There's only one thing better than a good sandwich and that's one that's been through a jaffle iron. Yes, the humble toastie, the jaffle, whatever you like to call it, may be simple in its execution - nothing more than bread, your choice of filling and a bit of butter, pressed down into a pillow of warm, melted, carby goodness - but that doesn't make it anything short of brilliant in our eyes. And we're not alone in our love for the jaffle: our nation's top chefs, too, hold a special place for it in their hearts.

Joel Valvasori-Pereza, Lalla Rookh, Perth, WA

How well would your signature dish work in a jaffle?

I think the ravioli of spinach with ricotta and Montasio cheese would be an absolute disaster of a sandwich. I imagine the bread would get sodden from the walnut-and-fig butter sauce. Our pappardelle with sugo di carne would be a winner though, with a few slices of cheese.

What's your go-to jaffle?

My go-to jaffle is tinned spaghetti and cheese. Tinned spaghetti has no other culinary use except with toasted bread.

The ultimate jaffle?

Ultimate jaffle? This is inspired by my mate Matt Wilkinson and a sandwich he had on at Pope Joan: sopressa salami, buffalo mozzarella, pickled green tomatoes and basil. A wicked mix of salt and acid balanced with creamy cheese.

Nicky Riemer, Union Dining, Melbourne, Vic

How well would your signature dish work in a jaffle?

One of our signature dishes is our roast suckling pig with apple soubise, which we only do on Friday and Saturday evenings. It's done simply - stuffed with sage, rosemary, garlic and oregano, then roasted. The juicy pieces of suckling pig flesh mixed with some apple soubise and the delectable crisp skin would make a very fine toasted sandwich or filling in a jaffle.

What's your go-to jaffle?

My go-to toasted sandwich would have to be sourdough bread with smoky ham off the bone with a nice bitey cheddar and lashings of relish or Dijon mustard. And I love butter on the outside of a toasted sandwich: I want a good toasted sandwich to be dripping down my hand.

The ultimate jaffle?

The ultimate jaffle for me would be thinly sliced roasted duck breast with foie gras parfait and golden raisin jam. I know, I know, it sounds like a heart attack; but trust me, with a glass of Sauternes, this is no humble jaffle.

Peter Gilmore, Quay, Sydney, NSW

How well would your signature dish work in a jaffle?

The snow egg would be a disaster, but the smoked and confit pig cheek with shiitake, scallops and Jerusalem artichokes could potentially be amazing.

What's your go-to jaffle?

When it comes to jaffles late at night, if I'm honest, it's just a good bit of cheese, such as some Comté.

The ultimate jaffle?

Brie de Meaux and shaved Australian black winter truffles.

Ben Shewry, Attica, Melbourne, Vic

How well would your signature dish work in a jaffle?

Our "simple dish of potato cooked in the earth it was grown in" as a toastie? It wouldn't be great. I'm not convinced that a hangi potato between bread is good. I know from personal experience that leftover roasted potatoes and chicken gravy with cheese in a toasted sandy is amazing.

What's your go-to jaffle?

Pyengana cheddar, diced onion, black pepper. I've been eating the old cheese and onion for at least 30 years.

The ultimate jaffle?

For me, lasagne. With extra parmesan.

Jeremy Strode, Bistrode CBD, Sydney, NSW

How well would your signature dish work in a jaffle?

Corned Blackmore wagyu beef and horseradish would work really well.

What's your go-to jaffle?

Pyengana cheddar - that simple.

The ultimate jaffle?

Ham from Feather and Bone, Pyengana cheddar and truffled egg.

Daniel Southern, Comme, Melbourne, Vic

How well would your signature dish work in a jaffle?

Since I've been focusing on French food for the past couple of years, I'd say all the ingredients of cassoulet (pork belly, pork sausage and confit duck) cut small enough and squeezed into the jaffle is a winner. But if none of those ingredients is accessible to you, I'm quite partial to cheese, ham and tomato.

What's your go-to jaffle?

As an Englishman, I cannot go past a baked-bean jaffle. The beans have to be Heinz English Recipe - the blue tin, available in any good supermarket.

The ultimate jaffle?

There's no beating that cassoulet.

Iain Todd, Ethos Eat Drink, Hobart, Tas

How well would your signature dish work in a jaffle?

At Ethos we change the menu every day, but we have a slow-roasted Bruny Island pork shoulder dish with unripe strawberries, watercress and soused onion, and a charred ox tongue dish with eggplant purée and pickled zucchini that I think would work a treat in a sandwich.

What's your go-to jaffle?

My go-to is a simple one: leftover bread from work, cut thick and filled with Tilsit, chunks of ham and whatever pickles I can find in the fridge.

The ultimate jaffle?

The ultimate jaffle would have to be cooked in a fire with the excess bread from around the sides burnt away and the middle too hot to eat for at least five minutes. The filling would be reminiscent of the old favourite - baked beans that I've made and lots of Tilsit (you've gotta have lots of cheese) all smothered in hot sauce after it's cooked. The bread has to be square, white, supermarket bread to fit in the jaffle iron, plus it holds together the best. A great sandwich with the smell of the fire would be unbeatable.

Andrew McConnell, Cutler & Co., Melbourne, Vic

How well would your signature dish work in a jaffle?

At Cumulus Up one of our most popular dishes is a duck waffle topped with a foie gras parfait. I've always dreamed of filling a toasted sandwich with a good slab of foie gras and a spoon of shredded confit duck and/or slow-cooked onion.

What's your go-to jaffle?

My go-to toastie is a simple old-school ham, cheese, tomato sandwich. Quality ingredients are essential and plenty of butter. It has to be cooked in a sandwich press and not under a salamander grill.

The ultimate jaffle?

My something-serious is an additional snack dish we served last year in Moon Under Water - a brioche toasted sandwich filled with an outrageous amount of cultured butter, a good slab of Gruyère de Comté and shaved truffles. Cooked in a sandwich press with crusts removed, it's now on my short list of death-row meals.

Shane Delia, Maha, Melbourne, Vic

How well would your signature dish work in a jaffle?

Our signature lamb or renowned Turkish delight doughnut? I think both would be amazing. Our slow-roasted lamb shoulder would be a cracker of a filling. Imagine it with some shaved haloumi, ricotta and almonds. Hot! On the other hand, if we chose Maha's signature dessert, it would also rock. The Turkish delight would be melted down as a jam with hot, oozing Nutella, and finished with a crisp casing brushed with hot honey and sprinkled with crushed walnuts.

What's your go-to jaffle?

It's a simple one. I'm a sucker for Vegemite and cheese, but I need a good cultured salted butter. It makes it just a touch more special.

The ultimate jaffle?

Sourdough, jamón, foie gras and spiced fig jam. Do I really need to say anything more?

Phil Wood, Rockpool on George, Sydney, NSW

How well would your signature dish work in a jaffle?

To be honest, I think congee would be horrible in a jaffle. Imagine how quickly it would go soggy.

What's your go-to jaffle?

My favourite jaffle when I was a kid was tomato sauce and cheese, then my tastes moved on to Marmite and cheese. Now I just love the good old ham and cheese with some béchamel.

The ultimate jaffle?

I reckon it would be braised beef short ribs with sautéed morels, shaved truffle, some Gruyère and an egg - something light.

Hugh Whitehouse, Saffire, Freycinet Peninsula, Tas

How well would your signature dish work in a jaffle?

Desserts are always a favourite here, but to put them in a toasted sandwich might be a disaster.

What's your go-to jaffle?

It has to be a classic: leg ham, Gruyère and tomato on sourdough.

The ultimate jaffle?

Being winter, it has to be southern rock lobster, Tasmanian black truffles and poached egg between slices of buttery potato sourdough.

Joseph Abboud, Rumi, Melbourne, Vic

How well would your signature dish work in a jaffle?

Three-cheese cigars - I hadn't thought of it until now, but damn, it would make a serious jaffle. Three cheeses (haloumi, feta and ash'awan) plus oregano.

What's your go-to jaffle?

Cheese and bacon. Nat [Joseph's wife] is in charge of toasties at home, so I've adopted the house special.

The ultimate jaffle?

I think Andrew McConnell's Moon Under Water toasted sandwich has topped that one. I don't think I could get too serious about a toastie, but I take Nutella pretty seriously.

David Coomer, Pata Negra, Perth, WA

How well would your signature dish work in a jaffle?

Perfect: white beans, duck confit and smoked pork belly. The ultimate baked-bean jaffle.

What's your go-to jaffle?

We do one with jamón Ibérico on toasted tomato bread at Xarcuteria. So simple and luxurious.

The ultimate jaffle?

Comté with black truffle.