How To Choose The Best Panini Press For Your Kitchen

There are certain kitchen appliances that we don't necessarily need, but we very much want. A panini press is one of those that you don't often think about as a pure necessity. However, when you're making a sandwich at home, the thought of a beautifully golden crust, with those signature grill marks and some cheese oozing out, is enough to make you dream of owning your own panini press. A sandwich is very often the quick and convenient meal of choice, especially around lunch time, and there's no denying that you can give your grilled cheese a major upgrade in a panini press. When you look at it that way, you can see how this tool can become an important part of your cooking routine and an appliance that you can even use daily. 

Panini presses, or indoor grills as they're sometimes called, have come a long way since the late '90s when they were really first popular. Nowadays, you can get relatively lightweight models with various functions, including adjustable thermostats, hinging lids, reversible plates for different types of grilling, and more. As someone who uses a panini press daily for both personal and professional cooking, I've tried different brands and models over the years and have a good sense of what makes a good panini press. Here are some things to look out for when choosing the best panini press for your kitchen.

The first thing you need to do is to think about what your panini press needs are. Nowadays, panini presses can range from super simple to machines with multiple functions that offer up more uses. You can even find accessories and tools that allow you to grill meat, make waffles, and more. Deciding what you want to use your press for will help you know which functions to look for and which ones are just unnecessary extras.

You'll also want to think about the capacity of the machine. If you're living alone or with one other person, you won't need to have a large panini press. The larger ones do tend to take up quite a bit of counter space and cost more. You'll likely be making one or two paninis at a time, so a smaller sized appliance will do the trick. However, if you're going to be sharing it with roommates or your family, or you'll use it mainly for gatherings, then it's worth getting a larger panini press so that you can make a few paninis at a time. You may be able to justify a higher price tag if you want to avoid having to make multiple batches of paninis each meal. 

Some panini presses have floating or hinging lids. This basically means that the lid of the press can remain flat at any angle as you move it up and down. This is a useful thing to have because it enables you to cook differently-sized foods evenly. 

You've probably come across a panini press without a hinge lid before. Think of an old timey Snackwich machine or a common panini press where the lid comes down straight. This is perfectly fine for flat sandwiches and toast, but it doesn't work as well for baguettes or bread that's a little bigger. Some sides of the bread may become crisp, while others are left untouched. And, if you use all of your strength to force your sandwich in, you'll likely flatten whatever is in there. 

On the other hand, a floating hinge lid is perfect for cooking larger items on both sides without needing to totally flatten them — which is what you'd want for something like a burrito. To take it even further, there are certain panini presses that will float at any angle you place them. This can be great for cooking meat, as you just need to lightly touch the top press to cook the meat, rather than push down and let all the juices out.

We all love an appliance that can do the cooking without us standing over it the whole time. This is something to look out for when you're buying a panini press. Some come with lid locks, which allow you to get an even cook without needing to physically hold the appliances closed. It also helps you get a crispier result, since you can press it down as much as you want to and lock it shut. In contrast, presses without locks don't tend to stay closed, even if you press down. 

This means you can get your sandwich or grilled cheese in your panini press, press down the lid, lock it, and walk away. Your sandwich will get evenly grilled on both sides without any further active cooking needed. This is really convenient when you're prepping a meal and need to do other things. Of course, don't forget to set a timer so you don't forget your food is in there. Otherwise, you'll end up with a burnt panini.

It's important to note the specifications of your panini press' lid, as the dimensions impact the appliance's functionality. The lid is the top press of your panini press, and it's where a lot of the magic happens. The top press is what makes a panini press different from cooking stove-top, as it helps cook the food from both above and below. 

While a lightweight top isn't the end-all-be-all of a good panini press, it can be something that's nice to have. A fairly heavy top will press down on your food more, while the lightweight one allows you to add as much pressure as you'd like. More pressure can help you grill things more thoroughly, while less pressure will prevent flattening. It's not always easy to tell or find dimensions for how heavy the top press is, so it might be worth checking out the model you plan to buy in-person before making that purchase.

A simple panini press will only have an on and off button. If you're only using the press to make paninis or grilled cheeses, then this will be perfectly fine. The heat level is consistent and you can control how much you grill something based on how long you keep it in the press. However, certain panini presses have an adjustable thermostat. This can be really useful for cranking the heat up when you need to or lightly grilling something on a low heat setting.

An adjustable heat setting is important if you are using it to cook food, rather than warming items through. For example, if you're cooking burgers, steaks, chicken filets, or kebabs, you might want to set your heat higher to get a good sear or to brown them. Again, this is all determined by what you want to use your panini press for.

Nowadays, it's really common to find a panini press that has multiple functions. Often, you'll find that the heating plates are interchangeable; you can go from a flat panini press to a grill plate within minutes. These are the two most common types of plates, but you can even find waffle plates or differently-shaped grill plates too. 

I personally use my press for all sorts of foods, from wraps and skewers to mushrooms and lamb chops. I've even used it to grill fresh fruit. I also bought one with a waffle plate to make crowd-pleasing Sunday brunches, though it could also be used to transform leftover mashed potatoes too. 

Alternatively, you might have a limited budget and/or only need your panini press for what its primary use is: paninis. In that case, you don't need all the changeable plates. That one plate can even be used for different foods — if you're willing to experiment with it.

Perhaps one of the most important things I look for in a panini press is whether or not the plates are detachable. That's because cleaning a panini press is no easy feat, and as with any cooking vessel, you need to clean it after every use. Whether it's oil or melted cheese from your tuna melt panini or perhaps a chicken pesto panini, there are plenty of things that will stick to your plates when you're done cooking. 

If you're working with a non-detachable press, you have to be skilled at cleaning your plates with minimal water, as you don't want to damage to the electrical functions. You're sometimes given a scraper (included with most — but not all — panini presses) to help you clean in between the ridges, but I've found this all to be really difficult to master without being able to detach the plates. Detachable plates can be removed from the machine and washed, which will prevent any damage from being done to the electrical wiring.

What's even better than detachable plates? Dishwasher-safe ones. Who doesn't love the convenience of putting something in a dishwasher so that it can do all the cleaning for you? This is especially true with a panini press because the plates aren't the easiest thing in the world to clean. They can be clunky to hold up while washing, and it can be especially difficult to get into the ridges and corners where food tends to stick.

A panini press with dishwasher-safe parts can make your life so much easier. My older panini press was not dishwasher-safe, which discouraged me from using it because I knew I would have a hard time cleaning it. A panini press with dishwasher-safe plates might cost a little bit extra, but the value of this convenience arguably outweighs a lot of other factors — and it may even make you more inclined to use it. Plus, a dishwasher allows you to clean it fully and properly — which isn't always guaranteed with hand washing. 

Before you pick a panini press out, consider how easy it is to assemble. This may be less important if you plan on assembling it once and keeping it on the kitchen counter. If you don't have the space to keep it out all the time, though, it's likely that you'll be packing it away and taking it out each time you want to use it. If it's hard to assemble, this will make it a chore to set up and pack away. This can also be a deterrent from using it as often as you'd like to. 

Look for a machine with easy assembly. This may be as simple as attaching the plates and plugging it in. Moreover, this type of assembly will be the best option for frequent use, and it will help you get cooking with it in no time. Though, if you opt for a more complex machine, be sure to watch an assembly video online if it's available. You can also read product reviews, as people will often comment on a product's ease of assembly. 

Back in the '90s when the household panini press type machines were launched onto the market, they were mostly marketed as a way to cook low-fat meals. Appliances like the George Foreman "Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machines" were designed specifically to remove excess fat and oil drippings from your food. The appliances often came with drip trays for the excess fat. Though, today's panini presses aren't necessarily made with this same purpose in mind, and they don't usually come with drip trays. However, you can still find some with drip trays included, and this may be a bonus for you. 

These drip trays did help with clean up. They're especially helpful if you're cooking burger patties, or extra cheesy sandwiches, as they tend to ooze and leave excess grease on your panini press. Drip trays, which are either placed at the front or the back of the grill plate, allow for this excess to be collected in one place. This makes it much easier to clean up; all you need to do is remove them, wipe off the excess fat, and wash them. Some drip trays may even be dishwasher-safe. 

My old-school panini press only had one function: one and off. It also included a red and green light. The red light would turn on when the machine had preheated, then it would turn green once it had deemed my  panini to be sufficiently pressed. I wasn't sure whether it worked with an internal thermostat or let a specific about of time pass, so it wasn't easy to streamline my cooking with it. That's why I recommend finding a panini press with a timer. There are plenty of panini presses out there that come with this feature. This function isn't reserved for the high-end appliances only, either. 

A timer can be as simple as an analog rotating knob, or a digital setting that lets you set it for as long as you want. When the time runs out, your machine may make a sound, or, as is the case with the high-tech panini presses, it may turn off automatically. Regardless of how it works, it allows you to always know when to remove your food — and you can deduce how long it's been cooking. This gives you the freedom to leave the food on its own while doing something else, and it allows you to cook things consistently every time.