Let me start by emphasizing I never wanted to buy this device. My son made me. We went to Whole Foods and it was on the Amazon Treasure Truck and he talked me into it against my will. A Panini press? Who needs one of those? (I thought). I don’t eat paninis. And I certainly don’t want another gadget sitting on my countertop or stuffed into my overflowing cabinets.
How wrong I was. Now? I’m not sure how I survived without it.
But let’s be specific. It’s only the Breville Panini Press. Because the truly top and bottom non-stick plates are smooth, it is super easy to clean (this from someone who thinks nothing is easy to clean).
Note: because I’ve had my panini press so long, the model isn’t made anymore – but the new model looks improved.
Here’s the surprise. The number of things I cook on here is astounding. My Favorites?
- Eggs. Perfect over easy (put them to the back)
- Hash Browns — I get the pre-made patties from Trader Joes
- Warmed up pizza
- Steak — I like mine rare and this puts on the perfect sear. This does take extra cleaning though. Make sure to use soap to get the drippings off to maintain the non-stick surface.
- Eggplant — I slice and cook it here before using in any recipe. Also get breaded ones from Trader Joes
- Frozen Breakfast sandwiches — They actually taste decent made on here.
- Quesadillas, grilled cheese and hot sandwiches of all kinds. And they don’t need to be pressed because of a special feature called open melt.
The best side benefit? It’s so accessible and easy, even my teenage son makes his own meals and snacks with the panini press, making it worth every dime right there. I’m always finding new uses. I’ve had my Breville Panini Press over a year and it works just as well and is used just as often as I did at first.
It has a lock feature to make it easy to store sideways, but we use it too much for it ever to go up. It doesn’t really take up that much space and it looks pretty out because of the stainless steel. Especially right next to my Breville Stainless Steel Espresso Maker.
I’d love to gush about it, too, but I’ve had my Espresso Maker for 8 years, and my model is no longer made.
Closest New Model:
These are the only two Breville appliances I can speak to and both models have been upgraded, but I can promise you whatever they make is the brand I’m buying. It’s always a little extra, but worth it. They don’t pay me or even know about me. I just would want these two machines with me on a desert island (assuming electricity flowed and all that). With all the disappointing products out there, it’s handy to know about the machines that actually work.
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