I bought a panini press! Now what?

[AlaMoi]

panini press not required for smashed potatoes - these are baby reds:

[blue_dolphin]

3 minutes ago, AlaMoi said:

panini press not required for smashed potatoes

Absolutely- I prefer my smashed spuds a lot more flattened and crisped than your photo but there are plenty of ways to get there.  No panini press for you!  Or me, but I do enjoy the conversation.  

[lindag]

2 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

Exactly.  With a side of god old boy thrown in.

He's strikes me as the kind of guy who's always thinking he's the smartest person in the room.

[ElsieD]

6 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

There's a bunch of stuff out there like this: 18 Surprising Things You Can Make In A Panini Press.  Most of them aren't things I'd necessarily want to do - that omelet looks weird - but I liked the idea of the smashed little potatoes (boiled first, then smashed) and the grilled vegetables. 

 

Also, 10 Unexpected Things to Make in a Panini Press where I liked the idea of the grilled romaine lettuce, grilled fruit and grilled flatbreads

 

I'm looked through both of these and darn it all, if I didn't copy that cake recipe.  It just seems weird enough for me to try it.

[rotuts]

I(m considering this :

 

Breville Duo 1500-Watt Nonstick Panini Press (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

it has the single temp, w a green light.

 

you don't flip the plates  no super tech stuff 

 

top plate seems to be adjustable for thickness 

 

it locks and can be stored upright 

 

its similar in ways to @Smithy's find.

 

OK talk me out of it

[Smithy]

29 minutes ago, rotuts said:

I(m considering this :

 

Breville Duo 1500-Watt Nonstick Panini Press (eG-friendly Amazon.com link)

 

it has the single temp, w a green light.

 

you don't flip the plates  no super tech stuff 

 

top plate seems to be adjustable for thickness 

 

it locks and can be stored upright 

 

its similar in ways to @Smithy's find.

 

OK talk me out of it

 

I'm afraid the only way I'd try to talk you out of it would be to urge you to get something with some temperature control! My unit has grill temperature controls and I'm looking forward to trying them, although I've no experience yet to see whether I actually use those controls. One thing that's very nice about this unit it that it locks and can be stored upright. Mine has no such latch, and needs to sit level (currently it's doing that on the floor) until I come up with a strap to tie it all together. The adjustable thickness looks great.

 

I also like the idea of grill marks on both sides of the panini, but that's just me....

[rotuts]

or me , one temp if not just fine ,

 

I like easy thees day.

 

turn on   green light  'press something 

 

need note on results  re time.

 

standing upright is talking to  me.

 

i think the added features to the original idea , well made BTW

 

Id rarely use , if ever.   

 

if you had a temp calibrated unit , w reversible grills

 

I can see opening that up for a sunday family breakfast , for sure.

[rotuts]

Ive been wondering about waffles. 

 

they really are special 

 

however , a pancake is a less involved

 

tasty sub.

 

so

 

on // off panini's

 

do pancakes , or does the top get in the way ?

[rotuts]

as far as I can tell 

 

if you wabnt a waffle 

 

you get a PPs that have removable plates

 

and buy n extra set for waffles.

 

and the simple PPs's   won't open for pancakes.

 

 

Edited February 20 by rotuts (log)

[weinoo]

The Breville unit here has removable plates, and I did buy the waffle plates (though haven't used them yet).

 

What surprises me about the unit I have is the temperature control.  Separate dials for the top and bottom plates - I checked the temperature accuracy with a laser thermometer and, while it wasn't spot on, it was within like 5℉ or 6℉, which for this type of product, I think is pretty good.

[rotuts]

@Smithy

 

im guessing your panini press is similar to the one Im interested in

 

mentioned previously.  

 

if possible , the next time younuse it

 

will you take a picture of the press

 

'  fully open '

 

ie , can  you use it , at the set temp to make pancakes , or brown something ?

 

or does the lid not lift enough .

 

many thank 

 

Id like to make Carnitas.

 

then thread them ,on the PP

 

and brown crispy is teynwere 2 - 3 " in hight.

 

what do you think ?

 

addendum :

 

I saw the video here :

 

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B002PY6X1E/egulletsociety-20

 

an Ive placed my order.

Edited February 21 by rotuts (log)

[Smithy]

23 hours ago, rotuts said:

@Smithy

 

im guessing your panini press is similar to the one Im interested in

 

mentioned previously.  

 

if possible , the next time younuse it

 

will you take a picture of the press

 

'  fully open '

 

ie , can  you use it , at the set temp to make pancakes , or brown something ?

 

or does the lid not lift enough .

 

many thank 

 

Id like to make Carnitas.

 

then thread them ,on the PP

 

and brown crispy is teynwere 2 - 3 " in hight.

 

what do you think ?

 

addendum :

 

I saw the video here :

 

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B002PY6X1E/egulletsociety-20

 

an Ive placed my order.

 

Although you've already placed your order, here's the information you asked for about my panini press.

 

 

It doesn't have the adjustable height for plates as in the one you originally linked (and presumably bought). The top plate "floats" in the sense that the lid comes up and down as necessary and the top plate pivots to parallel the bottom plate. (BTW it is NOT clever to start warming the press before making sure that the literature and cleaning tool are not being stored between the plates! Ask me how I know.)

 

 

Mine opens out completely flat so that both sides can be used at the same time. Both plates are reversible, so you can have 2 ridged plates, 2 flat plates, or one of each.

 

 

 

[Smithy]

Life brought all my time for and interest in cooking to a screeching halt for around a month, but now that the dust is starting to settle I have some preliminary results to share. I also have a wealth of recipes and cookbooks from which to choose, when things get even calmer.

 

I tried grilling slices of eggplant that had been brushed with olive oil, as the preliminary step to making eggplant parmesan. 

 

 

It appears I didn't get any "after" pictures, which is too bad. They took on light grill marks and a pretty golden brown color. Unfortunately the eggplant came out so tough that the entire assemblage needed a knife for every bite. Was it because of the grilling method? I don't know. It could also have been because by that time the eggplants were at least a month old! I'll try the technique again later, with fresh eggplant, and report back.

 

Pressed sandwiches have been a fairly regular occurrence. When I had some interest in and time for cooking again, I bought a selection of sliced meats and cheeses. The results have ranged from Reuben to grilled cheese sandwiches. I'm finding I like my homemade sauerkraut added after grilling to my sandwich.

 

Again, there aren't any detailed pictures of the innards but here's a composite of one pair of sandwiches. 

 

 

I do have to flip them, despite having grill shapes on both top and bottom plates, to get good grill marks. The top plate doesn't seem to get as hot as the bottom plate. So far we're very pleased with the results, basic as they are.

[gfweb]

We got one about 15 yrs ago and found our kids didn't like panini, and we were underwhelmed too. 

 

Once you cook a Reuben and a cubano....