Next-level toastie tips

Few things are as satisfying as a well-made toastie; crunchy, perfectly-golden bread framing whatever warm deliciousness waits inside, whether it's a torrent of cheese, or countless layers of meaty, pickled, saucy treats. Infinitely customisable, crafting a toastie is an opportunity to play wild and loose with the type of bread, the fillings, even what you use to spread over the outside of the toast to keep it from sticking.

While it's hard to go wrong making a toastie - throw in your favourite ingredients, add a bread lid, clamp the sandwich press down and wait - these are a few of our favourite combos and tips that will take your toastie-making game to the next level.

Classics with a twist

Ham, Cheese & Mustard fruits
Mustard fruits are preserved in a sweet syrup infused with mustard oil, giving them an aromatically savoury note on top of their deliciously vibrant sweetness. Chop them up and scatter them in your ham and cheese toastie as an Italian-inspired sweet/savoury flavour bomb.

Quick Reuben
Take two slices of rye bread, spread a layer of Australian horseradish then top with corned beef, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese.

Cheddar & Piccalilli
Everyone loves a cheese toastie, but adding a few spoonfuls of chutney or relish can really bring it to life. Piccalilli is a classic British pickle, made with mustard seed, crunchy vegetables & spices, traditionally served with a ploughman's lunch. Use a sharp aged cheddar and a rustic country loaf of bread, serve with a cold pint. 

Mushroom, Gruyere & Truffle
Sauté mixed mushrooms, or rehydrated Garniture Forestiere, in butter. Spread a tablespoon of black truffle salsa on a slice on sourdough, add mushrooms and grated gruyere (or raclette), top with another slice of sourdough and pop into your sandwich press!

Grilled Muffuletta
The muffuletta is one of the world's great sandwiches, and easy to recreate as a toastie. Layer Italian artichoke paste, chopped olives, roasted peppers and sun-dried tomatoes with ham, mortadella, salami and provolone cheese, adding as many layers as you can fit in your sandwich press.

Christmas (or any time of the year) Leftovers
Layer roast turkey or chicken, cranberry sauce, chopped roasted chestnuts, and chévre between rustic white bread slices. Melt duck fat in a skillet, and toast the sandwich on both sides until golden. Warm Christmas bush honey with a sprig of rosemary in a saucepan, then drizzle the infused honey over the toastie.

Spicey & Adventurous

Mumbai Cheese & Onion
This Indian-style grilled sandwich takes a classic British combination of cheese and onion, and injects it with aromatic spices and fiery green chilli pickle for an explosion of flavour in a single bite.

Chokha Bread
A Nepali carb-on-carb comfort food. If you have leftover mashed potatoes, make this! Combine 1 cup of mashed potato, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1/2 tsp amchoor, 1 tbsp chopped coriander, and black salt to taste. Spread on white bread, you can add some grated mozzarella if you like, top with another slice of bread, then pan fry in mustard oil until crispy and heated through. 

Harissa Chickpea Jaffle
You can use a sandwich press if you like, but you can fit more of this yummy, high protein, vegetarian filling in with a jaffle iron. In a bowl, roughly mash cooked chickpeas and mix with plain yoghurt, harissa, tahini, finely diced shallot, crumbled feta and a squeeze of lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper. Fill your bread generously and pop into the jaffle maker.

TikTok Tortilla Toasties 
For us, a quesadilla falls under the toastie category and we knew this trending hack just had to be included here! Make a cut in a large flour tortilla from the edge closest to you to the centre. Visually section the tortilla into quarters, so your 4 fillings will sit in it's own 'wedge'. Spread sour cream in the first quarter, starting from the lower right section. Moving counter-clockwise, add your main filling (shredded chicken, corn, or refried beans), then something saucy like chipotle salsa or tequila & jalapeno relish, and finally some shredded cheese. Fold the first quarter on top of the second one, then keep folding each section over the next until you're left with a triangle. Toast in a sandwich press or a skillet (flipping once) until the cheese is melted and the outside is nicely browned.

Sweet & Decadent

Toasted S'mores Sando
Who said a toastie had to be savoury? Sandwich milk chocolate and halved marshmallows between two slices of brioche. Bonus points if you make this in a campfire jaffle iron over a fire!

Gooey PB&J
Turn a classic sandwich into a decadent treat. Spread peanut butter on one slice of white bread and your favourite jam on the other. Press them together and toast until golden brown. Add a sprinkle of crushed, roasted peanuts inside for some crunch.

Jaffa Jaffle
Spread mascarpone cheese on one slice of soft white bread and marmalade on the other. Add a few pieces of dark chocolate before closing the sandwich and toasting until the chocolate is melted and gooey. Perfect for a gourmet dessert fix!

Strawberry Cheesecake
If you're craving a slice of cheesecake, this will hit the spot in a pinch! Spread cream cheese on one slice of brioche and strawberry jam on the other and add a few slices of fresh strawberries. Lightly butter the outside of the bread and press into crushed digestive biscuits before toasting until golden.

Dulce de Leche & Banana DoNot
We swear this tastes just like a banana fritter or a banoffee donut! Spread dulce de leche generously on one slice of white bread, layer with sliced bananas, then top with another bread slice. Butter the outside of the bread generously and press into cinnamon sugar before popping into the sandwich press.

Tips & Tricks

• Instead of spreading the outside of your bread with butter, use mayonnaise. It's easier to spread and transforms quickly into oil when toasted, giving your toastie a satisfying all-over golden finish.
• If you love your ham, cheese and mustard toasties, try subbing in a specialty mustard like Delouis' French Champagne mustard, or their mustard with Espelette pepper
• Give your non-stick sandwich press a workout by grating parmesan over the surface, then laying your untoasted sandwich over it. Half way through, lift the sandwich, repeat with more parmesan, and flip the sandwich before finishing the cook. You'll be left with a crispy, cheesy crust.
• Create a toastie/garlic bread fusion by spreading the outside of your bread with black garlic mashed into butter, and filling the inside with cheese. The perfect accompaniment to a bowl of homemade tomato soup.

However you tune-up your toasties, tag us on Instagram (@essentialingredientaus) so we can share your creations with the world!