Grilled cheese and hot dogs — that’s the menu of our childhoods. Simple ingredients, simple tastes. Now, thanks to Amazon’s holiday deals, you can give the gift of yesteryear at a discount. The retail giant is offering up some of the quirkiest ways to make your favorite childhood meals and treats, starting at just $20.
A grilled cheese sandwich is like a warm hug from grandma. It is arguably one of the best meals you can get without having to go to a restaurant, and this little gadget makes it so easy to make. Built kind of like a bagel toaster, it has extra-wide slots that fit two slices of bread. But this is no ordinary toaster — each slot has a basket that squishes bread and cheese together and keeps the sandwich secure during toasting. The toaster screams for making oozy good grilled cheese sandwiches, but you can make any other kinds of sandwich you crave. And if you’re shopping for loved ones, this is the gift that keeps on giving.
“I got one of these for a dirty Santa gift about two years ago,” shared a rave reviewer. “I thought, Wow, all I need is another appliance!! 🤨 But, I smiled. One morning I made fried egg and cheese sandwiches in it!!!! I raise chickens and have fresh eggs daily! YUM!! Anyway, my grandson had one of these fabulous treats and comes over for them on a regular basis now. I just bought him one and taught him how to fry the perfect egg. He is so excited!!! It’s a great product. I hope they never go away!!”
If hot dogs are more your thing, this toaster can cook your frankfurter and warm your bun at the same time. With a retro diner design and the original Coca-Cola logo, this toaster has two specialized slots for hot dogs, brats or sausages plus two for the buns. It also comes with a little set of tongs to serve your dogs. So far, it’s raked in more than 3,000 five-star ratings and shoppers love it for its simplicity. And as a gift, shoppers say you can expect it to be a hit.
“Originally bought with the intention to be a white elephant gift,” reported a rave reviewer. “It was such a hit that I ended up buying three more for Christmas. Everyone who received it as a present was honestly so excited!”
You don’t see electric skillets much anymore, but what handy little gadgets they are! You can fry bacon and eggs without firing up the burners on your stove.
“I love the fact that I don’t have to clean my stove top after cooking,” shared a happy shopper. “I’ve used it with paper towels and/or a dish towel under while cooking. NO MESS!! Love it.”
This old-fashioned ice cream maker only looks like the hand-crank set from your salad days. This one has a motor to churn out about four quarts of ice cream at a time.
“I absolutely love the look of this ice cream maker,” shared a happy shopper. “It reminds me of the old fashion ice cream maker my grandma used to have. When I was a kid she would always have me sit on top while my dad cranked and churned the ice cream. LOL! Thankfully, with this one you get all the charm but none of the effort that the old-fashioned one required. This makes some of the best ice cream that I’ve had in years. It came out very smooth, creamy and delicious.”
If you have a chocolate lover on your gift list, this three-tier fountain will make every day a party.
“Every person in the party loved it and tried it,” reported a happy entertainer. “There were a few kids in the party, and we got this keeping them in mind, but it became a hot spot for adults as well. We had to add more chocolate to it in between due to the demand and it ran for around three hrs without any issue.”
With plenty of movie-watching weather ahead of us, this fun little popper will get a lot of use.
“This machine is absolutely adorable,” reported an enthusiastic shopper. “It’s small enough to fit on my counter. The thing not only looks really cool but works pretty good too.”
Just about every kid in America dreams of falling into a cloud of candy at some point in their childhood. Not only is this little machine fun to use, it can stretch any of your favorite hard candy into cotton-like threads.
“My kids and I got this for a block party,” wrote a rave reviewer. “We ended up making so much cotton candy with this. Even made jolly rancher cotton candy!! Sky is the limit! Just allow yourself to play around with it and in no time, you’ll be a cotton candy wizard!”
If you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $25 or more.)
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
More Holiday Gift Ideas
We’ve got your holiday shopping list covered with fantastic gift ideas for everyone on your list. You’ll find expert picks on the best tech gifts on Engadget, the best gift ideas for car lovers at Autoblog, gifts for the young (and young at heart) at In the Know, and picks for just about everyone else on your list (moms, dads, teens, nurses, you name it!) in Yahoo’s holiday gift ideas section. On AOL, you’ll find for gift ideas for seniors shopping for moms, dads, teens and toddlers.
Originally published