Panini & Sandwhich Press recommendations?
Looking to pick up a good panini press. Large enough to be useful but not needlessly expensive. Anyone have any tips or recommendations?
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Sorry I don't have a recommendation, but you'd think someone would make a convertalbe waffle maker with panini grates too. -
Like this? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...G3SZAGC7WVJ8QB Comes in 2 sizes I believe.Comment
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I use this in a square grill pan and it also works good for bacon.
Last edited by Powersmoke_80; April 19, 2016, 07:17 PM.Comment
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I have the one that Munch provided a link to and I love it. Not 10 minutes ago I made my wife a ham, swiss cheese and grainy mustard tortilla shell wrap. After rolling it up I put it on the griller for about a minute, then flipped and rotated it to get some cool looking cross hatch grill marks and left it on for another minute or so. The result was a gooey, melted, ham and swiss wrap/sandwich that no diner could ever top.
I got it as a Christmas gift and didn't think much of it.....until I tried it, it's a great machine for making panniis/hot sandwiches. It claims to also be a grill but I doubt that I'll ever use it in that capacity. For making paninis though it can't be beat.Last edited by ribeyeguy; April 19, 2016, 07:48 PM.Comment
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I love my basic Breville. I was looking for something inexpensive for just grilled sandwiches. I even take it traveling with us
Belleville makes good quality products. This is also easy to store.
Here is the Amazon link.http://www.amazon.com/Breville-BSG52...=sr_1_1&sr=8-1
Good luckComment
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I really like the looks of that one Mickeylou5 simple, no frills yet not cheap looking. I like yours too ribeyeguy and Munch, thanks. Leaning toward $70 vs $100 though. Powersmoke_80 I need one of these too for doing them on the grill, thanks.Comment
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The breville has adjustable hinges depending on the size o f the sandwich, one temp and it is always perfect. -
Check out the Amazon warehouse deal for better prices and same amazon guarantee. I always buy from them if the option is available and have never had a problem. Item is always new and in good working condition.
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That does look like a decent machine. Regardless of which one you buy though don't make the same mistake that I did. With it being a press (and me not reading the instructions) I assumed that I had to mash the sandwiches together by pressing on the top section while it was cooking. Wrong. I wound up with two pieces of toasted bread and a Griddler full of forced out ingredients. I've since learned that no pressure is required, just lower the top section until it touches the bread and walk away, let the machine do the work.Originally posted by Mickeylou5 View PostComment
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Ernest, I agree! I already have too many unitaskers in my kitchen. I'm always looking for something that can serve more than one purpose.Comment
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This is mine, works good, no problems, removable grills for cleaning.
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What to buy will depend on how many you normally cook for. At home, its only my wife and I eating. So, I just use a waffle maker. It does an awesome job. However, to make more than 2 sammies would take forever, as it takes time for the heat to recover in the waffle iron. Use this concept when buying your pannini maker. For a given size, more wattage is better. More watts means less recovery time, therefore faster cooking of more sandwiches.
If you have to cook a ton of those bad boys, then a cast iron griddle and some meat weights work well. I think lodge has several types with grooves, but a flattop works well too. After all, its just a snooty grilled cheese with stuff in it.
We have 2 four sandwich panini presses at work. They both run on 240V. Even at 240V., they take awhile to put out the volume we need. Our cast iron griddle, placed over 2 sauté burners, is just as fast, and way less hassle, as we have limited 240V. outlets.
Anyway, what you need in a panini is a crunchy outside, right? The grooves in the panini press increase the surface area that you want crunchy. Wether its grooves, or a waffle pattern matters not, at least to me. As long as I get crunchy, melty goodness, I'm fine. Just a few ideas...Comment
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Two essential features for a panini press are the floating hinge lid for thick/thin sammies and removable grates for easy cleaning. Mine has the first but not the second. I'm going to gift it to my kid and buy one with removable grates that can go into the dishwasher. Cleaning that thing is a pain, since I can't put it under running water.
I love using it, though, for a lot of sammies, most especially pastrami rubens.
KathrynComment
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Well, after just reviewing Cooks Illustrated recommendations, maybe I'll keep my panini press after all. CI says that although removable grates are nice to have for cleanup, they have hot spots or one plate grills hotter than the other. The grills with non-removable plates heated evenly. Good to know.
KathrynComment
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We've been using the Cuisinart press with dishwasher safe switchable plates (the old one without the waffle plates, just the flat and ribbed plates) for years. Frankly, I have never noticed hot spots (except near the very edges - like 1/2 inch? - which are cooler) or that one plate is noticeably hotter than the other. We only use it a dozen or so times a year, so even if there are hot spots or plate temp differences, we never noticed them. And since I'm the scullery, I LOVE the easy clean-up, and the multi-year old plates show no dishwasher cloudiness and have not lost their nonstickiness.
YMMV, of course.Comment
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