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Both of these models have been discontinued by the manufacturers. However, you may run into one in thrift stores on online auctions. I hope these reviews are helpful.
*Both of these machines have non-stick heating surface which I believe can be dangerous to our family’s health.
Salton Wrap Master:
- weight 4 1/2 pounds
- approximate diameter of top and bottom cooking surfaces – 8 1/8 inches each
- surface cooking material – non-stick *
- plastic folding handle
- red thermostat indicator light – does not indicate when surface is ready
- 8 minute pre-heating is required
- painted design metal outer casing
- 1000 watts
The Salton Wrap Master requires 8 minutes of preheating time with the unit open.
The Salton Wrap Master gives specific warnings for heating and cooking with the lid open, as the steam may damage the machine. This results in longer cooking, and requires the chef to manually flip the tortilla to cook on both sides.
I tested two Salton Wrap Masters, as the first one received overheated and melted some of the plastic parts and burnt out the heating element. The second Wrap Master was tested against the one Mica Tortilla Chef.
Mica Tortilla Chef
- weight 4 1/4 pounds
- approximate diameter of top and bottom cooking surfaces – 8 inches each
- surface cooking material – non-stick *
- plastic folding handle
- red thermostat indicator light, off indicates when surface is ready for use
- polished steel outer casing
- 850 watts
The Mica Tortilla Chef has a thermostat light indicating machine readiness by the red light turning off when sufficiently preheated. In testing this time has usually been between 3-4 minutes.
The Mica Tortilla Chef has the unique feature of being able to close the upper lid while cooking the wrap to produce steam to “puff” the dough and cook more efficiently and evenly. However, if the cook desires, the Mica can be kept open and the tortilla manually flipped over to cook on both sides.
The handle on the Mica appears to be sturdier in design. The power cord provided on the Mica appears to be thicker, more insulated and the plug is a 3 prong (with a ground).
Performance Testing
Both electric tortilla makers are similar in size, weight and basic outward design. However, this is where the similarity ends.
In performance testing, side by side, using the same varied recipes and time guidelines, the Mica consistently outperformed the Wrap Master in all phases of testing. Using moist doughs, which are essential for pliable wraps, the Mica handled the dough and cooked the tortilla completely, while the Wrap Master struggled with dough sticking to the cooking surface and uneven cooking.
In repeated side by side testing, the Mica cooked the flatbread doughs quicker, more efficiently and more evenly than the Wrap Master. In some cases, 2 tortillas were cooked completely on the Mica, while the Wrap Master was not finished cooking one completely. The Mica browned and cooked the tortillas better in testing over the Wrap Master.
The Salton Wrap Master is an adequate tortilla maker, and is preferred over manual presses or hand rolling, but compared to the higher performing Mica Tortilla Chef, the Wrap Master is not the better choice, in this tester’s opinion. Even considering the lower retail cost of the Wrap Master the initial savings does not justify its purchase to me. My opinion is that the Wrap Master would not stand up under use, and therefore need to be replaced, thus ending up being the higher cost machine overall compared to the Mica.
© 1995-2010 Vickilynn Haycraft and Real Food Living. All Rights Reserved. No portion of this review may be copied, stored or transmitted in any medium, for any reason without prior written permission of the author.
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