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Experimenting with making hot sandwiches in the microwave with a device from Japan’s 3COINS

Elliot Hale Oct 8, 2026
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Can you really get crispy grill-marked sandwiches without the grill?

It seems that everyone in the SoraNews24 editorial office is getting the bug for hot sandwiches, especially since they’re made easy just by using a microwave. This time around it’s our Japanese-language reporter Go Hatori who has got some wheaten cravings to satisfy, and so he swung by 3COINS, Japan’s affordable lifestyle brand, and picked up the Kitinto Microwave Half Hot Sand Maker for 2,750 yen (US$17.40).

The main body resembles a glasses case, and though it is made of silicone, it feels surprisingly sturdy when picked up.

Opening it up, there were metal plates inside.

Perusing the recipes in the included booklet, all of which take about three to four minutes to cook, Go skipped past offerings like the chocolate and banana sandwich. In the end, he instead opted for a simple and classic sandwich: ham and cheese.

Go opened the body, laid down a slice of bread, and placed butter, ham, and cheese on it.

He folded it over, and closed it with the latch. The instructions say that it supports Japan’s eight-sliced loaves, but the thicker six-sliced loaves also seem to work just fine.

All that was left to do was to stand it upright and place it in the microwave for three and a half minutes at 600 watts.

The body gets ridiculously hot, so Go was extra careful when taking it out of the microwave, and when opening it.

When he did open it, what appeared before him was a magnificent hot sandwich, with the cheese still bubbling furiously in the places where it was exposed.

Go’s expectations soared, and when he took a bite…

So delicious! The surface of the bread was crispy, and the insides piping hot. Go felt that if someone were not told that it was made in a microwave they never would have expected it.

Of course, it wouldn’t be SoraNews24 without a little experimentation, so Go sandwiched a croquette bought from the supermarket into some bread and put it in the microwave at the same settings.

Once again, a truly exquisite sandwich.

The croquette was piping hot and fluffy, and the bread was crispy. To think he could get a hot croquette sandwich in a little over three minutes! Go felt like he was living in a dream.

Finally, Go tried a bite-sized pork fillet cutlet, also bought from the supermarket.

Sandwiching it with some cabbage in the bread, he put it in exactly the same way, and the result was…

▼ Perfect!

Go played with making three different types of sandwiches, and they all turned into something wonderful. He found it amazing how this hot sandwich maker could create grill marks even though it uses a microwave.

Sure, the price tag is not exactly cheap, and similar microwave hot sandwich makers are sold at other places in Japan (like Nitori), but now that he has actually used it, Go doesn’t feel like he’s wasted any money at all. In fact, he couldn’t be happier that he bought it.

All you need to do is just fill it up with your favorite ingredients and put it in the microwave. A short wait time results in a crispy hot sandwich and very little mess, as washing it was a lot easier than a frying pan or conventional hot sandwich maker. This little gadget has officially secured a spot in Go’s household, and will surely end up being used for a long time to come.

Related: 3Coins online store
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[ Read in Japanese ]