You can't give this machine a bad rating. This Hamilton Beach Panini Press does one thing and one thing only, but it does it very well. If you enjoy pressed/grilled sandwhiches you will love this machine. As I write this I'm eating a feta/olive/artichoke/roasted peppers on pita sandwhich hot off the panini press, and it's scrumptious. I actually bought this as a christmas gift for my mother, but I probably use it more than she does.
The machine looks good on the counter, and has a large, non stick service. It's not on a hinge so it's designed to accept even the thickest sandwhiches without squeezing all the filling out. You can even "lock" the lid down to apply constant pressure, or lock it up to maintain minimal pressure or to not make contact with the top at all. It's great for quesidillas as well. Ignore the user that says it takes too long to heat up, it takes only a couple of minutes, about the time a waffle maker would take to heat. Even cooking on the stove you need to take a few mins to heat the pan! Also ignore the comment that this machine burns the bread before heating the filling, I've never had such problems, although I do wish there was a temperature control for further versatillity. But my bread never burns... I find 2-6 min will brown the bread perfectly, from lightly browned to nice and crispy (depending on how you like it) without burning it at all. I've never burned anything on this machine. I even once used it to grill some chicken, and it did the job nicely, though it's not really designed for that.
The only down sides are that there are no frills. I've seen other models that come with nice recipe books, this one has just a few hastily thrown together recipe ideas in the instruction booklet. There's no temp control either, which is fine, but it would be nice to have some kind of control (it would be more convenient if you wanted to use it for alternative purposes. The machine gets very hot, but that's to be expected. There's no alternate "plates" or cooking surfaces for say a flat "griddle" style surface, so you'll have to settle for the striated grate style surface, which in all honestly is not a big deal at all.
This is a great machine, at a decent price. It could be better with a temp control, some extra features, and a better recipe book, but all-in-all, you can't complain. It does its job, and does it very well.
Mechanically, the press has a nice design and it works OK for a $40 item. The upper lid is not hinged, so it can be raised very high to accomodate thick sandwiches. Bread comes out nicely ridged and crunchy. It does take a while for the unit to heat to cooking temperature, however. The main problem seems to be how to cook the inside of the sandwich without burning the bread; for an average sandwich (3 oz. ham and 2 oz. cheese) after 1.75 minutes the bread is done, but the ham is not sufficiently warm nor the cheese melted. This may be an issue with all lower-end panini presses, I suppose; perhaps some experimentation with different bread types and cooking times will solve my little dilemma. In any case, so far the resulting sandwiches are better than if served at room temperature, but not as good as those heated in my toaster oven and then slapped together.
Excellent value because it's not just a panini press -- you can also use it as a contact grill for vegetables, burgers, etc. You do this by using a set screw to lock the upper plate at the height you want. Bingo: buy one appliance rather than two.
The upper plate has about 3" to 4" of travel, so you can press fairly thick sandwiches. The size is nicely compact, with the overall dimensions not much bigger than the heating plates.
The plates have very fine ribbing, so you can't use this grill to fry eggs or pancakes. If you want those options, consider the Breville SG620XL panini press/grill (which has flat plates that lock into 6 positions), or the smaller Hamilton Beach 25219 Contact Grill.
First off:
1) I've used it now for over 6 months and not a single flake of the teflon coming off. My husband is a panini addict too. The machine is used every other day at the very least!
2) The plates are not flat because they are not supposed to be! I know one reviewer commented that they hated it because its not flat. This is a PANINI machine and not a griddle.
3) One reason people's sandwiches are not hot through out could be because we are used to eating HUGE sandwiches. Remember this cooks from the outside in, so if your sandwich is HUGE, the middle is going to be cold. That is just common sense. I like more meat than bread when I have a sandwich because I am not a bread person. (I eat my hamburgers with no bun or only half a bun.) But my sandwiches on the panini are hot throughout and they are not skinny whimpy ones. And if you are going to have lettuce and tomato, put it on after you cook the sandwich. I personally do not like cooked lettuce, tomato, pickle, etc. on my sandwiches...YUK!
4) Another reason could be because you need to put your ingredients on evenly. Don't clump a bunch of stuff in the middle and then expect it to be hot, it's not going to. Lay your ingredients evenly across the sandwich and there shouldn't be a problem with it heating throughly. Also remember the thickness of the cuts that you put on effects it too. Slice your vegetables thinner and there shouldn't be a problem!
5) It doesn't take a long time to heat up if you do it right. You go in the kitchen, get out the panini machine, and plug it in. THEN go to the refrigerator and get your items, wash your vegetables, slice things up, etc. By the time you have everything ready, your machine with be hot and ready to go!
6) It's plenty big! I have a big husband and son. Between the 3 of us it takes mere minutes to make our sandwiches. We fit at least 4 sandwiches at a time on our machine. So I'll make the guys their sandwiches, then plunk my sandwich on after theirs, put away all the fixings, and when I'm done so is my sandwich! Or we put the panini in the middle of the table and get all the fixings together. While someone enjoys their salad, another cooks their sandwiches. Good conversation and good panini sandwiches, you can't beat that!
We love this panini sandwich maker. I've seen many more units that are fancier and MUCH more expensive but I don't need all the bells and whistles for a sandwich for pete's sake! I have brunch or lunch dates with family and friends all the time and we make panini's. We set out the fixings and let everyone put together a sandwich and make their own panini! Seven people have bought their own machine since then! One of the greatest gifts this machine gives is an easy way to eat healthy. You don't need any grease, butter, margarine, Pam, or anything when you use it. That is so much healthier! By far, one of the best kitchen gadgets I have ever purchased! - Non-stick - Press - Panini Press - Grill'
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