Yes....you mean an electric sandwich grill? Makes any kind of grilled sandwich you can imagine....also will cook french toast and pancakes.

IMO, buying a "panini" press is a bit of a waste of time. There are waffle irons available with reversible plates... on side a griddle and hinges loosed up to accomodate a sandwich. Mine has pizzelles on reverse side... pretty flat and would probably make a very interesting sandwich.

"They" say, once you have at least 3 of something, you have a "collection". I have 3 bacon presses... rectangular, cast-iron... to keep bacon flat in pan. They work fine to weight down a sandwich. All ya have to do is TURN it over and brown other side. Since I like to use cast iron to do grilled sandwiches... a SECOND skillet on top dows the trick quite nicely.

I guess that's what I mean. Vaguely remember my grandmother having a big, heavy one that looked kind of like a square waffle iron, but longer. You could cook two sandwiches, side by side. But it squished them flat. The only thing she used it for was grilled cheese. Remember thinking that was an awful lot of work, dragging that thing out (and cleaning it and putting it back away) for two grilled cheese sandwiches. I thought if I could use the newer ones for other things, it would sure help in the summer when I don't want to turn the oven or stove on.

Yes, I have an electric one that I got for cheap at a rummage sale. Besides making paninis, we've used it to cook pork chops & boneless/ skinless chicken breasts. Haven't used it in a while; it'll prolly get put in the next garage sale that we have. So, it's kinda' fun & then the novelty wears off and it gets passed on. Which is why I buy almost all of my gadgety kitchen items from rummage sales!

Oh, the plates in mine are fixed. Make sure you get one with removal plates so it's easier to clean.

I had a mini one that made one sandwich at a time, and I loved it. I have a big one now that is sitting in the garage collecting dust. It just took up too much space and was heavy and cumbersome.

I love my panini. I have had it a long tine, use it often for Rubens, Cuban sandwiches, Wraps, etc. It does not have removable plates, but is easy to clean. I can cook 3 large sandwiches at a time. It leaves beautiful grill marks.
It does not squish the sandwiches flat. I have to press on it hard or wrap them tightly in aluminum foil if I want a 'flat' sandwich. If it broke today~I would buy another tomorrow!

Kinda like a George Forman grill?

If you just want something to press, find a brick, wrap it in foil, and then set it on top of what you're pressing. It's easy to clean up (just throw away the foil when you're done. well, and put the brick back in the pan drawer, if you're me). I don't eat sandwiches, but it sure is great for reheating baked chicken to warm it and turn it into rosemary grilled chicken. Tastes like it is freshly made.

Of course I have a panini press, Elery bought it. We used it twice, maybe three times, then it went into the basement and I haven't used it since. I don't have enough storage for it in my small kitchen and it's a PIA to go into the basement for it, so I use a cast iron pan for the sandwich with a smaller cast iron pan on top to "squish" it. (shrug) It works and saves me a gadget to clean and a trip to the basement.

Don't mention it to Elery, though, he loves the darned thing and every time he thinks about it he asks why I don't use it, LOL.

Annie

I'm embarrassed to say we have two. We have a Cuisinart griddler and an electric croque-monsieur press. We moved to New Mexico last summer and I haven't found either yet, but I don't miss them either.

Cheryl

DH loves sandwiches. I do patty melts, tuna melts, reubens, monte cristos. But I can only do one at a time in my cast iron pan and I always make a mess of the fillings when I try to flip it to grill the other side.

In the youtube link, Alton Brown makes a grilled cheese sandwich with a cast iron frying pan and a cast iron griddle. The grilled cheese sandwich technique starts about 7:59 in the video.

Here is a link that might be useful: using two cast iron pans like a sandwich press

We have the Cuisinart Griddler,the large one. We bought it for my oldest when she went away to college. Her college did not allow cooking in the rooms so we kept it. We like it a lot and use it mostly on the weekends for breakfast and lunch. Has removable non-stick plates so it is easy to clean. Cooks from top and bottom, lays flat so you can do pancakes, eggs,meats,etc. besides just sandwiches and paninis. NancyLouise

Nope, but I do have a couple of heavy cast iron frying pans that work wonders.

I also have, if needed, a couple of foil covered bricks.

I have not used mine in many years.

dcarch

{{gwi:1536963}}