Toasties on the AGA

Aren’t toasties wonderful? Oozy melted cheese, crisp golden toast, with a bright zip of something sour or jammy tucked inside.

From October onwards, toasties become something of a fixture in our house – a regular after-school snack for growing boys, and an easy, joyful weekend lunch to make together. They’re one of those meals everyone wants to get involved in, and I think that’s in no small part down to how simple and fun it is to make them on the AGA. The simmering plate on our AGA Signature Induction (eR7i) can handle two or three sandwiches at a time, depending on the bread, and we have a bit of a system – one person on buttering duty, someone else on fillings, and someone else keeping an eye on the grade of toastiness. Even the dogs get involved, in their way – under our feet the whole time, in their unending (and usually accurate) faith that sooner or later some grated cheese will find its way to the floor.

My middle boy, Arthur, is 15 now and a budding chef. Toasties are very much in his wheelhouse, and the perfect vehicle for experimenting with flavours. What kind of filling works best with this particular kind of bread? Which cheese and chutney will perfectly complement one another? Which finishing touches will make it just right? Between us, we’ve learnt a fair bit about getting them right on the AGA over recent years. 

Why the simmering plate works so well

The simmering plate on an AGA is, in effect, a large, flat, always-ready frying pan. (For more on this, see our recent article, In praise of the AGA simmering plate.) The heat is even right across the surface, so a toastie browns evenly wherever you place it – and, as I say, you can fit several sandwiches on at a time.

We’ve never owned a sandwich toaster, and I can’t say we’ve missed one. On the simmering plate you can use any bread you like, any shape you like, and there’s nothing extra in the cupboard to store, and nothing awkward to clean afterwards.

How we make them

If it’s not already hot, switch the simmering plate on and give it ten minutes to come to temperature. Lay a sheet of Bake-O-Glide flat on top.

Choose your bread. To my mind, a sturdy sourdough holds up best, and ciabatta is great too. Softer, sweeter breads such as brioche colour much faster, so you’ll want to watch those closely.

Butter the outside of the bread, and be generous. (Pause and check before adding your filling. Is the butter on the outside? I don’t know why it’s so hard to get this right the first time! So often, just as we go to put the sandwich on the hotplate, we realise we’ve turned the butter sides in again and have to take it apart and start over. Fortunately, toasties are very forgiving!)

Depending on the cheese, you might grate it or slice it thinly, but we always grate if the cheese can take it – it’s somehow better that way. Try not to be tempted to overfill, or everything will slide out when you flip the sandwich halfway through. Again though, a little escaped cheese is no bad thing. It crisps into a lacy, golden wafer on the Bake-O-Glide, which rarely makes it as far as the kitchen table.

Lay the sandwich down on the hotplate and give it a few minutes until the underside turns golden, then flip it and do the other side. For an ordinary toastie we leave the lid up so we can keep an eye on it. Paninis are my new thing, and we treat them a little differently. Close the lid on top of the sandwich and its weight presses down gently, the way a panini press would. You’ll still need to turn it halfway.

Our favourite combinations

We’re always experimenting with different flavours, cheeses and breads, and Arthur reckons a toastie is always best with something piquant to cut through the richness of the cheese, whether that’s tapenade, capers or a gherkin or two. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule…

Ham, Emmental and gherkin. Arthur’s current favourite. Best on sourdough.

Brinjal pickle, cheddar and ham. The sweet, spiced pickle is lovely against the salty ham.

Tapenade, salami and mozzarella. My panini of the moment.

Brie and blueberry jam. Perhaps our best discovery. I first read about brie and blueberries in a Christmas magazine a few years ago, but fresh berries didn’t quite work. It needs the sweetness and stickiness of jam. Very special.

And a wildcard… another of Arthur’s favourites: Brioche with banana and Nutella. 

We tend to slice each sandwich into three, pile them on a big serving plate and take them to the table with a jar of gherkins and whatever chutneys are in the fridge. Everyone helps themselves and gets to enjoy some of each.

This weekend, halfway through buttering the brioche, Arthur changed his mind and made French toast instead.

He whisked a couple of eggs with a splash of milk and a pinch of cinnamon, dipped thick slices of brioche in it for a moment on each side, and laid them straight on the Bake-O-Glide. A couple of minutes on each side and they were golden. He topped them with sliced banana and a spoonful of Nutella.

Because it all happened on the same simmering plate, it didn’t feel like making a whole separate meal – just one more round of bread, and a deliciously sticky lunch.

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