The Best 4-Slice Toastie Makers for Families
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The best 4-slice toastie maker for most families is the Russell Hobbs 4-Portion Deep Fill (24550): four sealed, deep portions, so two full toasties per cycle, and it stores upright. Daewoo's SDA1389 is the budget choice, and Tower and Salter also make four-portion deep fill machines. If you want to press several large artisan sandwiches at once, a wide panini press is the alternative.
Quick answer:
- Russell Hobbs 4-Portion Deep Fill (24550): best overall
- Daewoo 4-Slice Deep Fill (SDA1389): best budget
- Tower 4-Slice Deep Fill (T27021): good alternative when in stock
- Salter 4-Slice Deep Fill Sandwich Toaster: best for extra-large plates
- Andrew James 4-Slice Deep Fill: deep plates at a low price
- Sage The Perfect Press (SSG600): best wide panini press
On this page
Is a 4-slice toastie maker right for you?
"4-slice" can be confusing. On most sandwich toasters it means four triangular (or square) portions, which is two whole sandwiches made from four slices of bread. A 2-slice machine makes one sandwich at a time. So a 4-slice machine doubles your output per cycle, which matters when a toastie takes three or four minutes and four people are waiting.
The trade-offs are size and heat. A 4-slice machine is roughly twice as wide, needs more cupboard space and takes longer to preheat. On some machines the outer portions brown a little less than the centre. For one or two people, a 2-slice model from our best toastie maker list is the better buy.
Comparison table
Price bands are typical UK prices, not live prices.
| Model | Portions | Plates | Power (listed) | Typical price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russell Hobbs 24550 | 4 (2 sandwiches) | Deep fill, fixed | Check listing | £30–£45 |
| Daewoo SDA1389 | 4 | Deep fill | Check listing | £20–£30 |
| Tower T27021 | 4 | Deep fill | Check listing | £30–£40 |
| Salter 4-slice deep fill | 4 | Extra-large deep fill | Around 900W on some listings | £25–£40 |
| Andrew James 4-slice | 4 | Extra deep | 900W | £20–£35 |
| Sage SSG600 | Several sandwiches, unsealed | Wide flat/ridged press | 1500W | £100–£160 |
The best 4-slice toastie makers
Russell Hobbs 4-Portion Deep Fill Sandwich Toaster (24550)
The 24550 is the most established family-size toastie maker in the UK. It makes four deep fill portions with cut-and-seal edges, has non-stick plates and stands upright for storage, which is a real help with a machine this wide. Russell Hobbs is a mainstream brand with a UK guarantee (check the length on your listing), and the 24550 has been sold for years, so it is widely stocked. Plates are fixed, so wipe them while warm. See our Russell Hobbs toastie maker guide.
- Two deep, sealed toasties per cycle
- Stands upright
- Widely available
- Fixed plates
- Needs a full preheat
Daewoo 4-Slice Deep Fill Sandwich Maker (SDA1389)
Daewoo's four-slice deep fill model regularly sells for less than most two-slice branded machines, which makes it the best-value way to feed a family. It makes toasties and simple panini-style sandwiches. Expect a lighter build than Russell Hobbs and give it a proper preheat. More in our Daewoo toastie maker guide.
- Low price for four portions
- Deep fill
- Budget build
- Wide fixed plates
Tower 4-Slice Deep Fill Sandwich Maker (T27021)
Tower's T27021 makes up to four deep filled toasties at once and follows the same formula as its popular two-slice T27013: good capacity at a modest price. Stock comes and goes, so check availability; if it is out of stock, the Russell Hobbs or Daewoo is the easy swap. See our Tower toastie maker guide.
- Four deep portions
- Good value
- Patchy availability
- Fixed plates
Salter 4-Slice Deep Fill Sandwich Toaster
Salter sells four-slice deep fill sandwich toasters with extra-large cooking plates, which helps if you buy larger loaves and find standard plates leave bread overhanging. Some versions are listed with removable plates, so read the listing closely if that matters to you. Salter's range changes often; our Salter toastie maker guide explains the naming.
- Extra-large plates
- Often good value
- Specs vary between versions
- Big footprint
Andrew James 4-Slice Deep Fill Toasted Sandwich Maker
Andrew James is a UK appliance brand sold mainly online. Its four-slice model is listed at 900W with extra-deep triangular plates and a cool-touch handle, aimed squarely at thick, loaded cheese toasties. It is a sensible budget alternative if the Daewoo is unavailable.
- Extra-deep plates
- 900W listed
- Mostly sold online
- Less established than the big brands
Sage The Perfect Press (SSG600)
If your family prefers pressed sandwiches on bigger bread (ciabatta, sourdough, wraps), a wide contact grill does several at once without sealing them. The Sage Perfect Press has wide plates and 1500W of power, so it recovers heat quickly between batches. It is expensive and the plates are fixed. For other presses, see the best panini press guide.
- Wide plates for several sandwiches
- Takes any bread
- No sealing
- Expensive
How we chose
- Four sealed portions (or, for the press, enough plate area for several sandwiches).
- Deep fill plates, because family toasties tend to be loaded.
- Heat across the whole plate: machines with a reputation for very pale outer portions were excluded.
- Storage: upright storage is a big plus on a wide machine.
- UK availability and price at the time of writing.
- Owner feedback on latch strength and coating durability over months of family use.
Tips for cooking for a crowd
- Preheat fully and wait a minute after the ready light on wide machines, so the outer portions catch up.
- Assemble in advance. Butter and fill all the sandwiches before the first goes in, so you can turn batches round quickly.
- Keep batches warm on a rack in a low oven (around 100°C), not stacked on a plate where they steam and soften.
- Rotate fillings by cook time: cheese-only cooks fastest; wet fillings like beans need a little longer.
- For big numbers, the oven or grill is faster than any toastie maker: see oven toasties.
For crowd-pleasing fillings see kids' toastie ideas and our toastie filling ideas.
Watch out: Toastie fillings, especially cheese and beans, stay dangerously hot well after the bread feels cool enough to eat. Cut children's toasties open and let them rest for a couple of minutes before serving.
4-slice vs 2-slice: the trade-offs
| 2-slice | 4-slice | |
|---|---|---|
| Sandwiches per cycle | 1 | 2 |
| Four toasties for a family | 4 cycles, roughly 15+ minutes | 2 cycles, roughly 8–10 minutes |
| Worktop footprint | Small | Roughly double |
| Preheat | A couple of minutes | A little longer |
| Browning evenness | Usually very even | Outer portions can lag slightly |
| Typical price | £18–£40 | £20–£45 |
If you regularly feed three or more, the time saved adds up quickly. If it is usually just you, a 2-slice machine is easier to store and clean; our compact toastie makers are a good place to start.
Cleaning a wide toastie maker
Most four-slice machines have fixed plates, and a wider surface means more seals and more places for cheese to hide. Clean while the plates are still warm but the machine is unplugged: lay a damp cloth over the plates and close the lid for a minute to steam residue loose, then wipe. A soft washing-up brush gets into the sealing ridges. Avoid metal utensils and scourers, which shorten the coating's life. Full steps are in how to clean a toastie maker.
Is a 4-slice toastie maker safe around children?
Any toastie maker gets hot on the outside as well as the plates, and the wider body of a four-slice machine means more hot surface. Keep it at the back of the worktop, run the cord so it cannot be pulled, and do not let young children open the lid: steam and molten filling escape when it opens. Older children can use one safely with supervision once they know to use the handle only and wait for the ready light. Cool-touch handles help, but they do not make the rest of the machine cool. For fillings children enjoy, see kids' toastie ideas.
FAQs
How many toasties does a 4-slice toastie maker make?
Usually two complete sandwiches, cut into four triangles or squares. The "4 slice" refers to the slices of bread, not the number of sandwiches.
Do 4-slice toastie makers use more electricity?
They are often higher-powered to heat the larger plate, but they cook two sandwiches in the same time, so cost per toastie is similar or lower. Our electricity cost guide shows the maths.
Are there 4-slice toastie makers with removable plates?
They are less common. Some Salter four-slice versions are listed with removable plates; the Russell Hobbs 24550 has fixed plates. For removable options generally, see toastie makers with removable plates.
Is it better to buy two 2-slice machines?
Two small machines take more cupboard space and need two sockets, but they let you cook different fillings at different temperatures. For most families one 4-slice machine is simpler and cheaper.
Why are the outer toasties paler than the middle ones?
On wide plates the element can deliver slightly less heat at the edges, and the outer portions lose more heat to the air. Preheat fully, wait a minute after the ready light, and swap the position of sandwiches between batches if one side is consistently paler.
Can I make just one sandwich in a 4-slice machine?
Yes. Use whichever half browns best on your machine and close the lid as normal. It uses the same power as a full load, so it is slightly less efficient, but the difference in cost is tiny.