This is some hot sand that you’ll love to put in your mouth.

Some people, like my mother, like to accumulate a variety of cooking appliances in order to cover any and every possible cooking situation that might arise, from pressure cookers to blenders and air fryers to automatic egg cookers. While this is all well and good, as you’ll never look at a recipe and think, “these takoyaki look so delicious, but I can’t make them because I don’t have a takoyaki grill,” it does come at the expense of countertop or cabinet space.

So, wouldn’t it be nice if you could buy something that could adapt the usage of something you already have to create a food you wouldn’t normally be able to make? This month, the affordable lifestyle brand 3COINS has released four new microwave cooking gadgets, including a deep-type cooker with six methods of cooking, a multi-function mug with five methods of cooking that’s perfect for one-person meals, and a meal mug for pouch foods. However, what we were most excited about is the hot sandwich maker—with the awkward English name of Microwave Half Hot Sand Maker, as “sando” or “sand” is often what “sandwich” gets abbreviated to in Japanese—that lets you make hot sandwiches in the microwave, which sounds incredibly convenient.

This little device, priced at 2,750 yen (US$17.78), is super compact, being around the size of a chunky pencil case.

While it can’t be used over direct flame or stored in the fridge or freezer, it is completely washable and dishwasher-safe, making it hold an edge over a traditional electric sandwich maker.

It’s also amazingly simple to use:

▼ Just sandwich the ingredients, …

▼ … shut the silicone latch, …

▼ … stand it upright, …

▼ … and put it in the microwave.

The sandwich maker comes with an included recipe book, containing a selection of six different recipes that we just had to try out.

Our first hot sandwich test was filled with chocolate and banana. Just a few minutes later and we had our hands on a warm and gooey treat.

Riding on the success of our first creation, we set out experimenting with a pre-prepared sandwich from the supermarket, electing for the already delicious Big Ham and Egg sandwich made by Yamazaki.

Through our handy little microwave sandwich maker, it was transformed into a misshapen, but wonderfully fragrant sandwich.

While initially a little oily due to the process of reheating fried bread, as it cooled the texture crisped up nicely, almost as if it was freshly fried, and the egg filling was hot and steamy.

The sandwich maker allows you to unleash your creativity as you experiment with many different types of fillings, or if you just want a no-brains-required hot snack, it also serves to reheat various types of bread, like the many varieties of crustless, sealed sandwiches sold in supermarkets and convenience stores, known as Lunch Packs. If you manage to discover your own signature microwave sandwich masterpiece, please let us know, as we’re eager to use our new gadget more.

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