This lil panini press definitely gets the job done. It upgrades my boring sandwiches into hot little morsels from heaven. But it is very far from perfect. On taking it out of the box, I couldn't tell if it had been used or made in the most crazy, destructive, dysfunctional factory in the world. It had quite a few little dings and scratches on the plastic handles. It is so disappointing to wait for something to come in the mail, get excited about it and have it come out of the box looking like someone else returned it the day before they sent it out to me. Luckily, the grey "stainless steel" surface was fine and still protected in factory plastic. I'd been craving a panini for a week and didn't feel like dropping another 10$ at the cafe down the street, so I bit the bullet, washed it VERY thoroughly and it's now sitting on my counter. One of the reasons I gravitated towards this model was the price and that is advertised as having a floating hinge, which in my understanding, means that the top lid comes down directly on top of the sandwich, ie like a press should, and would not come down at any kind of angle like the George Forman grill. There is a slight swivel, but all in all, it comes down at an angle and depending on how tall the sandwich is, pushes the contents off. If I had seen this product before purchase, I probably would've just picked up a George Forman grill of the same size for half the price. The only differences, in my opinion, are that it looks better sitting on the counter than a Forman grill and the way this grill can open flat (for flat grilling on both the top and bottom grill) . But it is a feature I haven't used and probably won't ever use. Bottom line, I think this model is a glorified and overpriced George Forman Grill, and if I could do it again, I would either buy the George Forman Grill or spend double than what I spent to get a better product.
Somehow I thought the top part of this unit would rotate just a bit so it would lay flat on top of the sandwich I want to grill. But it doesn't. Anything more than about 1" has to be turned around halfway through to get the outside edges grilled as well as the original inside ones. It works well and the vendor was just fine but I am disappointed with it. Wish the top rotated more.
My roommate and I love sandwiches, the more creative the better. I decided to purchase this panini press after talking about how we could create our own at a lower cost. I am so glad I bought it, we both are extremely busy, working full time, volunteering full time, and I am also a full time student. With this panini press dinner is ready in like 10 minutes.
The only negative thing I have to say, is after a few uses, it take a lot longer for the sandwiches to get completely grilled. I dont know if I'm not cleaning it properly or what, but all in all it still works great.
We love going to Whole Foods, buying a ton of fruits and veggies, good cheese and good bread, and throwing it all into one sandwich. YUM!
I bought this panini grill because it was small and had a great price.I was impressed! It's so easy to use, and so easy to clean! The grill is non-stick and you can clean it by hand or in the dishwasher. It has a red and green light to inform you when the grill is hot enough to make your panini on! I'm constantly making sandwiches with this grill! It was definitely worth the price!
I ordered this to replace an older George Foreman grill. I could not be happier with this product. This is so much more than just a great panini press. I have used it to grill chicken breasts, pprk chops, burgers, et.. This is a great alternative to using my outdoor grill during the winter months. It heats up quickly, cooks evenly and, best of all, the removable plates make cleaning so much easier than what I had before.
I love how this grill opens up flat to two grilling surfaces for burgers, chicken or fish. It has a place for the fat to drain like a Foreman Grill only the clean up is much easier. I have enjoyed many panini sandwiches such as a tuna melt, chicken articoke spinach, and turkey BLT. They were all delicious and toasted to perfection. I found it was better to butter the bread first even though the intructions say you dont need to. I had trouble at first getting the top of the grill to lay flat on the entire piece of bread which left it mostly toasted on one side. But I use a hot pad to move and tilt the top grill at an angle so that it lays flat and toasts the bread evenly. The grills slide off easily when a button for each grill is pressed. The easy non-stick surface wipes clean. I dont regret purchasing this grill. It has been a fun tool in the kitchen.
I bought this for my sister and her family for Christmas. They love it! Besides sandwiches they use it to grill steaks and porkchops..faster than outdoor grilling and much easier in the winter than standing out in the cold. Easy to clean too. - Griddle - Griddler - Cuisinart Gr-4 Griddler - Cuisinart Griddler'
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