Tefal Tt552842 Toast N Bean

This is a slightly modified version of the brilliant Toast N Egg Toaster which has a larger pan to allow you to heat up half a large 400g can of baked beans as well as the facility to boil 4 eggs. poach one egg or make an omlette or scrambled eggs and warm up precooked breakfast meats (sausages/bacon) at the same time as making up to two slices of toast at the same time.

The heating function for cooking the beans / eggs / meats is a simple steamer pan. There is a small metal reservoir which you measure water into and then turn it on. The measuring cup provided is excellent with different scales on the side for cooking beans and eggs (in many different ways).

Heating up beans from a can at room temperature takes a few minutes, thought it will take longer if the beans have come straight out of the fridge. The manual suggests that you heat up according to taste and the type of beans you heat up. It does take longer to cook tinned beans and sausages. Its so easy to use and there is very little washing up required. Just make sure that you you do not overfill the cooking pan as the water reservoir is non-removable and wipe clean only.

This machine is also excellent if you just want to boil an egg without having to get out a saucepan and setting the timer to get your egg cooked just the way you like it. If you measure the water correctly, it gives consistently good results in boiling eggs. Poaching an egg is also very easy - though I found that the pan needed to be greased quite well to make sure that the egg does not stick. The larger pan means that you could also make an omlette or scrambled eggs.

When in bean heating or poaching egg / making omlette mode, there is a small rack that can be placed over the beans/eggs, allowing you to heat up precooked meats at the same time.

The toaster is not the fastest toaster in the world and sometimes the toast can be ready before the other food has had time to warm up but this depends on what else is being cooked, but what other machine can do all this in one smallish toaster footprint?

My only gripe is that large Warburtons sliced bread does not fit in the toaster very well. You can either try to cram a the slices of bread into the slots (which can jam the pop mechanism, resulting in burnt toast) or you are left with a slice of bread that is toasted only 75% of the way up. You can get around this by setting the toaster to a light browning setting and turning the toast around and toasting the other side.

This is a brilliant kitchen gadget that allows you to make a cooked breakfast with very little mess and minimal washing up after.

I know there will be doubters out there, who see no point for a toaster with anything built in, but this little beauty is brilliant!

In less than 5 mins I can have beans on toast, poached egg on toast, soup and toast, hoops on toast etc ready and looking and tasting fabulous!

No need for microwave, saucepans, pots - you just pop the toast in, pop the beans or whatever in, and turn the dial to suit.

Perfect for busy people, students, whoever. I'd recommend wholeheartedly.

P.s. really easy to keep clean - the little pod just lifts out for a quick wash and the toaster just needs a wipe over.

I received the toast n beans via Amazon Vine and when I first saw it I was absolutely made up... it makes toast and heats beans... at the same time (it also does eggs but that isn't in the product name). When I proudly announced one was en route, my male gadget radar fairly buzzing with excitement, my wife glowered and pointed out that we already had a toaster and a saucepan.

Well it arrived and I am glad to say that it does what it says. Using a steamer pan it heats your beans as your toast cooks... brilliant... but I am easily impressed... it's a gadget. On the downside it is a fairly slow toaster and it only takes two slices (it has been pointed out that our existing toaster is faster and takes four slices). The actual bread apertures do not take larger slices in totality and the bean warmer takes roughly half a can... so the beans on toast are in smaller portions.

Negative aspects aside, I am sold on the gadget and should you be looking to get a new toaster the gadget side might be a sell for you, and it does work well (as a whole; bread size and bean capacity issues accepted). Indeed this seems perfect should you have a student in your life. Someone else in my house remains less convinced re the gadget side but admits that it works and is now knowingly waiting for my short attention span to become bored of the gadget aspect. As an aside, marital bliss has been restored with just a weary shake of the head and a resignation to the fact that, like many men, I am still a thirteen year old stuck inside an aging body.