I've seen many hundreds of sandwich making machines in my life, and I noticed that in the vast majority of them, there is a diagonal protrusion that makes sandwiches come up in triangular shapes.
This makes no sense to me, for the following reasons:
- Most packaged sliced bread is square, not triangular.
- Most grilled sandwich recipes don't call for triangular shapes
- You're forced to a triangular shape
- Non-square bread slices are difficult to use with this triangular shape
- The protrusion itself is much more difficult to clean than a simple flat iron.
Yet for some reason these sandwich makers are extremely common, to the point that flat makers are somewhat of a specialty item, therefore costing more.
I think I'm missing something here. Why do most sandwich makers use this triangular shape? What are the advantages of such a shape?
Best Answer
I strongly suspect but cannot prove that there are very few actual manufacturers of this niche appliance—perhaps even only one major one.
In particular, Konwin is a Chinese OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) that makes a series of sandwich makers for re-badging and resale.
You will note that their line of sandwich makers has the exact detailed design prevalent in almost every model for sale, right down to the little design in the center of the triangles. The various models in their line probably share many parts.
It is likely that many brands of sandwich maker are actually re-badged OEM versions, and so their similarity is because they really are the same machines, perhaps with minor aesthetic treatments or customization.
As to why the OEM chose the triangle design, I can only guess that it is for aesthetic reasons—to make the sandwiches look nice.