Ridgemonkey Connect Compact Sandwich Toaster (Compact XL)

Good for small campervan space, easy to use and clean

I purchased this for my husband who loves to overnight fish - no he does not cook but he is well impressed with this toaster. Enjoyed, and was well impressed not only by the item but with his own cooking all be it of just sausages. NB the handle(s) is strong and very safe. Something which I feel is very important especially when filled with hot food

I kept reading about these as peoples essential equipment for their motorhome.We had got rid of all of our old caravan equipment when we let our van go a few years back, so I was starting from scratch with our new motorhome.I used to have a large wok and a couple of saucepans, however cupboards space is more limited in the Moho, so I began looking at these.1/ they pack away tiny, the handles come off and are stored inside and the ‘pans are stored in a pouch.2/ the handles come off… so I can use them in the oven without worry it will melt3/ 2 frying pans for the price of one4/ use them together as a closed unit and cooking smells are hugely reduced5/I’ve cooked whole fry ups using one6/ the non stick coating really is non stick7/ easy to clean8/ excellent toast, so no need for a bulky toaster9/ fab toasties10/ comes with its own tools such as spoons and a spatulaI absolutely love it so much I bought a second one!!!Well worth the money

These Ridgemonkey sandwich toasters have been around for a while and have become firm favourites.I was put off by the fixed handle of older models as I was looking for a small pan which packed away easily.This iteration does that. The detachable handles which fit inside a moulded inner with utensils mean the overall 'pan print' is small enough to take up little room without losing any of the versatility.Also, the ability to separate the pans to give two independent cooking areas is a great idea.I tried these on my hob first to season them and do a trial cook. I have a concern about the handles heating where they meet the pan. My recommendation would be to use on a lowish heat and keep flame in the middle of the pan to reduce the heat around the handle connectors.I have a small gas camp stove which I also tried. I had to keep the flame really low due to the intense heat it generates, but the pans heat up very quickly and cook fast. Made a filled omelette and it flipped without leakage and cooked nicely. Used with care I think it will last well. Cooking outdoors also dissipates the heat from around the handles.The little utensils work well for the pan and prevent scratching.The range of inventive menus available online moves this away from a mere toastie maker to allowing really tasty meals to be cooked easily.Recommended

I nearly didn’t purchase because of reading the 1 star reviewsTo help clear things up… this product is not flimsy, it’s quite tactile especially for aluminium… it is very thick (1.5 - 2x the thickness of British army mess tins) the handles are solid as are the utensils. Maybe even thicker than the French army tins!This product certainly doesn’t feel cheap. The size for an XL is acceptable, yes a bit on the small side but plenty for 2 people. You can fit three raw rashers of bacon on each pan, obviously add another 1 or 2 when they start to shrink. It won’t cover a family of 4 or a group, please bare in mind. For those applications just use a normal iron skillet or frying pan.There are a few variations of this model now, can’t speak for the newer ones but this particular model is solid. Well built, absolutely fit for purpose.

So many uses. Lots of videos on YouTube. Great for a camper van.

The RidgeMonkey Toaster has this really nice premium look to it, probably because the aluminium looks properly non slip and when holding it and using it on a daily basis you can just feel that this thing is very solid and will last you for years to come. With it’s ingenious handle locking design, you can flip the ridge monkey over and cook on both sides, meaning you don’t have to keep opening it up and letting all of the heat out to flip your meal over. It’s great for fish, but we’ve also used it to cook Burgers, Roasted Vegetables, Sausages, etc. What’s more, theres an online community who share recipes that they’ve created using the RidgeMonkey. I’ve seen people cooking Chips, Pizza, Pork Chops, Steaks, Calzones, Omelettes – you name it, and you can bet it’s been done in a RidgeMonkey. Overall I give the XL Ridgemonkey Toaster five stars. It’s sturdy, durable, looks the part and most importantly it genuinely changed the way we cook in our motorhome. It’s really an underrated item for the campervan market, though is catching on, and we don’t know why we haven’t used one before this, and now having one let’s us really speed up the process and reduce the stress of cooking large hearty meals in a small space.

We originally bought this for our camping trips. As we haven’t been away for some time I have used it several times at home. First off just by making toasties, which come out fantastically. I had some lamb steaks the other week and thought it might be worth giving them a try in the Ridge Monkey as it would save on electricity with the oven. I was pleasantly surprised how well they turned out, and will definitely use it for further steaks etc. also will try other foods. It is very easy to clean as the bottom and lid detach. A quick soak and wipe over with a cloth brings it back as new. One of the best things I have bought recently, very pleased with it.