Customer Reviews

T-Fal SM601003A Avante Nonstick Sandwich/Waffle Maker

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Purchased: May 4, 2006

It works really well. It is sturdy. The heating elements are thick and also seem like they will last.

The interchangeable plates are connected by two "lips" towards the hinge and two push-button retractable retaining clips in the front of the unit, sort of like what you would see on some built-on luggage locks.

It is easy to clean, even the stainless top. The plates do pop off easily and clean well in the dishwasher.

UPDATE: (Jan 2007 It is still going strong and the non-stick plates are still doing a good job. One problem with the unit is trying to oil/butter the upper plate because the butter or oil tends to drip inside the unit. The next time it heats up, it leaves a bit of a residue on the counter. As someone suggested, a non-stick spray may work better, but I prefer not to use propellants.

UPDATE: (Feb 2009 I'm amazed this thing still works so well. The non-stick surface is still intact, no peeling. It still makes great waffles. I couldn't be more pleased.

UPDATE: (August 2010 Still makes wonderful waffles. I really received a good return on my investment. The non-stick plates are still holding up well. Love this thing.

UPDATE: (October 2011 Still works well. Love it!

This seems to be a pretty popular item since it's always out of stock. I finally received mine and have made sandwiches and waffles. The plates are easy to remove and clean. The pocket sandwiches turned out great. A regular slice of bread overlaps the edge of the plates and the crust gets really crispy, which to me is the best part. The sandwiches need to sit a couple of minutes to crisp up once they are taken out of the machine. I think the Avante did a decent job on the waffles but keep in mind this isn't intended to serve up a quick breakfast for a large family. The recipes included with the machine makes 12 waffles which will take over 20 minutes to cook. I make 6 to eat right away and finish and put the rest in the freezer for another day.

I have also used the waffle plates to make the garlic shimp kebobs recipe that's in the instruction manual. They were really good.

Also, the plates may smoke a bit when they are used for the first time, mine did, but the taste of the food wasn't affected.

OUR T-FAL AVANTE SANDWICH MAKER HAS ALREADY PAID FOR ITSELF. WE HAVE MADE DELICIOUS WAFFLES AND GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES. THE RECIPES INCLUDED ARE VERY GOOD. THE PLATES THAT SNAP OUT FOR EASY-CLEAN IN THE DISHWASHER ARE A BIG PLUS.ALSO, THE INDICATOR LIGHTS LET YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR SANDWICH OR WAFFLE IS DONE TO A 'T.'

This is a great sandwich and waffle maker for a couple or a single person since it only makes two at a time. This is fine for my house but may not be for yours. The plates are non-stick and dishwasher safe but the best thing about them is that they pop out with the touch of a button and snap back in easily. We received this for a wedding gift and have used it at least 3 times a week ever since.

It makes pocket (almost Panini) sandwiches and it makes waffles.
Not many cookers out there that do both, and this one does them well.
Is it as good at toasting sandwiches as a $100 Panini Grill? No, but unless you really do a lot of that, who needs it?
The sandwiches work really well, and the waffles are good.
It only does two at a time, but again, unless you feeding a lot of people...
For under $30 this is a real bargain.

Unfortunately, my wife did not share with me how much she disliked this unit in time to return it.

The sandwich maker inserts are molded for diagonally cut bread. You can't just stick a full sandwich in it -- and it only takes really small slices of bread. Forget about putting your Orowheat premium bread in it.

Waffles stick to the waffle inserts and tear apart when opening it -- despite our best efforts at seasoning it with canola oil. I will check with the manufacturer for warranty help with this issue. (UPDATE: I shipped the unit to the manufacturer's repair facility and they replaced it.)

The waffles turned out great with a homemade recipe that my kids love. The sandwiches were a little tough around the edges but my kids don't like crust anyway so I just cut that part off.

Out of 7 breakfasts a week we have pocket sandwiches at least 3-4 times, so i guess we like it. ut it took us time to learn to make goog sandwiches without hot cheese floating onto the counter top, as we like to put a tol of stuff iside. It's pretty easy to clean ( unless you have melted cheese all over the counter), so i would say it's a very useful thing in out kitchen. The ony thing i hate about it - it doesn't have on/off switch and plugging/unplugging the cord is really annoying. Oher than that - very good, would recommend.

This is the best sandwich maker we have used. It is non-stick which really helps when making cheesy sandwiches. Also you can completely remove the plates and wash them, that makes it very easy to clean.

The plus side to this product is that the plates remove. The downside is that it was defective and the plates didn't fit properly after a few uses. I had to manually put the sandwich plate on top for it to work and it still didn't cook evenly. The non-stick surface also lost its stick after a few uses. Next time I'll buy one that doesn't have removable plates.