Panini Grills/Press - worth a buy?

I'm considering purchasing a panini grill/press and wondered if there are any specific brand recommendations or if it's recommend to purchase one at all for a good toasty sandwich. Toasting in the conventional and/or toaster oven is getting a little boring for me. I thought a panini press would be a little more fun.

Thanks in advance for you input.

I'm thinking about this too. I was leaning toward the George Forman with the removable, flippable grill plates. Do they take BB+Beyond coupons for 20% off on that brand?

Target sells an inexpensive Breadman brand that works well for grilling sandwiches.
HERE

As to the Bed Bath and Beyond question -- I would think they would take your coupon; also something not everyone knows (or my mother didn't, anyway) -- BB&Beyond coupons never expire (even though they have expiration dates on them, they'll always take them) and you can use as many as you want at each purchase. I generally save a lot using them.

I dislike single-purpose appliances, but my Breadman panini press is one I use frequently. Inexpensive, easy to use and clean, and produces great results. No temperature control, but I've never missed it. IIRC, I got mine at Walmart for $29.

Bill/SFNM

I bought a Breville panini press 2 months ago at Canadian Tire for 59 $ CAN. I can't remember a buy in this expense-category that has brought me more smiles.

While "Breville" might not be available in the US, they make a typical panini press. See the picture here:

http://www.breville.com.au/products_index.asp?div=3

I warm it up, put in the sandwich, toast until done, and eat. With glee. I use the damn thing two or three times a week. Never expected that it would make the difference that it does, but it did. Indeed, I leave it out on the counter. One of the few appliances that rates that kind of space.

Who knew?

Your mileage may differ.

Geo

I have a Breville juicer that I love, Geo. It's like a fine piece of stainless sculpture. I probably use it twice a week.

As for the Panini machine, I ordered one endorsed by the goofy Michael Chiarello in his Napa Style catalogue. I paid some where around $100. Like many of my appliances it gathers more dust than usage.

YPW-- good that you mention the style of your Breville juicer. When I said 'typical', that was unfair to the style/design/engineering of my Breville panini press: it's quite attractive to look at, and has a hinged-top design that *really* works. Plus, it cleans up very nicely.

TODG used it today. I used it yesterday. Dang, it's so SIMPLE: it just sits there, waiting to be used.

It doesn't hurt that Montreal--who knew?-- is the absolute cold cut capital of the Known Universe: we get everything, and everything is superbly done. I've started on a capicola forte tear the end of which is not yet in sight... sigh. Luckily, they make some cheese round these parts that goes nicely with the local bread. Oh boy, I'm making myself hungry...

Geo

Williams-Sonoma has a number of Breville products. I know they have a juicer and I think they have the panini maker.

For the people who have these panini machines, why are they better than a frying pan?

I make grilled cheese (the old-fashioned name) reasonably often by an old-fashioned method. If I'm using bread that makes me want to press the sandwich, I put a second heavy pot on top. The whole cooking process takes less than 10 minutes, counting flipping it over, the pans go in the dishwasher and I don't have a another gizmo to find space for.

What does this grill do better? I always look at them in the stores, but I've never been able to convince myself it was worthwhile to buy one.

Our new apartment has a very sensitive smoke alarm which goes to the fire department. After using my cast iron pan once and very nervous that the fire department would show up, I decided that a George Foreman Grill was in order. We went to Kohls where it was on sale, we also saw a Cuisinart Griller which became my choice. Why? It comes with griddle plates and a temperature control. The grill/pannini maker goes from low to sear and the griddle has temperature controls in degrees. I have used it to grill all kinds of meat and poultry also salmon. Like that I can sear reduce temp and continue the cooking as I used to from stove top to oven. Panninis have also turned out quite good and I really enjoy them. Since hubby has been on South Beach I haven't really tried the griddle but am thinking of using it for hamburgers, easier to turn on a flat top.
Paulette

LAZ wrote:For the people who have these panini machines, why are they better than a frying pan?

By applying heat to both the top and bottom, it easy to make thick sandwiches that are heated throughout with the cheese completely melted. For simple grilled cheese, this isn't a big deal, but for mouth-stretching, Dagwood-style creations, it makes a big difference, IMHO.

Bill/SFNM

We make a lot of cuban sandwiches and panini. And I have used many presses, including the Foreman grills and fancy Italian presses.

By far, the best I have used is my current press, Cuisinart's.

Best features are the removeable plates that can be flat or ridged; temp. control, and (best of all) a large floating hinge that allows the top and bottom to remain in parallel for even thick sandwiches. Most like a Cuban "plancha" that I have seen.

http://www.chefscatalog.com/catalog/pro ... item=11773

LAZ--

About the fifth time my pressure pile fell over into the skillet and onto the stove, I said 'to hell with it'. The panini press is designed to press. No piling on necessary.

Takes the same amount of time to heat both sides as one side.

As Bill/SFNM noted, thicker sandwiches are plausible.

And hey! the little grill striations are kühl! You can't do that with your plain ol' skillet.

Geo

Christmass brought me a cast iron le crueset pannini grill consisting of two pieces which must be preheated directly on the burner then oiled for use. Panninis are good and crunchy but sometimes stick to one of the Pieces. I had an overcook (burn) issue once. Fairly expensive for what you get. Mario Batali has a version that looks the same for about 3/4 of the price. It may be of a less dense enameled cast iron. Any tips for manual paninni making? BTW Nutella and banana with the jarred clarified butter on sale for three dollers at W & S is awsome.

Babaluch

My very old panini maker just broke--I am in the market for a replacement and wondered if any of you had a good recommendation. I would like it to be compact enough for flat storage and I am debating about the pros and cons of flat griddles vs. ridged ones. I only make sandwiches on it. I am currently considering a deLonghi or a Breville. Thanks in advance!

I have the Breville - the smaller one that seems to have been replaced by this larger and more expensive model:

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/breville-panini-press/?pkey=x%7C4%7C1%7C%7C4%7Cpanini%7C%7C0&cm_src=SCH

It replaced a much cheaper model that had been recommended by David Rosengarten. The Breville is used daily in our house. We no longer use our toaster when we just want toast since it comes out so much better on the Breville. We use it for sandwiches almost every other day and couldn't be more pleased. I highly recommend it.

I have a Krups that is a few years old, and really like it. It heats up fast and evenly and has a large cooking area too. I usually just make sandwiches on it, but have used it a couple times to grill vegetables. Did that very good too.

Jeff

I'll second Bill on the small Breville. See my comments upthread.

Geo

After I posted wondering about these things, I realized I owned one, a long ago gift. I've still never taken it out of the box.

Would some of you please post some examples of what you use them for?

Thanks!

I've been very tempted to buy one also. Examples of delicious food that you cook would be helpful! Do you grill chicken and other meats and veggies as well as sandwiches? I think that would be what would justify the expense for me; would it be good to grill chicken breast for putting on salad?

I just used mine again this afternoon. I'm a pro at this. I used mine for almost everything for three months while the kitchen was gutted. What I still love it for now:
Heating tortillas extremely well in like three seconds flat. Four at a time. BOTH sides.

Same thing for parathas

Hash browns. If you like hash browns, but hate making them at home because they take so long to get nice and crispy, this thing will have you eating crispy hash browns quick. No tossing and pressing, either. I scatter them, drizzle some olive oil, close it, Then go to the cooktop and make eggs. IMO, they could re-market these things as "Hash Brown Makers."

Quesadillas in half the time of a pan.

Paninis, of course

Rueben sammiches.

Today, along with the quesadillas, I reheated grilled asparagus. Gave em a few new grill marks and crisped em up in a few seconds. The one I have does not have removeable plates. I got it on super sale clearance at 75% off. If I was paying full price, I'd def get one with removeable plates for cleaning. Mine is non-stick, and cleaning could probably be harder, but removeable plates would make it a breeze.

As for chicken breasts (boneless,) I've never been able to time it right. Mine also has no temp control, it's just on/off. I've tried b/s breasts three or four times, and I just can't seem to get em right. I always wind up overcooking. That's me tho.


Ooh another thing. French toast. I can do eight pieces of standard loaf slice or maybe 12 pieces of french loaf slices in about a minute. Minute and a half if I want criss-cross gtill marks.

Just curious - not owning any of these but considering one as a gift - can you do pretty much all the same things that you can do with a panini press with a George Foreman grill?

As I recall from My forman grill days (Haven't used mine in probably 6 years or so,) The Foreman I had did not have a disjointed hinge, and also, it was built to tilt to let the "grease" flow away from the food. It came with a little drip pan for this purpose. SO, from what I know about the Foreman is that the surface of the top cooking plate might not be in constant contact with the food, whereas a panini press is pretty much built for that. My experience is from an older Foreman. Might not be true anymore. Hmmmm. Now I wonder where that thing is? Probably garage saled it.

So, in my experience, a sandwich with a decent girth would be a struggle in a Foreman.
If the Foreman is still slanted, then quesadilla cheese might be sloughed to one side because of gravity, and if you want your food to sizzle in grease, that will be an issue if your vessel's design is to drain the grease while cooking.

An Alton Brown tip: (intended to be about waffle makers, but which applies here) if it has a plastic housing, chances are it isn't going to get hot enough to give anything you put in it a crispy exterior.

I think it is important to have a press that allows you set the distance between the upper and lower plates. The Breville, unlike my old cheapo press, has notches to control the placement of the upper plate. What can happen without such control is that the weight of the upper plates can flatten the bread and crush out the fillings as they soften while cooking. You can adjust the Breville so that the upper plate is in contact with the bread without crushing it. The notches are in steps so that the adjustment is not always exact, but it is far better than nothing at all.

Bill/SFNM wrote:I think it is important to have a press that allows you set the distance between the upper and lower plates. The Breville, unlike my old cheapo press, has notches to control the placement of the upper plate. What can happen without such control is that the weight of the upper plates can flatten the bread and crush out the fillings as they soften while cooking. You can adjust the Breville so that the upper plate is in contact with the bread without crushing it. The notches are in steps so that the adjustment is not always exact, but it is far better than nothing at all.

Very good point. Mine does not have notches, and when I do grilled pbj*, I end up with spillover from the sammich getting mashed. Not a big problem for me, because the spillover globules get crispy, crunchy and chewy. Since it's nonstick, I can just peel off the little buggers, and crunch em up.

*don't you judge me!

Grilled pbj is flippin awesome. I DARE you to tell me it isn't.

You should consider the Cuisinart "Griddler" which is a thoughtfully-designed pannini press with lots of other uses. It will adapt to most any thickness of sandwich or food; its plates - non-stick - are removable and dishwasher safe; it opens out flat to serve as a griddle or a warming food server; it comes with both a flat and ridged pair of plates; all are dishwasher-safe. If you shop carefully you can score it at, say, Kohl's or BB&B with discount coupons.

The list price is about $150, but we got ours for $85 at Kohl's with a combination of sale-price and discout coupons.

We use it quite a lot.

Sounds like a very good option. I'll keep an eye out for it. Thanks, MikeLM.