A pie iron (also known as a pudgy pie iron or jaffle iron) is a cooking appliance that consists of two hinged concave, round or square metal, plates on long handles. The plates clamp together to form an enclosed compartment meant for cooking stuffed sandwiches. The plates seal the outside edges of the bread together, to completely enclose the filling. They are typically made of cast iron to cook over coal or open flames. Stove top units are also available, made of aluminium and sometimes coated with a non-stick surface.
The electrical version is known by many names, including toasted sandwich maker, snackwich maker or jaffle maker in Australia and South Africa, although in the latter they are also called Snackwiches, after a once-popular brand, and toastie maker in the United Kingdom.[citation needed] They were invented by a Belgian company, and commercialised by John O'Brien of Breville in the 1970s.[1] The name Breville is still used eponymously to describe both a toasted, sealed sandwich, and the device used to cook them.[2]
Sandwich toasters are notorious for being used relatively little, because of their specialised nature. A survey carried out in 2005 suggested that 45% of British adults owned but did not use sandwich toasters.[3]