A toastie is a sandwich that is fried or toasted between two heated plates pressed together — a toasted sandwich with sealed, crisped edges. The hinged toastie maker, with its triangular or square moulds, was a fixture of twentieth-century kitchens: buttered bread outside, cheese, ham, beans, or other fillings inside, pressed and toasted until the filling melts and the bread turns golden. The sealed edges keep molten fillings contained, which is the design’s genius. Cafés serve more elaborate versions from commercial contact grills. Nutritionally it is what the filling makes it — the method adds the butter or oil on the bread. It remains the definitive comfort snack of many childhoods.