. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the breakfast sandwich maker will save you a LOT of time, but I do find it easier. And it makes better use of the wait time as I don’t have to closely watch it once the timer is set. At first I considered purchasing the single unit as I was worried if I was only cooking one at a time, the second part of the double unit might burn out. While I was assured this would not happen I also received a great tip to make two at a time anyway and toss the other one into the fridge or freezer for later use. It doesn’t take any longer to make two than it does one, so now I can make breakfast sandwiches for a few days in a row and take the next few days off as I have them ready to go in the fridge waiting for a quick re-heat in the microwave. In the long run, this saves me the most time. So here’s my morning routine now. 1. If I’m having sausage patties on my breakfast sandwich I will throw my frozen patties into the microwave for about a minute to thaw them. 2. Plug in the breakfast sandwich maker. 3. While the breakfast sandwich maker is heating I prepare the rest of the ingredients I will be using. ie: English muffins, eggs, cheese, tomato, peppers, onions etc. 4. Break an egg into a small bowl and give a quick mix with a fork, adding some salt & pepper to taste. 5. By now the sausage patties in the microwave and the breakfast sandwich maker are both ready to go. 6. Place the bottom half of the English muffin into the bottom ring, add cheese, sausage and whatever else I’m using and lower the top ring making sure the metal plate is in place. 7. Pour the egg into the left top ring, add the top half of the English muffin. 8. Quickly prepare a second egg in the bowl, add it to the right top ring and add the top half of the second English muffin. 9. Close the lid and set the timer to four or five minutes. 10. This gives me lots of time to make a pot of coffee which every writer needs to work. (Until it’s time to crack open a bottle of rum to really get the creative juices flowing.) 11. When the timer runs out, I unplug the breakfast sandwich maker. 12. Open the lid. 13. Slide the cooking plate out on one side. (I sometimes forget this step and then wonder why I have to struggle with the next step.) 14. Use the handle of a wooden or plastic spoon or spatula to hold the top half of the breakfast sandwich down while I lift the top ring. 15. Repeat the process for the bottom ring and remove my finished breakfast sandwich with the spatula. 16. Repeat these steps from Step 13 - 16 for the other breakfast sandwich. 17. Grab my coffee and get to work. Pros - Fast and convenient. - Easy to use. - Easy to clean. - Affordably priced. - Doesn’t require a lot of attention when using. - Doesn’t take up a lot of counter space. - Unlimited variety and combinations of breakfast sandwiches that can be made. Cons - The breakfast sandwich maker can get very hot but shouldn’t be a real issue if used with care. - The power cord is short so depending on your placement you might have to take care when reaching over the hot breakfast sandwich maker to unplug it. For some, the shorter power cord may not even be a con if an electric outlet is close by. - No on/off switch. An on/off switch would be convenient. However it’s important to remember that units like the breakfast sandwich maker that create high heat are best if unplugged when not in use even when turned off. So maybe it’s better if they don’t add a 50 cent power on/off switch which would likely raise the retail cost by about $5 anyway. If this minor inconvenience will help prevent a fire in the kitchen, I suppose it’s not really a “big con”. - After a couple of uses, the C-clip on the ring assembly came off allowing the pin on the hinge to come out. Fortunately the C-clip didn’t go flying and I was able to retrieve it and slip it back in place. So far it has held but I will try to find some spare C-clips in case it happens again. To be fair, this was likely an isolated incident. Tips 1. After the breakfast sandwich maker has cooled completely remove the ring assembly and give the grill and lid a quick wipe with a damp dish rag or paper towel. Repeat with the ring assemblies or give them a quick rinse in hot water and set aside to dry. 2. After a few days' usage I will use a bit of hot soapy water to wipe down the breakfast sandwich maker followed by a wipe with just hot water on the rag to get rid of any soapy residue. I will likewise give the ring assemblies a good wash in hot soapy water, rinse with hot water and let them sit to dry but I don’t find this step necessary on a daily basis. 3. While spraying with vegetable oil is often recommended, I have found it just as easy to clean without it - even when spills have occurred. In fact when oil is used, I found it is actually harder to wash the breakfast sandwich maker to remove all the oil. Perhaps over time the vegetable spray may be needed but in the meantime, I don’t find it necessary. 4. Meats should be pre-cooked. My frozen sausage rounds are. To make my breakfast sandwiches with side bacon, I fry up a pound of bacon the week before and store it in an air tight container in the fridge to use as required. (FYI Canadian Bacon is usually pre-cooked.) 5. I intend to try other ingredients such as sweet or hot peppers, a variety of shredded cheeses and various spices. I am also looking forward to making up and precooking some small hamburger patties or maybe even some patties made from ground chicken. The sky’s the limit. 6. If you are a big fan of McDonald’s Salsa packets as I am, President’s Choice and Compliments Salsa are both very, very close and make an excellent condiment for your breakfast sandwich. 7. We buy our eggs fresh from the farm so there isn’t always consistency with the egg size. While I haven’t had any eggs large enough to cause leakage, some of the cooked eggs have been a little thicker than I would prefer in my finished breakfast sandwich. Now, when I pick an egg that appears to be considerably larger than the others, I will break and mix it into a small bowl and then use the contents of the single egg to make two breakfast sausages. 8. If you choose to add some milk or cream to your egg to make a scrambled egg, you may have to set the timer to cook a little longer. Adding milk or cream also increases the volume so you may want to consider making 1 egg/milk mix for both sandwiches. 9. I haven’t found that the order really matters much. For less mess and ease of cleaning, I try to keep things like cheese or a slice of tomato on the bottom section but covered with something like a slice of meat to avoid the cheese or tomato from coming in direct contact with the top hot plate. But so far, when that’s not convenient, I haven’t had any issues with foods sticking to the plates. Conclusion For what it’s worth, from my personal experience I did not have any of the issues that other customers complained of in their reviews such as: leaking eggs, burned buns, parts of the sandwich being under or over cooked or difficulties in cleaning.