Panini Grills Buyers' Guide
Foodservice businesses looking to add grilled cheese sandwiches, quesadillas, hamburgers, and other grilled items to their menu can benefit greatly from adding a panini grill to their restaurant equipment lineup. With a commercial panini press, you can quickly and easily create a sandwich with appealing grill marks, which are a staple in cafes and trendy sandwich shops, or cook traditionally grilled items such as steak, chicken, and quesadillas. We'll help you understand the features and benefits of a panini press – including plate styles, materials, and configurations – to ensure you choose the best piece of equipment for your business's needs and menu.
Do I Need Grooved, Smooth, or Combination Plates?
Panini press plates are available in three styles: grooved, smooth, or a combination of the two. Each produces a different result, so it's important to consider how your product should look once it is pressed and cooked.
Grooved plates on the top and bottom create grill marks on popular menu items that customers expect to be cooked to order. When it comes to serving sandwiches and steaks, for example, customers see those grill marks as an appealing indicator of the food's freshness. In operations serving chicken breasts and steaks without a traditional grill, grooved panini plates can be used to leave sear marks to mimic the appearance of proteins grilled on a charbroiler.
Smooth plates on the top and bottom are ideal for preparing foods that would usually be cooked on a griddle, such as hamburgers and French toast. Smooth plates have more surface contact with food than grilled plates but won't produce the grill marks that grooved plates do. Some meals, such as burritos and quesadillas, may look odd with grill marks, so a panini press with smooth plates would be the best option for those menu items.
Combination plates generally have a grooved plate on top and a smooth plate on the bottom. This enables the product to have grill marks on top, while the bottom acts as a griddle to cook food effectively. However, some combination panini grills feature smooth plates on one side and grooved plates on the other, a design that provides cooks with the full functionality of both styles.
Decide if you want smooth plates for effective heat, grooved plates to leave grill marks, or a unit with both types.
Which Plate Materials Do I Need?
Commercial panini press plates are typically made of cast iron or aluminum; vitroceramic plates are less commonly available. The materials all have pros and cons to their features, so it's important to understand the qualities of each to make the most informed decision.
Cast iron plates take longer to heat than the other materials, though they'll also retain heat longer. They distribute heat effectively but are not as cost-effective as other materials and require a little more maintenance because cast iron has to be seasoned occasionally. The majority of commercial panini grills are made with cast iron plates, and it's likely this style will be a good fit for your kitchen.
SHOPAluminum plates, the most economical material choice, heat up quickly and transfer heat efficiently. They are ideal for use in applications where the panini press is only needed periodically, so the plates aren't continuously heated.
SHOPVitroceramic plates, made of a glass ceramic, cook food with radiant and contact heat, ensuring consistent cooking. They're nonporous and resistant to carbon buildup, so they're simple to clean.
SHOPPick the best material to accommodate your needs, considering your budget, business volume, and how much maintenance you can provide.
Should I Get a Single or Double Panini Press?
Whether you need a single or double sandwich press depends on the product volume you want to produce. If you have a low-volume establishment where you'll only need to operate your panini press occasionally, then a single unit would work for you. Single units occupy less space than double units, so they're best for places with limited counter space. The main drawback to the single unit is that they can only be used to cook one type of food at a time.
A double panini grill can cook two items at a time, suiting these units for use in medium-to-high-volume settings. Some units can have a combination of plate configurations, enabling the user to cook foods on smooth, griddle-like surfaces or on traditional, grooved surfaces. Because double panini presses feature two cooking surfaces instead of one, they require more counter space and power.
Consider how much product you plan to produce during each daypart and how much counter space you have. Ensure you choose a model that can meet customer demand.
What Features Should My Panini Grill Have?
Commercial panini grills come with various features to support grilling, and it's important to understand these features before purchasing a unit to ensure you can implement them.
Some units come with a top plate with an adjustable height, enabling one to accommodate even the thickest sandwiches.
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A nonstick surface ensures food remains intact instead of sticking to the plates during grilling, simplifying cleaning.
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Timers can expedite grilling by keeping track of the cook time for the operator. Some electronic timers are programmable, usually featuring three different settings.
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Some panini grill models have a built-in USB port, which enables the user to program custom heat cycles. These units usually include a flash drive.
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Decide if additional features that improve cleanability, customization, and consistency could support your operation.
- Know what you're serving. Are you preparing sandwiches and meats that look more appealing with textured grill marks or foods that would cook better on a griddle-like surface?
- Select your plate materials. Cast iron is the most common option. Aluminum is often an economical choice, and ceramic is the easiest to clean.
- Choose a single or double panini press. How much product will you produce each hour? Measure your counterspace and balance your kitchen's output with the size of the unit your operation can accommodate.
- Decide which special features you need. Do you want a timer to track cook times, a nonstick surface to facilitate product release and cleaning, or a USB port for adding customized recipes?
