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Collection

2008/178/1 Sandwich toaster, 'Breville Snack 'n' Sandwich Toaster', plastic / metal, designed by Breville Pty Ltd, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1976, maker unknown, Hong Kong, 1976-1978. Click to enlarge.
  • Image 1 of 2, 2008/178/1 Sandwich toaster, 'Breville Snack 'n' Sandwich Toaster', plastic / metal, designed by Breville Pty Ltd, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1976, maker unknown, Hong Kong, 1976-1978. Click to enlarge
  • Image 2 of 2, 2008/178/1 Sandwich toaster, 'Breville Snack 'n' Sandwich Toaster', plastic / metal, designed by Breville Pty Ltd, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1976, maker unknown, Hong Kong, 1976-1978. Click to enlarge

Breville ‘Snack ‘n’ Sandwich’ Toaster

Designed
The Breville Snack 'n' Sandwich maker is an example of an Australian-designed product that had success in Australia and internationally. The Breville sandwich toaster was first released in 1974; it reportedly sold 400,000 in its first year and reached 10% of Australian households. A development on the 'jaffle iron' used over open fires or flames, its design was influenced by electric waffle irons and sandwich grills in use since the 1920s. The Breville Snack 'n' Sandwich maker was the first sandwich maker to cut the sandwich in half, sealing the filling inside and making it easier to eat. Its market success and popularity in the 1970s led to the term 'breville' becoming synonymous with the toasted sandwich.

This toaster was used weekly by its owner for thirty years, indicating the important role of this type of appliance in the life of many Australian families in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. It allowed quick and easy meals to be prepared from bread and simple ingredients or leftovers. By the early 21st century the toasted sandwich maker was one of many domestic appliances available for toasting or grilling sandwiches. It shared the marketplace with larger sandwich presses and grills that reflected the influence of commercial and cafe appliances on domestic appliance design.

Angelique Hutchison
Curator
April 2008

Summary

Object No.

2008/178/1

Object Statement

Sandwich toaster, 'Breville Snack 'n' Sandwich Toaster', plastic / metal, designed by Breville Pty Ltd, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1976, maker unknown, Hong Kong, 1976-1978

Physical Description

Sandwich toaster, 'Breville Snack 'n' Sandwich Toaster', plastic / metal, designed by Breville Pty Ltd, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1976, maker unknown, Hong Kong, 1976-1978

Electric appliance, toasted sandwich maker, or 'jaffle' or 'toastie' maker. Chrome outer, black plastic handle with metal latch and black plastic feet. Hinges on back allows it to open out flat for sandwich construction or heating other snacks. Inside are Teflon coated non-stick cooking plates for two toasted sandwiches, with a diagonal ridge to cut each sandwich in half and a scalloped pattern on each half. Electrical cord and control box with red light attached to underside.

To use the appliance, turn it on and allow hot plates to heat up. The red light should turn off when the hot plates are sufficiently heated. Butter one side of a piece of bread and place it buttered side down onto the cooking plate. Place filling on bread and second piece of bread on top with buttered side up. Press sandwich maker closed and lock closed with latch on handle. The bread is sealed around the outside and cut in half diagonally along the centre. The sandwich will cook in about two minutes. This seals the filling inside making it easier to eat, but very hot. Two toasted sandwiches can be made at the same time.

Marks

On top engraved on chrome outer '(B) Breville'.On electric control box on underside 'APPR Q 2806/CAT NO SG2/240V AC 50HZ 600W/MADE IN HONG KONG/DO NOT IMMERSE IN WATER/Patent No PC 5810/76/Reg Design No 70018'.

Short URL

https://ma.as/381765

Dimensions

Height

125 mm

Width

200 mm

Depth

250 mm

Production

Designed

Made

Notes

Designed by Breville Pty Ltd in Sydney, NSW, 1976. Made in Hong Kong 1976-1978.

The unique feature of this design is the 'scissor action' cutting mechanism that cuts the bread in half and seals the edges as it is closed.

The 'Breville Sandwich Toaster' (model SG1) was released in 1974. The company reports that it sold 400,000 in its first year and reached 10% of Australian households. The product also had considerable export success in the UK.

This toaster, the 'Breville Snack'n'Sandwich Toaster' (model SG2), was the first sandwich toaster to cut the sandwiches in half. It was released in 1976 and was on the market until 1979, when the Breville SG3 was released. The market success of the Breville sandwich toaster and its popularity in the 1970s led to the term 'Breville' becoming synonymous with the sandwich toaster and also the toasted sandwich. The Macquarie Dictionary 4th Ed (2005) defines the term breville as 'a jaffle which is diagonally bisected'. A jaffle was defined as 'a sealed toasted sandwich with a savoury or sweet filling, cooked in a buttered jaffle iron.'

Patent No PC 5810/76
Reg Design No 70018

History

Notes

This sandwich toaster originally belonged to Mrs Gwendolyn Smith from Perth, Western Australia, the mother-in-law of a Breville staff member in Sydney. In 2007 Breville celebrated its 75th anniversary by asking the public to nominate their favourite Breville appliance and tell their stories about them. Breville gave Gwen a new sandwich toaster in exchange for this toaster, which was then donated by Breville to the Museum.

Gwen recalls she and her husband bought the toaster in the 1970s in the early days of their relationship. It was bought fairly cheaply at a Perth department store.

This toaster was still being used in 2008. Gwen and her family had used the toaster every Sunday night for 30 years to cook up leftover vegetables from the Sunday roast. Gwen would use the vegetables with some tomato paste or chutney in a toasted sandwich for an easy and cheap meal. Another favourite filling was baked beans or tinned spaghetti. An unusual filling was to crack an egg onto the bread and cover with another slice of bread; the egg would cook inside the sandwich.

In Gwen's opinion, the older machine made sandwiches more crunchy than the recent ones. They also tasted better because the machine had absorbed all the flavours.

To use the appliance, turn it on and allow hot plates to heat up. The red light should turn off when the hot plates are sufficiently heated. Butter one side of a piece of bread and place it buttered side down onto the cooking plate. Place filling on bread and second piece of bread on top with buttered side up. Press sandwich maker closed and lock closed with latch on handle. The bread is sealed around the outside and cut in half diagonally along the centre. The sandwich will cook in about two minutes. This seals the filling inside making it easier to eat, but very hot. Two toasted sandwiches can be made at the same time.

References:
'The Breville sandwich toaster. The anything toaster', advertisement in The Australian Women's Weekly, April 28, 1976, p112.
'Toasted Snacks and Sandwiches in 2 minutes flat', advertisement in The Australian Women's Weekly, October 6, 1976, p 10
'Breville. Better ideas sooner,' Breville catalogue insert (48pp) in The Australian Women's Weekly, November 2, 1977
'A brief history of Breville', Breville website, 2007, available at http://www.breville.com.au, [accessed 31 March 2008].
Macquarie Dictionary 4th Ed (2005)

Source

Credit Line

Gift of Breville - Housewares International, 2008

Acquisition Date

25 August 2008

Cite this Object

Harvard

Breville 'Snack 'n' Sandwich' Toaster 2020, Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, accessed 19 October 2020, <https://ma.as/381765>

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://ma.as/381765 |title=Breville 'Snack 'n' Sandwich' Toaster |author=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences |access-date=19 October 2020 |publisher=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, Australia}}

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