Today, if you google “Toas Tite” (or toastite, or toas-tite), you’ll get a random smattering of blog posts reminiscing about the grilled cheese flying saucer of yesteryear. It becomes pretty clear all at once that the Toas-Tite is no longer being produced. But where did it come from? Who made them?
Researching something made in the 1940s or 1950s has its challenges. But with a little digging, we found out that the Toas-Tite was produced by a company called Bar-B-Buns based in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Now, there are some Toas-Tites you’ll find that say on the front “Patent Pending.” Luckily, there are others that were made after the patent was granted. And luckily…Boy and I have one of those (actually, we have a few others that were made pre-patent as well). On the front of our black handled Toas-Tite, it says “Reg. U.S. Pat. Off. Pat. No. 2463439.”
Patent 2463439 for a “Sandwich Grill” was filed on October 12, 1945 and granted on March 1, 1949. The inventor was John E. Strietelmeier of Cincinnati, Ohio (deceased, according to the patent) – his administrator, Lucille Strietelmeier was executing his estate.
It starts out like this:
“The present invention relates to improvements in sandwich toasting grills and is particularly directed to a hinged, sectional unit for making a toasted sandwich under heat and pressure from two pieces of a baked dough product and a filling material therebetween. An object of the invention is to provide in a unit for toasting and interiorly heating a filled sandwich made from two baked dough pieces a means for locating said filling in the center of the sandwich and for joining and sealing the marginal edges of the pieces by heat and presusre to preclude the escape of the filling from the finished product.”
Now the curious part. This patent has been referenced by 13 other patents, ranging from a knock-off Toas-Tite pan patented in the 1990s to a dumpling or ravioli maker. One of these patents, No. 2582692, is for another sandwich grill invented by Lawrence J. Funke, of Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to Bar-B-Buns, Inc., also of Cincinnati, Ohio. This second patent was filed October 23rd, 1950 and granted January 15th, 1952. Interestingly enough, Funke’s sandwich grill was designed to improve upon sandwich grills of the past (presumably Strietelmeier’s). His patent says:
“The present invention is directed to improvements in grills of the type described and particularly to certain structural improvements which increase greatly the efficiency of their operation….A rather annoying characteristic of prior grills of this general type is that the hinge structures employed were such that when the mold plates closed upon two slices of bread, portions of the crust edge were caught between the two parts of the hinge and unless removed by a knife or other instrument, burned during the toasting of the sandwich.”
Funke had a point there. The desgin of the Toas-Tite does lock in a small piece of bread near the hinge area.
Another interesting thing was that on this same patent, Funke had illustrations and descriptions of a Toas-Tite like device which subdivided the sandwich into four pieces. And according to Toaster.org, it was indeed produced. Funke said, “In a modified form of the improved grill, the mold plates are divided into sectors. An important feature of this modification is that the toasted sandwich may be broken apart very easily into small sections which are themselves sealed marginally in the manner of sandwiches made in the preferred embodiment of the invention.”
So while the Toas-Tite (in its original form, rather than Funke’s sectioned version) was indeed invented by John E. Strietelmeier, it was produced by Bar-B-Buns with his original patent. So what was the relationship between Strietelmeier and Bar-B-Buns?
A little more digging surfaced two more patents filed by one John E. Strietelmeier and Robert G. Brown. But these two were filed in 1919 for inventions related to phonograph repeaters; one was filed in Elyria, Ohio and the other was in Cincinnati, Ohio.
A tad more digging, and we found yet another two patents, filed in 1937 and 1938 and granted in 1939. These two, patent numbers 2168005 and 2168006, are for bun pans. And at the top of the patents, it says, “John E. Strietelmeier, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to Bar-B-Buns, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio.”
And now all of this is to say…John E. Strietelmeier perhaps began his career as an inventor with phonograph repeaters. Later in his life (unless that first one was a different John E. Strietelmeier), he moved on to Bar-B-Buns where he invented two bun pans. Then, sometime in the 1940s, he invented the Toas-Tite sandwich grill. Unfortunately, it seems he passed away sometime between when his bun pans were patented in 1939 and when the Toas-Tite was patented in 1949. But…his legacy is the Toas-Tite. And for that, we are very, very grateful.
So on that note, happy 60th (patent) anniversary, Toas-Tite!
by Girl
Savory Toas-Tite Recipes
Toas-Tite Recipes 
Someone needs to buy the rights to this and resume manufacturing them. My mother had the real thing, but I only have a cheaper knockoff, made from sheet metal instead of cast aluminum…but still old. As I said, someone needs to start producing the real thing again…I just saw an original on e-bay for $52 plus shipping!
How cool that your mom had a real one. What kind is your knockoff, out of curiosity? Boy and I actually bought two off of eBay but one we got really lucky on and got it for $20!
Definitely agree someone should start producing them again. One of our other commenters mentioned he’d heard Smuckers Corp took over the patent. It’s actually on our list to call the patent office to see if they can tell us who the assignee is. Just because it would be fun to know. 🙂
question for ‘Girl’….what did you mean by…..Now, there are some Toas-Tites you’ll find that say on the front “Patent Pending.” Luckily, there are others that were made after the patent was granted. And luckily…Boy and I have one of those (actually, we have a few others that were made pre-patent as well). On the front of our black handled Toas-Tite, it says “Reg. U.S. Pat. Off. Pat. No. 2463439.” …question is….luckily you have the ones with the patent or without the patent?….friend offering me the red handle patent pending as well as the black handle with the patent you referenced…..which would I be lucky to get…and am I correct in stating that the patent pending would have been made up to 1949?
In regards to your first question, the line where I wrote we’re lucky to have both pre- and post-patent Toas-Tites was simply meant to say…I’m glad we have one with the patent number since it helped in my research about the patent! But both kinds of Toas-Tites are equally good.
I’d say, if a friend offered you a Toas-Tite, take it! Maybe even both if you can. A more important consideration for which one you choose is just how clean the inside of the clamshell is. It takes quite a bit of effort to clean a rusty/blackened Toas-Tite but if the inside is in good shape, that’s really all that’s important.
And yes, I would assume that if you have a Toas-Tite that says “patent pending” on the front, it was probably made before 1949 when the patent was granted.
I have the same one with same Pat. No. I’m taking it on our next camping trip and giving it a try. It has been in my family since day one and I don’t have any instructions with it. Does anyone know if there is a special way of cleaning it up since it hasn’t been used for a LONG time?
Depends a little bit on how dirty it is. If it’s just basic grit and grime from sitting around, I’d say just soak it in warm water and dish soap. You’ll want to make sure you grease it up for your first few sandwiches or re-season it so your bread doesn’t stick. If there’s a lot of burned on grease, you may need to use steel wool and scrub, scrub, scrub. Enjoy it on your trip!
Our family had a ‘toastatite’, as we called it, in the 1950’s, in San Antonio, Texas. We loved making all sorts of sandwiches filled with anything from meat to peaches or apples. My sister and I have been searching for one for a long time. Our mouths water at the delicious memories of our childhood efforts.
I can’t wait to try a peach Toas-Tite! 🙂
I wish I could get 6-12 of these great sandwich irons.
Mu twin sister, Rosie (above) sent me a toas-tite on our birthday, 7/28 and the memories flooded back as soon as I opened the package. Only I recall the name I called it was “toastytite”. My favorite sandwich was the buttered side of the bread on the clamshell with a raw egg inside – a quick and easy egg sandwich. As I now have two, I’ll give one to my oldest daughter, with a copy of this history of the Toas-Tite/Toastytite. Rosie and I are now 73.
Hi Emma! Thanks so much for sharing your Toas-Tite memories. We love hearing everyone’s stories. Boy and I have making an egg sandwich high on the to-do list. And I’m so pleased you enjoyed the history post! We’ve been meaning to call the patent office to see if they have any information on who is the current assigner to the Toas-Tite patent. We’ll keep you posted on what we find out.
And P.S.! My grandmother’s birthday is 7/28 as well. 🙂
Girl, was it 7/28/36?
Hm…I’d have to ask my mom to be sure, but I think it was 7/28/32.
I purchased 2 toas-tites, each one in a different auction on eBay, and paid $28.69, and $29.88. This does not include postage. I think that I got a bargain on each! The are the black handled ones with the Reg. U.S.Pat.
Off. Pat. No. 2463439. I’m having an egg toas-tite right now!
That is definitely a bargain! Boy and I have purchased 2 on eBay as well (I meant to bid on another yesterday but completely forgot…whoops!). The kind I REALLY want to find is a Toas-Tite Tid Bit. It’d be so fun to combine my love for Toas-Tites with my love for pull-apart breads.
Great site. Keep up the good work!
I just found a Toas-Tite with patent pending, black handle. It was $1.99 at Salvation Army in Charlotte, NC. When I found it in the discounted pile for quick sale, I had no idea what it was, but that it had to be really old and might have been used for biscuits over a camp fire from the blackened appearance of the saucer. Since my husband (45 yr old) has a curiousity for older things, I decided to buy it as a novelty Christmas gift. I’m glad I did! I’ve printed this site so that he may read this history on Christmas day, and we’ll give this thing a whirl after he figures out how to clean it good! Mouth is watering just thinking about it!!
How amazing!!!!
I must admit, Girl and I have been searching local second hand stores for Toas-Tites with no success yet, so that’s great that you found one out there in the world. I’m sure the two of you will have plenty of fun with it. We have been meaning to put up a post about how to clean a Toas-tite as we have been experimenting with cleaning dirty Toas-Tites as well. Check back soon and we will hopefully have it up soon. Also feel free to send us some of your recipes as we’re always looking to have guest recipes for the world to see!!!! Have a merry Christmas and enjoy your new toy!!!
Merry Christmas Boy & Girl,
Have you tried Brillo to clean your Toas-Tite? Em & I have found that it works great.
Applesauce sprinkled with a dash of cinnamon is wonderful. You can also add a few raisins and/or pecan bits for a delicious dessert.
The Toas-Tite is also a great way to get the kiddies to eat veggies. Just make it a pie by adding their favorite sauce – ketchup, etc. It really sounds yucky, but it works.
Rosie
Merry Christmas Rosie and Emma,
Brillo’s are a life saver for cleaning!! We’ll definitely be posting a “How to clean your Toas-Tite” after the holiday season. We just used 8 at once for a family Toas-Tite party and we had a bit of cleaning afterwards, but a ton of fun during.
My little cousins were over, one who is 5 and the other that is 2 and wanted a PB and J Toas-Tite but un-toasted and they loved it!!! Hopefully next time they’ll be feeling a little more adventurous and we’ll sneak them a veggie one.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
I was just making a grilled cheese with my Toas-Tite and decided to Google and found this site. Isn’t the Internet great?
The Toas-Tite I have is Patent Pending and black handled. The handles are in remarkably good shape for its age–no chips, nicks or peeling as would happen with more recent products. I guess they made things better in those days. 🙂
My Toas-Tite is from my childhood and brings back great memories when I use it. My Mom used to make me grilled cheese sandwiches when I was a little girl. She also sometimes made a special dessert where she put apple slices inside and sprinkled powered sugar on top when my own little “pie” was done.
I’m 60 years old now and she’s been gone for quite a while but whenever I use some of my Mom’s recipes and utensils from my childhood it’s like I’m with her again. I’m glad to find that other people love their Toas-Tite and their memories as much as I.
Hi everyone,
I have something called a Nutbrown Sandwich Toaster Patent # 690.233 and it says made in England but looks pretty much like the picture up top with red handles that lock with a toggle.
Does anyone have ‘recipes’?!
How cool you have a Nutbrown sandwich gril! We saw one recently on eBay but sadly missed the auction but they look fantastic. Where did you find yours? Have any favorite recipes? 🙂 We have a few recipes up and will keep adding some and of course, feel free to share any of yours!
Thank you for this site…tonight while cleaning out a cabinet, I noticed the back of it was missing so I reached way back and found a Toas-Tite left by the previous owner. It is an original with “Reg. U.S. Pat. Off. Pat. No. 2463439.” on it. After reading the history and comments, my kids and I made some Toas-Tites tonight and loved them. Thanks!
WOW! What a story. 🙂 That’s awesome. I’m glad you liked them (and I’m glad you found us). What kind did you make?
Boy got me into Toas-Tites just about a year ago and ever since, we’ve been (slowly) pulling together recipes and research to share our love of them with other folks. I’m so happy we could help a bit!
how much do you think that my toast tite pt num 2463439 would be appraised for in ment condition i was gonna have it appraised but i didnt know if it would be worth me puting the money out to have done
Depending on whether you have the box (and what condition it’s in) and the instruction booklet, we’d probably estimate that it’s worth $60-100. We paid $65 on eBay for one in decent condition with a worn box and booklet in good condition and probably about $60 for just a Toas-Tite without a box or instructions in mint condition. The average I would say goes for $35 but typically those are used. Good luck!
I was introduced to Toas-Tites at a square dancing / camping weekend 30+ years ago.They were called “Gooche Makers” and we made “Gooche Pies” (tarts). We sprayed the “pans” with pam or rubbed a stick of butter on them,used white bread and canned pie filling (blueberry was my favorite).Other times I used rye bread with Polish sausage,swiss cheese and a slice of dill pickle. Pepperoni and mozzarella work well also. I made a bread cutter from a piece of thin walled aluminum tubing just a little larger than the pan to allow about 1/4″ overhang of the bread all the way around for a seal.This way you don’t have to tear off the excess bread.Now if I can just find my Gooche-Maker in my old camping stuff I’ll be ready it go again.
What a name! Do you know where the Gooche Maker name came from? How fun! We haven’t tried Pam on our Toas-Tites yet but have been meaning too. Mmm…I bet the Polish sausage one is delicious. Let us know when you find your Gooche Maker and the other recipes you make!
Over the years I have collected 12 or these little gems. We always take them camping (we usually go with a large group) and they are a big hit. I have never paid more than $5.00 for one at a yard sale or thrift store. I was 7 or 8 the first time i used one and now my 10 grandchildren love them. I have tried lots of different items but my favorite is 3 fresh peach slices one marshmellow and a dash of cinnamon. One marshmellow is good for almost any fruit. We have used all kinds of canned fruit as well as pie fillings, fresh cherries, seedless grapes, appracots, apples ect.
Just last night we were using them & began to talk about other recipies & came up with Toastite Tacos, Toastite Pizza pockets & Toastite meat pies. I guess it is time to experiment.
Yum, your peach recipe sounds great! We’ve only used marshmallow once so far but sounds like we need to revisit it. 🙂 That’s also very cool you have 12 – we’re still hoping to find a Toas-Tite “out in the wild” rather than on eBay. One of these days!
Let us know what experiments you come up with, if you’d ever like to send a guest recipe. Thanks for visiting!
So neat to find others who have these and bought them at a bargain. I bought one, today, at a yard sale, for $ .25.
Wow! 25 cents? That’s amazing! I’m certainly jealous. 🙂 Boy and I have been hoping to find a Toas-Tite out in the real world (antique store, yard sale, Salvation Army, etc) but outside of the Toas-Tites he’s had in his family, our collection has pretty much entirely come from eBay. I think our best deal so far was $10. Yours was really a steal!
Such fun to read about your research .I would not know how to go about it nor have the patience for it.My toas-tite REG U>S> Pat.OFF Pat No 2463439 was recently plucked from my 89 yr. young moms closet as we moved her out of her apartment to live with her son {my brother} . How interesting I thought.Barely remember her using it and in very good condition. I love this vintage piece in my newly renovated stainless steel kitchen. Used it once will use it again. Will look for your recipes. Thank You so much .
One of the many reasons America is so Great.
God Bless America. and u too!!!!
I just made a apricot preserve toas-tite using the patent pending model that has been in our family since the 1940’s. I remember as a kid in the late 50’s & early 60’s my mom would always make jelly toas-tites. We never used it for any other type of sandwich. The 2 pieces of bread were heavily buttered as well as the inside of the toas-tite, but it would always stick anyway. I wasn’t allowed to touch them until the jelly inside cooled a bit.
I just bought a Toas-tite at an antique mall that is in really good shape and it says pat.pending and is the red handled kind. I never heard of them till I bought this one. I have really long handled pie irons that I have used with Girl Scouts and just camping. Just knowing what the pie irons cost at discount stores I snapped this one up for a mere $4.00 and thought I had a deal until I looked them up on e-bay and now I really think I got a bargain. Then I googled them and found your site. I really like your site and I also like the toas-tite.
Oct.6, 2010
Happy Anniversary Toas-Tite! If my math is correct, Emma and I must have had an original Toas-Tite in 1950! We were freshmen, and we were delighted when our mother bought it. She was always on the lookout for unique items. We certainly made good use of it after school.
My boyfriend and I were at a fundraiser for a family that had a house fire last week. There was a cast iron pan for making “ear of corn” shaped muffins in the silent auction. The pan was in a box with this funny looking long-handled pan thing. We got the box for 5 dollars. We thought we had really scored on the cast iron pan. Then we started guessing what the long handled thing was for… We decided it was a ‘smore maker. Then he googled it. We hang the pan on the wall, but the !!!TOAS_TITE!!! is usually in the sink because we use it! SCORE.
Thanks for the cool website
shawnee and sheldon, North Pole, Alaska
Thank you for such a cool comment. We are just thrilled when we hear where Toas-Tites show up in the world, and Alaska is a first! Hope you get to make smores with it soon.
I love this! Everyone in my family has a Toas-tite maker. I grew up making them on an electic stove. Now, many years later, I make them on a chilly day over my gas stove.
Recently, I found a “patent-pending” NEVER BEEN USED one w/red wood handles. AND the original instruction manual. Dream find.
I had fun researching this ol family gadget. Thanks for posting your write-up too.
My own Toas-Tite blog post: http://snowflowerstreet.blogspot.com/2010/10/family-contraptions-toas-tite-maker.html
AND I am parting w/the red handled one. (It’s hard to let go) in my vintage shop: http://www.etsy.com/listing/59232062/kitchen-gadget-1940s-toas-tite-maker
I have my mom’s Toas-Tite from when I was a very little girl. She had the iron before she had me !!!! My kids loved having sandwiches made it it, especially bologna & cheese. My favorite was always the egg sandwich. Mine is a Registered Patent with the 2463439 number, so I know it is one of the first ones. I have no desire to part with it. It is worth more to me in nostalgia than in currency 🙂
Has anyone got any tips for cleaning these. I brought one back with me after my Dad died three years ago. Have not used it and when I retrieved it, it’s pretty gummy. It’s been used a lot. All they would do was let it cool and wipe it out with a towel. But after setting it needs some work. Lot’s of black gummy build up. Any help would be appreciated.
I have two from growing up in the 50s. It is remarkably easy to clean once it is clean…almost pre-teflon teflon. Scouring pad always works. The best recipe of all is a hot dog or sausage sliced down its length and one inch lengths stuffed inside. You could even add mustard.
Pam, I have found that pans that are very black/gummy can be cleaned by letting them soak for a while in a solution of gel dish washing compound and just enough water to dilute the soap. When the goo has softened you can scrub it with a dampened Brillo pad.
Good luck, and good eating.
I just stumbled upon your webpage and am amazed! I grew up in East Africa, Kenya to be exact… and almost every household had these! Most people cooked on gas camp stoves or charcoal fires… and this was a really popular snack at home, on street corners, etc. as I was growing up. It was probably in the 90’s that they started disappearing from view and I havent been able to find any in the past few visits home, or here in Toronto.
Most times it was filled with a savoury potato and peas filling…. id love to get my hands on one now!
Thanks so much for your great comment. Africa is with out a doubt the farthest we’ve ever heard of a Toas-tite making it out into the world! We will for sure be trying a potato and pea filled Toas-tite in our very near future.
Hi all,
My father worked the Home Show circuit in the 60’s. Have you seen the movie Tin Men, that was my dad. He bought everyone in my extended family Toastites. My brother (61 years) and I (50 years) still have ours. They are still in great shape and we use them on occasion. Years ago I was traveling in Indonesia and a common street food was the Jaffle. Same idea but square http://bit.ly/hhIoZu. What a great grab-and-go food the Toastite would make here in the US! I’m glad to see that the Toastite is still alive.
Would love to find an electric toes-tite. Anyone have any ideas where I would look?
I have been looking everywhere for a Toas Tite Sandwich Maker for years…My mom had one when we were growing up it made the best sandwiches better than any panini maker out now.
If you know where I can find any I would greatly appreciate it.
Maggie, scrounge all rummage sales, garage sales, Good Will, etc. You can also look on line – EBay, etc.
Good luck! Another fan of fun eating.
I purchased one today but instead of the name Toas-tite it just says Toast Press Patent Pending with black handles. Was this a competitors or pre named?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130494375581
Mine is ‘Older than Me’ as my Dad said I’m 63.
Think he bought it in Cheyenne Wells, CO before 1947.
We called them ‘Round Sandwichs’ WOW what fun we had making them.
My Kids and Grandkids love em!!!!!!!!!!
I just had Ham and Cheese Today———-Flood of Memories!!!!!!!!
Ham and cheese is so great!! It seems to be quite a family fun cooking device. My family used it growing up, and it’s still apart of my life. Thanks so much for your comment. It really makes our day to hear stories like yours. Thanks again, and happy Toas-Titing!
Has anyone ever tried making pies with puff pastry instead of bread slices?
We have! 🙂 It’s…interesting. The trouble with pre-packaged puff pastry is that it expands so much and in the Toas-Tite, there’s not much room for it to bake the way it does just in an oven. That said, homemade crusts tend to work a little better. We actually have a recipe coming out soon with a biscuit-like crust that worked beautifully in a Toas-Tite! Have you had any luck using puff pastry?
I haven’t ever tried puff pastry, but thought that it sounded possible. I would like any recipes for pastry that you have. I bought a book for those mini-pies, and would like to convert some of them into toas-tite recipes.
Wife just found an old duffle bag with camping “stuff” in it for 75 cents. It had a brown wooden handled pat. Pending toastite in it. About 2 feet long. Is this the right length?
i have a toas-tite sandwich grill patient pending and it has Boy Scouts of America. i would like some recipes.
thank God for the internet. i had no idea what this item was that i found when cleaning out my parents house. i definitly will hold on to this.
Hooray! We’re so glad that we could help, hopefully you give it a whirl and let us know how you like it. Enjoy!
I am soooo excited to find y”all here. I just bought two Toas-Tites at a garage sale for $.50 ea. One is pat. #2463439 w/ red handle and the other is same pat # but has longer rods and a white tapered handel. I’m 67 and remember my mother making us pbj sandwiches with one of these when I was a kid in the early 50’s. Can’t wait to fire them up and show my kids and grandkids. Thanks for being here with all this info.
Nick in Houston
Thanks for the great comment, Nick!
Thanks so much for this site! Just found a Toas-tite, patent pending with wood handles, at an estate sale for a dollar. I had never seen one before, but knew I had to have it when I laid my eyes on it. Can’t wait to peruse your site to get more ideas than the 100 that immediately came to mind. And I can’t wait to see what my 8-year-old daughter will come up with!
Wow Jim!!! So glad you found a hidden Toas-Tite at a estate sale. We keep looking but haven’t found one out in the wild yet. I hope you and your daughter have tons and tons of fun with your new find! Tell us how it goes, and enjoy!
hi, i have an original nutbrown sandwich toaster from when i was a kid (i’m now 68). we used to call them toast-tea-tea. although i’ve cleaned up the exterior gumminess fairly well with brillo pad and tootpick, i’m uncertain about the safety of the interior…there are a couple of rust or bare spots. is this something that can be re-lined? i thought it might need re-tinning, but i don’t know that the interior is tin. does anyone have any info? thanks.
In The 50s I walked home and every day on an old Chambers gas stove on Long Island made a toas tite Hersheys kisses sandwich and still have it and use it I found another original and bought it and gave it to my oldest son and now the tradition continues with his son.. Ron
Hi Ron, we’re really glad to hear the tradition is being passed down. That’s how I received my first toas-tite. My father would make them often and it always made the perfect sandwiches. Also, we are going to have to try the Hersheys Kisses sandwich, it’s the perfect time of year for it!
Just stumbled on this web site after having a bonfire with my 4 yr. old granddaughter. My daughter wanted to know if I still had “that thing that made the round toasted sandwiches”. After doing some research realize I have one of the original ones. Red handle and Pat. pending. I’m 67 and knew it was old because I used to use it as a kid. We always put fruit cocktail from a can in it without the juice of course! Thanks for helping me relive some good memories. I am now making some with my granddaughter. By the way, it still works great.
What a great story, Laurie. There’s something so special about hearing people re-kindling their love of toas-tites, and passing the fun down to their younger family members. Also, we love fruit cocktail in a toas-tite!
30 minutes ago my wife called me to let me know a surprise gift she bought for me was delivered at home today, I persisted on what was it until she finally gave in. LOL
It was an imitation of the Toas Tite sandwich maker sold on Amazon under “Disco Volador para sandwiches” but she feels it was cheap made and thinks she paid too much for it…Right away my mind traveled back to when I was 6 – 8 years old and my late grandma used to make me those delicious flying saucer toasts, I’m now 46.
So I decided to look online trying to find the real thing my grandma used to make me those sandwiches with and found this great site.
I never tought I would be able to find something I thought it was a thing of the past, so I went to Ebay and 40 years later I can say I soon will be a proud owner of a Toas Tite 🙂
Thank you all and have a great Toas Tite.
I’m glad you found one on eBay! There is definitely nothing like the real thing. 🙂 Enjoy it!!
Have had a couple of toastite makers for 60 years. My mom used to make us camping sandwiches with them using a cut up hot dog and relish and mustard. My units are all blackened and seasoned and work great for everything we chose to cook. I have the instruction manual too. Still fun. My kids each have one or two and also use them. Just fun to have.
The toast tite was, apparently, invented by someone called Raymond Johns, who sold the rights to Streitelmeier’s company. Therefore, if this is true, Streitelmeier may have held all the rights to the item and registered the patent, but didn’t actually invent it.
Uzume — According to the Patent Office website, Lucille Strietelmeier [sic] registered John E. Strietelmeier’s invention in 1945. He is listed as “deceased” and she [his wife?] was listed as “Administratrix” [of his estate] on the file date of Oct. 12, 1945. However, the hinges and handles in the drawings are different from the model produced. Still, he is listed as “inventor.”
Good job on the Raymond Johns connection.
I have a red-handled, “Patent Pending” Toas-Tite that my dad and his parents used on camping trips on Long Island and in the Catskills “during and after the War” until 1950. He said he used it on Boy Scout outings, too (he was a Scout from 1943 until 1951). So, I believe they probably bought it in 1946, ’47, or ’48.
So, what differentiates the red-handled version from the black? Can they be dated by color?
I have my Mom’s toas-tite of over 50 yrs. Still use today. Just made two sandwiches an hour ago.
Love it. I am sure it will last another 50 yrs. Don’t make things like they use to.