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113My share-house favourite back in the 1990s was tinned braised steak and onions with a slice of Black & Gold processed cheese.%u2018Just make yourself a Breville!%u2019 The classic phrase yelled out by tired mums is etched into our collective consciousness and, in many ways, the %u2018toastie%u2019 could lay claim to being one of our national dishes. We first fell in love with %u2018ja%u00a0les%u2019 (no, nobody knows why they%u2019re called that) in the late 1940s when Ernest Smithers, a doctor from Bondi, patented his version of a two-handled, hinged device that clamped two slices of bread with fillings together so they could be heated over a%u00a0flame. The ja%u00a0le iron was a bona fide hit, but open flames were fast going out of fashion. In the early 1970s, a Belgian company invented an electric version, which was distributed in Australia by the electrical appliance group Breville.Breville was formed in 1932, and after making radios and mine detectors during World War II, it shifted its focus to kitchen appliances in the early 1960s.Following problems with supply, in 1974 Breville decided to manufacture its own version of the toasted sandwich maker, and that%u2019s where the genius comes in %u2013 it invented the first version that cut the sandwich in half. That glorious appliance has now been massacring deli meats and creating a delicious crust for more than 50%u00a0years. The Breville sandwich toaster was an instant hit. The company claims it sold more than 400,000 units in its first year %u2013 suggesting that one in ten Aussie households had one. International success followed, with significant sales in New Zealand and the United Kingdom where, like in Australia, an enclosed toasted sandwich is still colloquially referred to as a %u2018Breville%u2019. In 1982, Judy Ridgway released her bestselling Breville Toasted Sandwiches Book, which o%u00a0ered culinary highlights such as peanut butter and scallop, chicken and asparagus, and the unforgettable curried egg and pineapple. Hey, I%u2019m not one to judge. My share-house favourite back in the 1990s was tinned braised steak and onions with a slice of Black & Gold processed cheese.The classic appliance is still in production %u2013 Breville reintroduced a retro version of the 1974 classic maker in 2022.YEAR 1974DESIGNER AND MANUFACTURER Breville