The Best Panini Presses and Deep Filled Sandwich Grills

If you, like me prefer warm sandwiches, hot wrap and toasted paninis that you can only get from cafes, with its crispy crust, melted cheese and warm taste, you will be glad to know that you can now make these too at home.

These days, a big part of our outings involve dropping in at the cafe, be it for lunch, tea or simply to meet-up. There is no denying in that with this new cafe culture, more and more cafes are opening up offering not only hot beverages but also sandwiches and cakes.

Delis and Bakeries may have seen better days on the high street now that majority of the shops opening are coffee shops. So where would one grab a quick lunch. My guess is Starbucks, Costa Coffee, Caffe Nero, Pret A Manger, Lavazza Espression, EAT., and other similar cafes.

Ideas for Panini, Toastie and Warm Wrap

You can now make your own cafe-style panini sandwich just the way the shops does it with your very own Panini Press… and if you are thinking ‘how many ways can I enjoy a panini, toastie or wrap’, see below for inspiration drawn from the said Cafes.

– Pret A Manger

You can find more ideas at the bottom of this post.

In this article we will be looking at panini presses and not sandwich toasters. Sandwich toasters are different in that they cut and seal your filled sandwiches usually made with slices of bread from square loafs and toast them. You then get from a sandwich, two triangle toasts. Not very elegant I know and certainly not something you get from the local cafes.

Best Panini Presses and Deep Filled Sandwich Grills

Here is a quick list of panini presses you can find in the market:

1. Breville VST025 Panini Sandwich Press

2. Cucina by Gianni Stainless Steel Panini Sandwich Press

3. Andrew James Stainless Steel Panini Sandwich Press – DOUBLES AS GRIDDLE/GRILL

4. Russell Hobbs 17883 Panini Sandwich Press – DOUBLES AS GRIDDLE/GRILL

5. Cuisinart Griddle and Grill – DOUBLES AS GRIDDLE/GRILL

Others

• Krups Expert PG7000 Panini Maker
• VonShef 2 Portion Contact Grill Panini Press – DOUBLES AS GRIDDLE/GRILL
• VonShef 4 Portion Contact Grill Panini Press – DOUBLES AS GRIDDLE/GRILL
• Delux Contact Grill and Panini Press – DOUBLES AS GRIDDLE/GRILL
• Swan SF9030N Panini Press

Now for a closer look at each of these:

1. Breville VST025 Panini Sandwich Press

• Stainless steel cover with hinged lid to accomodate bread of different thickness
• Suitable for 3 Paninis
• Flat non-stick coated aluminium plates
• Power on and ready to cook indicator lights
• Stands vertically for ease of storing and efficient use of storage space

See also Breville VST026 4 Slice Sandwich Press

2. Cucina by Gianni Panini Sandwich Press

• Brushed stainless steel cover with floating hinge for any size panini or sandwich
• Suitable for 2 – 3 Paninis
• Simply power on and its ready to cook, experiment and check to see how well you want your Panini done.
• Griddled non-stick heat plates with detachable drip tray to capture fat and juices
• Stands upright for compact storage

3. Andrew James Panini Sandwich Press – DOUBLES AS GRIDDLE/GRILL

• Stainless steel cover and plates with 2000 Watt output power and hinged lid to cook any sandwich and food of any thickness
• Suitable for 3 Paninis, also suitable for all kinds of meat, chicken, beef and lamb with removable drip tray for excess fat
• Non-stick coated cooking ridged plates are durable and easy to clean
• Power and ready light indicators
• Also available in Red

4. Russell Hobbs 17883 Panini Sandwich Press – DOUBLES AS GRIDDLE/GRILL

 

• Opens 180 degrees into table griddle with handle doubling as stand for cooking bacon and vegetables. Adjustable hinge for any thickness of panini.
• Suitable for 2-3 Paninis or 5 large chicken breast when used as griddle and grill
• Built-in removable drip tray/drawer to catch excess fat when using the press as grill
• Non-stick coated plates for ease of cleaning
• Power and ready light indicators

5. Cuisinart Griddle and Grill – DOUBLES AS GRIDDLE/GRILL

• Stainless steel housing with brushed finish, 4 way Griddle and Grill with reversible, non-stick griddle and grill plates as well as different cooking positions
• Suitable for 3-4 Paninies or 5-6 burgers
• Use it fully open as table grill, as contact grill or as panini press
• Floating hinge designed to rest evenly across the food and sandwich and great for deep filled
• Temperature controls including searing function, integrated fat collection tray for discreet fat disposal
• Non-stick, fully removable and dishwasher safe for easy cleaning

Other Panini Presses

• Krups Expert PG7000 Panini Maker
• VonShef 2 Portion Contact Grill Panini Press – DOUBLES AS GRIDDLE/GRILL
• VonShef 4 Portion Contact Grill Panini Press – DOUBLES AS GRIDDLE/GRILL
• Delux Contact Grill and Panini Press – DOUBLES AS GRIDDLE/GRILL
• Swan SF9030N Panini Press

Most of the panini presses featured here double as griddle and grill. In fact the last unit on our list, the Cuisinart, is actually an electric Griddle and Grill. While there are those with fixed heat plates, some come with reversible hot plates while others have separate plates you can swap out.

This offers versatility, in that you not only get a panini press but a grill and griddle as well. And, if you can’t convince your other half to get a grill, you might be able to convince them to get a ‘healthier’ panini press. Just saying…

After reading this article, you might be inspired to pull out your electric grill. If you already have an electric griddle or grill, you can just use this to toast your paninis and fill sandwiches. They work the same way as you have seen with the panini presses in our list.

Our Line-up

Here is a quick look at our line-up again, most of which are affordable and as it doubles up as a grill, a bonus. For the most up to date prices, please click on the links below:

1. Breville VST025 Panini Sandwich Press

2. Cucina by Gianni Stainless Steel Panini Sandwich Press

3. Andrew James Stainless Steel Panini Sandwich Press – DOUBLES AS GRIDDLE/GRILL

4. Russell Hobbs 17883 Panini Sandwich Press – DOUBLES AS GRIDDLE/GRILL

5. Cuisinart Griddle and Grill – DOUBLES AS GRIDDLE/GRILL

More Inspiration

We leave you with more paninis, toasties and wrap ideas inspired by the cafes:

Starbucks

EAT.

Caffe Nero’s Specialty Panini Recipes

Costa Coffee