Hamilton Beach 25478 Breakfast Sandwich Maker with Timer, Silver

GREAT

I have wanted one of these for over a year, however I am Diabetic and I try to avoid eating unnecessary carbs. The idea of breakfast being made while I take care of other things and people in the morning was spectacular, but I thought everything needed a bun, or waffle, or something to hold the sandwich together. So I decided not to get one. My wife knew I wanted one and bought it for me for my birthday and I am glad she did.So for starters, It does make a great, thoroughly cooked breakfast sandwich. Eggs are cooked to an "over medium" consistency at the standard 5 minute timer as a sandwich. I have tried this with English Muffins, Frozen Pancakes (Walmart has a frozen bag of them from De wafelbakkers that are the perfect size), Waffles, Grands Biscuit dough, and Pillsbury croissants. The Raw dough items I did semi pre cook them in the unit without egg or meat. All of the above worked great but, again, Carbs... Seeing how I typically eat 2 over medium eggs in the morning on my griddle I figured, well this thing makes one great egg, what if I used the lower portion for another egg. So, I put an egg in the bottom, and one in the top, seasoned them, added cheese and set the timer for 4 minutes. Went off, took care of the kids and such, came back when it summoned me and viola! 2 perfectly cooked, round eggs. I had to lift the bottom ring, Remove the lower egg, then close the unit, slide the upper tray bottom out (so the egg will fall to the bottom) and then lift the bottom ring and remove the 2nd egg.The fact I can turn this on, Let it heat up (takes like 3 minutes), crack 2 eggs in it, toss some cheese, set the timer and walk away is really a fantastic thing for my mornings. Being able to make eggs how I want and need them to be without getting the griddle going or babysitting them is great.My Only tip is this: Nonstick coatings on this are Fantastic. They are dishwasher safe BUT the manual says to hand wash for best results. My experience with non stick is that dishwashers really reduce the usable life of the coating. These rings take seconds to rinse with hot water or use a baby bottle brush and a little soap. The unit itself I just wipe with a clean cloth. Also, Nonstick cooking spray makes the whole thing just work easier, but if you don't like Nonstick spray, get a Misto and use your favorite oil, or if you really like real butter, you can use that too.

My daughter has been using one of these for about a year and I recently purchased one of my own. It's a nice kitchen gadget that does a good job. I'm always looking for something quick and easy for breakfast and if I'm in a hurry I'll grab a protein bar or make some toast. I'm now able to make a pretty tasty and nutritional breakfast in just over five minutes. It takes a minute or two for it to warm up and I set the timer for five minutes and it's done.My typical breakfast with this sandwich maker is a whole wheat English muffin, either Canadian bacon or sausage patty, a piece of cheese, and an egg. The egg is always cooked to perfection (not runny) and I'm able to eat it in my car if necessary.I do have two complaints. First is the "beep". It will beep when it's ready to go, i.e., when the green light goes on, and it will beep when the timer gets to zero. However, you have to be standing so close to it in order to hear the beep you can just see the light or timer. Not a big deal but it would be nice if the beep was louder.My second complaint is that the sandwich maker doesn't shut off when the timer reaches zero; you have to unplug it since there isn't an on/off switch. Since the sandwich is pretty hot when it's done I'd be OK with leaving it in the maker for a few minutes while I did something else to let it cool down but you have to hover over the maker so you can pull the plug. I'd happily pay a few dollars more for that feature on this maker.

Ok, how can i say it!? I LOVE IT!Not looking forward to the peeling but lets be honest here, for $24 it's an awesome gadget!I read about the dripping of the egg. My opinion is this, if you do not preheated the muffin maker the machine is expected to drip. We all know metal expands when heated. This will assure you a good seal. If they were to make it tight when cold at the factory it probably wouldn't slide with ease once preheated. I wouldn't work well. So, if we preheat for 4 minutes, we won't run into any problems.Also, do not place hot muffin maker removable parts in the sink or in water when hot. This could can cause it to warp. Then the egg will drip even when preheating it and it won't work as it should. It can also cause the nonstick coating to peel faster.Now, buying sausage, hamburgers or any small size patties at you local store will work wonderfully. What i did was place the frozen patty on the bottom level of the machine and close it while it's preheating, then, flip the patty for another minute. Once done place the patty on the lower bun, wipe the bottom level of the machine with a paper towel, place the bottom muffin with the meat patty you precooked while preheating on top of the bottom muffin, place the cheese with the corners bent in so you wont make a mess, place the next hot level (plate), then your egg pricked. Then top muffin and it should come out AMAZING.I was thinking to use the small frozen pancakes they sell in a bag for some Mic-griddles (i know - for post approval purposes only)The machine will pay for itself in just a few uses.The breakfast sandwich will come to about $1- $1.25 to make depending what you're putting in it. Not bad compare to $4- $5 at your favorite fast food place. Plus you know whats in it and where its been. Not bad at all.Hope this helps. :)