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America’s Greatest Regional Sandwiches to Try in Panini Form

America is the land of great sandwiches, and every state has their staple. Sometimes it even comes down to individual cities. However, while you should always give the original creation of each region’s delicious sandwiches a try if you get the chance, that doesn’t mean you have to always travel there to get that great regional flavor. Furthermore, since you have that great Panini press ready and waiting, you can make it better by making it toasty. However, not all regional sandwiches thrive in a Panini environment. So what amazing regional sandwiches should you be trying in your Panini press?

Pastrami on Rye

 

As the beloved sandwich, well, one of many beloved sandwiches in New York City, there is nothing that can brighten up your day better than a simple pastrami on rye. Of course, their other favorite sandwich, the Reuben, transfers pretty well to Panini form as well. However, if there is one thing better than warm pastrami slathered in brown mustard, it is encasing it all in a nice, toasty rye shell with your Panini maker. Of course, since Panini presses are only so heroic, you probably can’t stuff this sandwich as full of pastrami as they do in NYC.

The Cubano

 

Not all regional sandwiches transfer well to Panini form. Imagine a lobster roll from Maine, all that unpleasantly warm lobster and mayo, it is enough to make you shudder. However, Miami’s Cubano sandwich is probably the most worthy of your Panini press because it is basically a Panini to begin with! The Cubano combines roasted pork, ham, salami, pickles, and mustard between two hearty slices of bread. The finishing touch on the sandwich sees it pan fried to get that nice toasty exterior. However, you don’t need to toss it in a pan when you already have a handy Panini press all ready to go.

Philly Cheesesteak

 

Traditional Philly cheesesteaks are cooked on a big old flattop grill with a mess of peppers, onions, and mushrooms before melting cheese over it. Sometimes a nice cheese sauce is involved, too. However, cheese sauce and Paninis aren’t really good friends. Usually it just makes the bread a little mushy instead of toasty. While you will still need to cook your meats and veggies up before you put them into your roll, you can use the Panini press to both toast the bread and get your cheese or cheeses of choice all nice and gooey.

The Gerber

The Gerber is a sandwich you might have never heard of unless you’ve had extensive stays in the St. Louis area, but for those who have had it, it is a fast favorite. Traditionally, it is an open faced sandwich, but that doesn’t quite translate to the Panini press. However, when you put it together, it is still just as good. The Gerber is made by giving French bread a hearty slather of garlic butter then topping it with ham and provolone, or more natively, provel cheese. It is usually sprinkled with a little bit of paprika before toasting. However, if you are doing a closed sandwich, raw paprika in the center isn’t going to be as tasty. Our recommendation? Sprinkle the paprika with the garlic butter so it has a chance to warm up first and imbibe its flavor to the sandwich without just getting lost in the cheese.

The Fluffernutter

 

You probably won’t find this tasty little treat on any restaurant menu, but rest assured that starting in Massachusetts and spreading to many households across the United States, the Fluffernutter is a lunch staple. It is a simple sandwich and really just a new take on the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. However, you know what also make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich more awesome? Putting it in a Panini press, and with the Fluffernutter, it becomes more so. As a sandwich made from peanut butter and marshmallow fluff on white bread, when the peanut butter and marshmallow start to heat up, magic starts to happen. After all, what is more magical than melted peanut butter and melted marshmallow? Together, there are no better sandwich bedfellows.

Vermonter

 

The Vermonter, like its broad name might suggest, has a variety of different incarnations in its home state of Vermont. However, some ingredients different from sandwich slinger to sandwich slinger, most of the time it stays the same. The Vermonter is made up of turkey, ham, sharp cheddar, honey, mustard, and thinly sliced apples. It’s sweet, it’s salty, it’s cheesy, and the only thing it is missing is that great crunch from some toasty bread. The nice thing about the Vermonter is you can try it with so many different variations of the same ingredients. Instead of cheddar, you can add brie or goat cheese. Instead of ham, you can get even more powerful salty flavor from prosciutto or even bacon. Of course, if you stray too much, at some point it might stop being a Vermonter, but it will still probably be a damn good Panini regardless.

The Elvis

 

No one can quite agree which region it comes from, whether it is Memphis or Mississippi, there isn’t much point arguing over the origins of a sandwich that is just dying to be made into a Panini. The peanut butter melts, the bananas get warm and creamy by proxy, and the bacon inside just sets everything off with an awesome salty crunch. While this certainly isn’t a regional Panini that is good for the waist line, it is pretty good for the soul.

10 ImPRESSive Things Your Panini Press Can Do Other Than Make Panini’s

When you decide to buy a Panini press, typically you only have one thing on your mind – those gooey, warm, toasted pressed sandwiches known as Panini’s. Usually, you buy a Panini press for that sole purpose, but a good kitchen tool is a multi-tool. Something you can use for more than one type of food. Thankfully, even if you don’t think of it, most Panini press creators do and create their product in such a way so that you can use it for more than just sandwiches.

However, while your impressive Panini press can make quite the impression on your sandwiches, what are other things you can do with it?

Quesadillas

 

It is not a far leap from pressed sandwiches to quesadilla. In fact, if you have mastered your Taco Bell quesadilla copycat recipe, it may be the very first thing you do with your Panini press. Like the Panini, there are hundreds of different ways to enjoy quesadilla with recipes ranging from super healthy to decadent junk food. However, unlike making a quesadilla in a skillet or trying to blunder through it with an oven, there is no better way to get those nice grill marks than with a Panini press.

Grilled Fruit

 

If you haven’t sampled the simple pleasure that is grilled peaches, then we’re sad to say that you haven’t fully lived yet. While weaker fruit like pears or cherries may be best drowned in a flavorful drink, juicy and more robust fruit like peaches, pineapple, and even strawberries are sturdy enough to stand up to a little heat. Since they are primarily packed with natural sugar, they caramelize and your get a fascinating new flavor. However, doing it on the grill only gets that good even caramelization on one side, so why not make it perfect in your Panini maker?

Hash Browns

 

Everyone knows how easy it is to cook awesome bacon on a Panini press, but that is far from the only breakfast treat you can cook on there. It is actually easier to cook great hash browns in a Panini press then in the oven or on the skillet. You want them nice and crispy, and a Panini press is a way to do that evenly.

Pressed Tofu and Other Vegetarian Goodies

 

Panini’s are great, but if it hasn’t happened already, there may come a day when you decide you want to treat your body a little better. However, even if that lofty New Year’s resolution doesn’t work out, you can still get a lot of use out of your Panini press during that time. You can use it on a number of healthy options, but vegetables and tofu work out the best.

Tofu, for example, absorbs more flavor the more water that is pressed out of it, so not only can you do that by toasting it, but you can press the moisture out just by sitting it in there and leaving the machine off. As for vegetables, you get those excellent char marks for flavor, and vegetables that are cooked without all the nutrients being boiled out of them.

Omelet

 

This is one of those foods that you think wouldn’t work in a Panini press, but totally does. You just have to make sure not to overfill it or you will have omelet oozing out the sides. Just beat some eggs, mix in your fixings, pour, and press. Be sure to properly grease the plates before, though.

Kebabs

 

Don’t fancy going outside in the snow to enjoy one of your favorite summer grill foods? With a Panini press, meat, fruit, and vegetable-laden kababs can be an any season food when you press them. However, you still have to soak the skewers (if you are using the wooden ones) because most Panini presses that don’t have temperature control get pretty hot.

French Toast

 

If you can toast a sandwich and cook an omelet on your Panini maker, then naturally you can make French toast, a food that is something close to a combination of a two. However, the fact that you can make easy French toast on your Panini press opens up a whole new world of opportunities. From French toast made of any bread you can dream of to the lucrative French toast sandwich, the culinary future of your Panini maker is in your hands.

Pressed Cookies

Before you get all kinds of crazy ideas, not all cookie recipes will work in a Panini maker. Some cookies need to rise as they bake and putting them in a Panini Press means that they will come out as crumbs. Cookies like chocolate chip work alright, but they don’t look the best. The best cookie recipe is a simple waffle cone batter or a sugar cookie. The waffle cone bakes up perfectly and sugar cookies get nice and toasty. They taste good, too, providing you don’t like the fluffy kind of sugar cookies. Really if you are making pressed cookies, typically you have another idea for them in mind like filling them with ice cream or some kind of delicious frosting.

Crab Cakes

 

The general rule of thumb for weird things to do with a Panini press is if you can put it on a skillet or a grill, you can press it. Crab cakes fall into that category. Typically you cook them up on a skillet, but if you don’t press too hard, a Panini press works just as well. If anything, it makes them nice and compact while still just the right amount of fluffy.

Pizza Crust

 

So many homemade pizza recipes require you to cook the crust at the same time you are heating up all the other ingredients, and that is fine if you want soggy pizza crust. In order to get nice crisp crust throughout, it needs to be cooked before hand, but keeping it flat in the baking process is a real task. You know what takes all the challenge out of it? Cooking your dough in the Panini press. (An idea we got from this awesome blog!) Not only do you get nice crisp, flat, awesome-tasting pizza crust, but the ridges hold sauce and ingredients so they don’t go all over the place.

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14 Mouth-Watering Sandwiches You Need to Try in Your Panini Press

Sandwiches, well, they are food that you eat, but Panini’s are food you get excited about. Toasty and warm, packed full of gooey melted cheese, and the perfect vessel for delivering big flavors, you can’t go wrong picking a Panini for any meal. However, if you are still visiting your favorite Panini-serving restaurant, you are missing out on a world of flavor. With a Panini press, you are afforded so much more creativity. If you have yet to get onboard, here are 14 Panini wonders that you have been missing out on.

The Caprese Panini

Typically you enjoy caprese cold on some nice bruschetta, but melted in a Panini? Well, that is so much better. Brushing the inside of your baguette or other crusty bread with olive oil, you layer slices of fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil leaves together and toast. Want to amp up the flavor even more? Use smoked mozzarella, or add in either turkey, prosciutto, or anchovy filets.

The Lobster Roll Panini

This isn’t the same delectable roll you’d find served from a shack on the coast of Maine, but it provides the same flavors with none of the mayonnaise. After combining chopped lobster with minced shallots, melted butter, chopped tarragon, and lemon juice. The important part of this Panini is that unless you want the insides to spill outside, you need to use a thick roll, like a baguette, and hollow out the interior. This allows you to press the sandwich and your flavorful interior stays right where it belongs.

The Chorizo Manchego Panini

This Spanish-inspired Panini has you brushing the inside of your bread with quince paste or fig jam then adding in manchego cheese, spicy chorizo, and apples. You can also use pears instead for a bigger boost of sweetness.

The Pumpernickel Panini

In the mood for something different? The German-inspired Pumpernickel Panini features whole-grain mustard spread across two slices of pumpernickel bread alongside liverwurst and thick slices of Muenster. It may be cooked the Italian way, but you could not find a more German sandwich.

The Cuban Panini

The beloved sandwich of Cuba, or at very least, Miami, the Cuban combines yellow mustard, dill pickle, ham, roast pork, and Swiss cheese inside of Cuban bread or any other soft sub rolls you can find to create a taste sensation. The best thing is that this Panini isn’t so different from the original thing. Typically, Cubans are fried up in a skillet so you still get the same melted interior and crispy exterior without all the grease. If you are particularly daring or hungry, add in some sliced turkey or replace the pickles with jalapenos if you want something with more kick to it.

The Apple Brie Panini

Among the pretentious restaurants that serve a Panini option for lunch, the apple brie Panini has become the king. Yet, there is no denying that it is a match made in heaven, but you don’t need to pay $12 for one simple sandwich you can make yourself with a Panini press. Spreading bread with a thick slather of Dijon mustard, all you need to do then is add in some brie and apples, then cook until golden. Easy, right?

The Spicy Italian Panini

An Italian-style sandwich like the Panini greatly benefits from Italian tastes. Layer together ham, salami, capicollo, banana peppers, and provolone cheese inside a crusty ciabatta roll and press. The great thing about this sandwich is that you can add in whatever you have around like bell peppers, tomato, pepperoni, jalapeno, and whatever else you think might taste great.

The Three Cheese Panini

Don’t let your Panini press go to waste making boring old grilled cheese sandwiches. Instead, put mozzarella, fontina, and asiago inside a ciabatta roll with a few basil leaves and enjoy the most flavorful grilled cheese of your life. You can also go bigger by including a good pesto and/or some sun-dried tomatoes.

Turkey and Avocado Panini

If you are looking for something a little more healthy than three different cheeses melted together, if there is such a person out there, this Panini provides a healthier option. Combining sliced ripe avocado, roast turkey, arugula, and goat cheese, put the mix on your favorite whole grain bread and toast. It’s no cheese fiesta, but it is still really good.

Nutella Bacon French Toast Panini

Yeah, you read that right. A nutella bacon French toast Panini. Cinnamon French toast, perhaps even made from that lovely cinnamon swirl raisin bread they have out there, slathered in nutella, layered with bacon, and then pressed together in your Panini press. It’s… A revelation to eat.

Buffalo Chicken Panini

Sometimes you just need the flavor of chicken wings in your mouth, and this Panini can provide. Combining shredded chicken with Buffalo wing sauce, caramelized onions, and blue cheese provides the perfect chicken wing flavor all melted inside your sandwich. Like the aforementioned lobster roll, this might be a mix that thrives in a hollowed out roll so that it doesn’t all ooze out.

Cheddar, Apple, and Horseradish Panini

Cheese and apples are popular Panini fare, but add the sharp bite of spicy horseradish to it and you can completely reinvigorate an old recipe. Combine these three ingredients on a hearty country-style bread and get to toasting. You can coat the outside with melted butter for a richer flavor or even grill the apples beforehand with your Panini press.

Peach and Bacon Panini

Salty, sweet, and the perfect summer sandwich – That’s what this recipe makes. Did you know that Panini presses are also the best way to grill fresh peaches? Well, you do now. Grill the peaches in halves, slice them, and then layer them on a baguette or ciabatta with crispy bacon and mozzarella cheese for a refreshing new combination of flavors.

Thanksgiving Panini

Too bad the holidays are over and the leftovers are all gone, this would be a good way to eat up all that extra turkey. This recipe is simple, layer turkey, Swiss cheese, and cranberry sauce onto some thick potato bread and toast. You can also use sourdough bread, but whatever bread you use, you can also toss in some gravy, Dijon mustard, and perhaps a little leftover stuffing to make it a true feast.