Read First Before Buy Breadman TR456 Panini Maker
I bought this item sight unseen from Amazon. It makes thick sandwiches in three to four minutes, thin ones in two. It is very sturdy, heavy, and professional-looking...actually, beautiful! It has a baked-on type, platinum-look finish. You'll look very Euro when you fire this thing up.
The grill plates are deeply grooved and produce lovely (and hot!) results. It's big enough for two HUGE sandwiches or four small ones. The grill plates lock together easily so that it can be stored upright.
I am a very practical person, and I wondered whether this item could be better than a plain old frying pan. It is!! And how!!
Some presses out there, even expensive ones, don't have ridged grill plates. This one does. I wouldn't want a press without them, so watch out. I already have a frying pan!
I can't imagine how the performance could be enhanced by paying more. So don't pay more! I love bargains! Make some nine-dollar sandwiches in your kitchen!
UPDATE FEBRUARY 2013: Still turning out great sandwiches!!
We are very happy with this unit. I was leaning toward the Krups but bought the Breadman on price. After buying and using the Breadman I compared it to the Krups unit and they are very similar in construction. The grills look identical. The Krups is a 1500 watt while the Breadman is 1400 watt. This unit makes great Panini - very crispy bread with nice grill pattern. Cooks fast in 4-5 minutes. Highly recommended!
BalasHapusAfter reading the reviews, I decided not to order it online because i didn't want it to arrive broken and found it both Macy's and Target for $39.99. I've only had it for a week, but we've been eating panini every day for lunch since I bought it - i refuse to part w/ it!! I've used sourdough bread (my favorite) and have used a variety of cheeses, pastramis, pepperoni, olive tapenade, roasted bell peppers to make the most delicious sandwiches.
BalasHapusThe non-stick grilling plates are not removable, but that's ok - it cleans up very easily after the unit cools down.
It's true - the lights on the outside (red and green) are not very bright, but just plug it in and heat up for several minutes and you should be fine.
As far as not having an off/on switch, well due to my limited counter space, i can't store it on the counter anyhow - i slide it on top of my microwave for storage...so i wouldn't want to keep it plugged in all day (like my toaster or microwave) anyhow - it works fine for me.
I was looking at all of the other brands (cuisinart, villaware, krups) and I don't see how they can be so much better. This breadman panini maker is a HEAVY, sturdy piece of equipment.
For me, I wanted the following:
-something non-stick
-something sturdy/heavy
-something that heats up quickly
-something that will clean up easily
-something that will make perfect panini
This unit does all of that and more - and it's worth the $39.99 price - it's almost TOO cheap.
If you love panini and do not want to pay $80 to $130 for a panini maker, I would highly recommend this. I am very particular w/ my kitchenware and LIVE in the kitchen. I only want the best microwave/coffee maker/espresso maker etc....just because the price is so good doesn't mean it's a cheap piece of equipment. This performs, feels like, and looks like a $80-$100 piece of kitchenware.
For starters, you'll read a lot of reviews here referring to how Amazon ships the unit. I'm not sure if that's how they did it back then (these reviews seem to be older) but mine arrived very well packed, with the original packaging surrounded by filler, surrounded by a cardboard box marked 'FRAGILE' outside. Everything was completely intact when I received it.
BalasHapusNow to the unit itself. I'm pretty handy in the kitchen, and I have one of just about every crazy gadget imagineable. I had two criteria in mind when I bought this - heavyweight (for durability and to retain heat better while cooking) and powerful (to get enough heat in the first place).
My first paninis were made out of steak (top loin sirloin, which I sliced very, very thinly) which I cooked on the grill itself. The grill did a fantastic job of cooking the meat, leaving attractive grill marks and cooking it very evenly. I took a loaf of bread that I'd sliced per the instruction manual, and got cracking. Five minutes later, well done, nicely thinned, evenly cooked steak and cheese panini.
My observations - very strong and even cooking. The unit does feels like its worth more than you've paid for it, which is always good. The heftiness of the machine and the swinging hinge helps you take uneven sandwiches and turn them into evenly flattened and cooked paninis. The cleanup afterwards wasn't bad at all - although I'm sure one person's complaint here that the buildup will be more difficult over time is likely true. The only way I can see getting around that would be to have removeable plates, but that kind of feature is only found in units that are significantly more expensive - in other words, if you want it, you'll have to pay for it (like a Cuisinart Griddler at 4x the price).
My advice - if you're getting started with paninis, this is probably your best bet. Likewise if you're cost conscious. You may have the impression that this is a cheapo unit, and you'd be better off by paying more to get a higher quality unit - but unless there's some feature that you need that this one doesn't have (like those removeable plates, or an adjustable thermostat), I'd pass on that thinking - this bad boy is about as durable and performant as you're going to find, regardless of the price tag.
For starters compared to other models and brands this one is reasonably priced.It cooks really well. Has the grids on it which makes the sandwich look nice. It can cook up to four regular sandwiches or 2 big ones. It's really good with rustic and artisian breads leaving them nice and crispy and crunch, It makes a really good gourmet style sandwich that you'd probably pay alot for in a restaraunt. I am unfamilar with them as do we do not have no area in my part of New York State which makes panini so I found out about them on my own and have began to make them. I really like them and the panini maker alot.
BalasHapusReaders please do not fear receiving your unit from Amazon. My grill arrived gift wrapped in the cutest blue bag with a light green satin sash. The box was packaged most carefully with plenty of air bags and was marked fragile on each side of the box.
BalasHapusI would not trade this panini maker for any other brand.
The heavy duty construction performs perfectly and your guests will consider you a gourmet when you present them with perfectly grilled cuisine. Using a panini is the only way to eat a sandwich, bar none. Cooks Illustrated recommends using a cast iron pan and a bacon press...WRONG...not the same effect. The grooves on the unit are perfectly placed and the heating element allows you the perfect temperature givng your sandwich a crunchy, crispy outside and moist and tender inside with gooey melted cheese. YUM
Also, the streamline size allows for easy storage.
If you love grilled sandwiches / paninis - this is a must have. We just got this yesterday and have had 3 meals (ok 1 of them wasn't neccessary!) with different paninis. Incredibly easy to use and super tasty sandwiches. Open a can of Orangina with it and you are in Italian heaven.Plus it is a great price and from what I could discern, there is no difference between this model and the others that are priced thirty to fifty dollars higher on Amazon.
BalasHapusMine arrived in perfect condition, despite being packed in only the shelf box. What a solid piece of equipment for the price! It browns the bread evenly and perfectly. I've tried the Foreman grills, a Hamilton Beach grill and this grill is the only one to give me a perfect panini. And having it delivered to my door with no added shipping or tax makes the price unbeatable. If you love grilled sandwiches, order one of these right now, you won't be sorry. And Amazon is just first rate to work with under any circumstances. It's the place I look first.
BalasHapus
BalasHapusI bought this item sight unseen from Amazon. It makes thick sandwiches in three to four minutes, thin ones in two. It is very sturdy, heavy, and professional-looking...actually, beautiful! It has a baked-on type, platinum-look finish. You'll look very Euro when you fire this thing up.
BalasHapusThe grill plates are deeply grooved and produce lovely (and hot!) results. It's big enough for two HUGE sandwiches or four small ones. The grill plates lock together easily so that it can be stored upright.
I am a very practical person, and I wondered whether this item could be better than a plain old frying pan. It is!! And how!!
Some presses out there, even expensive ones, don't have ridged grill plates. This one does. I wouldn't want a press without them, so watch out. I already have a frying pan!
I can't imagine how the performance could be enhanced by paying more. So don't pay more! I love bargains! Make some nine-dollar sandwiches in your kitchen!
UPDATE FEBRUARY 2013: Still turning out great sandwiches!!