Leave Your Stovetop Alone - Upgrade Your Grilled Cheese In A Panini Press

When you want to make grilled cheese, a pan on the stovetop is usually the best way to turn the buttered bread and cold cheese into a crispy sandwich with a gooey middle. The childhood favorite food is easy to make in a pan but, sometimes, even classics can benefit from an upgrade. That's why one of the grilled cheese hacks you'll wish you knew sooner is to forget about the pan and use your panini press instead.

There are many unique ways to use a panini press, from cooking bacon to grilling fruit, but a grilled cheese panini is a little easier to manage. The use of a panini press has a few advantages over the frying pan. You'll have a crunchier crust with those grill marks from the appliance for a textural upgrade. Your grilled cheese will also be flatter, like a traditional panini, if you want to add more fillings. Depending on the size of your panini press, it might be easier to make multiple sandwiches at once too. And if you still aren't convinced enough to pull out the panini press, it can also be quicker compared to your stovetop.

You probably don't need us to tell you how to make grilled cheese, but we have some ideas in case. Start with Tasting Table's ultimate grilled cheese recipe with cheddar and Gruyère cheeses and chives. For a more outside-the-box spin, try this everything bagel grilled cheese in panini form. Just be mindful of how much cheese is in the sandwich, or you might create a gooey mess inside of the appliance. When your sandwiches are assembled, set the panini press to the medium-high temperature setting. When it's heated, add the sandwiches and cook for about five minutes, which should be enough time to melt the cheese and crisp the outside of the bread.

To take advantage of the panini press, you might want to add additional ingredients to your sandwich since it will be flattened anyway. Bacon, prosciutto, deli ham, or leftover rotisserie chicken are all easy ways to add protein for a more filling sandwich. Avocado, sliced tomato, sun dried tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts, and peppers are veggies that meld well with the cheese on the decadent sandwich. And you can even add scrambled eggs to your grilled cheese before it goes into the panini press for breakfast. So long, pan on the stovetop.