Best Panini Grill - What do I need to make a Panini?

What do I need to make a Panini?

I eat a lot of Lean Crusine's Philly steak and cheese paninis. How can I make a home made one? Do I need a panini press or just a teflon skillet? Thanks

Public Comments

No, you don't need a panini press: 8 slices crusty bread 100 g ricotta drained 8 small slices mozzarella 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves cracked black pepper to taste olive oil for brushing top 4 slices of the bread with the ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan. Sprinkle with the oregano and pepper and top with the remaining slices of bread. Brush both sides of the sandwich with olive oil and place in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Weight the sandwich with a side plate, and can. Cook for 3-4 minutes each side or until brown and crisp. Slice and serve. Serves 4.
Do you know how to make a sandwich? That is all it is in Italian. It means "little breads".
I have made a panini with a George Forman grill before...It actually turned out pretty good & I love paninis...I got a loaf of focaccia bread at the grocery store & sliced the bread with the amount I wanted for my sandwich, then you can put what you want in the bread.
If you don't have a press, a cast-iron would be best, but teflon will work. I like to use a brick wrapped in aluminum foil as a weight.
lol, you do know that all a Panini is is a small sandwitch... thats all it means... Americans just dont understand it... Italian Pane- bread Panino- sandwitch Panini- small sandwitch Theres no "rules" to making one, just like you make a sandwitch
dont buy a panini press just to make a sandwich, if you have a small skillet sized grill pan thats perfect and what I use all the time. And any filling will work for a panini, just dont over stuff the sandwich and at most keep the filling to 4 items or it smushes all over the place and makes a huge mess. just have fun with it and experiment.
You know what I use? I get out my huge extra reversible electric griddle/grill and heat up the grill side. (cause when I make these, I have to make like 6 of them- big family) I make some sandwiches with sliced pesto turkey, tomatoes, cheddar cheese and spinach leaves (arugula is good too), butter each side really well and place it on the hot grill. I take a cast iron pan and set it on top to weight it down. Don't move it or check it for several minutes so it gets all crispy and melty. Flip it and cook several more minutes. Voila. No need to buy yet another kitchen gadget. No electric griddle/grill? Grab a cast iron stove top grill the next time you're yard sale-ing or at a local second hand shop. You may have to keep your eyes peeled for some time before you find one, but you should be able to get it for $5 or so. Or you can buy one new at http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=199478 You don't even have to have the fancy grill marks if you can't afford or want to buy the grill pan. The same thing can be done with just any heavy pan placed on the cooking sandwich. Or even if you don't have that, use a salad plate weighted down with a big can of whatever, like beans or tomatoes, to keep pressure on the sandwich so it get's all flat and squished. ;) Happy munching!
Pannini can be made with just about any filling you fancy. It's basically a grilled sandwich and can be done in any kind of skillet or griddle. A pannini grill will just do it faster.
hey mommy. its lean cuisine and cRusine. I tried the Stouffers Italian one I had in my freezer today. It was really good. KoKo (LOL!)
Just one vote for the panini press - if you anticipate making grilled sandwiches (or even other grilled items, for that matter) on a regular basis, you might find it worth the investment to go for a press. One thing I like about mine (I use the Breville Ikon that Williams-Sonoma sells) is that I can adjust the height so I can make either really flat sandwiches or taller ones - my Foreman grill isn't adjustable so I don't have as many grilling options. Another advantage of a press over a skillet is that it heats from both top and bottom so I imagine it cooks faster and perhaps more evenly (I haven't tested this). If you're likely to just make panini every now and then, I agree with the others - no need to buy yet another kitchen gadget. But if you like to grill often, I say go for it!