Rome's #1305 Panini Press Cooker, Cast Iron with Steel and Wood Handles

This is a cast iron panini press. Which means it is heavy, especially with the long handles. Because it is iron , you need to cure it before using it the first time, so that it will not rust over time. This means you unscrew the handles, place oil in side the surface of the press and leave it in the oven for an hour so that the oil seals the surface. This is a one-time thing. Once you start using it, you should avoid using water to clean it, use a dry sponge or paper towels. One useful feature is that you can unhook the two surfaces, and place each one on a burner to preheat the press before using to make the paninis even faster.

The paninis come out outstanding. I use it on a gas burner at home, an electric burner would not work. I have not tried it in the grill or outside, but reckon it would work as well as in the gas burners.

I have used the Foreman-type panini makers that you plug in, put the paninis are infinitely better with this product. I would use the plug-in type only to make a grilled cheese sandwich for the kids.

Some tips with the paninisuse the best bread you can find, like a baguette, make sure the filing has adequate salt and paper, rub olive oil on both outer surfaces to get the crispy crust, turn often and open the press to see the toasting progress.

Enjoy!

I loved the idea of getting a cast iron panini cooker because I wanted to avoid the nonstick panini grills out there. It is a very heavy piece, so if the user has problems with hand/wrist strength, this may not be the item for you. The unit is made to be used on the stove (electric or gas), cooking the panini on one side and then flipping over to the other. The two cast iron plates come completely apart at the hinge, and you then have each plate attached to a metal rod with a wooden handle, making clean up easier. However, if the handle problem is fixed, I believe that this would be a really nice item to have in the kitchen.

I gave this only 4 stars because when I attempted to unscrew the metal rods from the plates in order to place the plates in the oven to "season" them as instructed, one wooden handle started spinning around the metal rod, and therefore I could not unscrew it from that plate. Looks like the handles are poorly attached to the metal, and should be secured much tighter. So, I am returning the unit after not having been able to test it out, so I can't speak to how it works.

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I bought this as a gift for my mom and dad. They used it and said that it made a great panini sandwich. They will definitely be making many more!

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We go camping a lot and I was looking for some healthier foods to take along; I thought panini might be tasty and fun. This maker is solid cast iron and very heavy and does well in the campfire. The handles screw in and remove easily for cleanup if desired. There is a rather cheap little hook clasp to hold the two handles together when making a sandwich, and I find it difficult to undo when the maker is hot from the fire, but it actually does do a good job of holding everything tightly together so you get a perfectly cooked sandwich. Toasting a sandwich in this method just makes the flavors come alive, and you really can use just about anything to make your sandwiches. Just some dense bread, sliced deli meat, cheese, onion, arugala, and red pepper hummus made our first sandwiches. The maker comes with a cardboard wrapper that has printed instructions for seasoning the cast iron, along with a little history of panini and some recipe suggestions. I followed the seasoning directions and my first few sandwiches stuck just a little but were easily popped out with a knife. The non-stick surface will develop with time, I'm sure. Used a vegetable oil to season it but now found a sunflower oil spray for making the sandwiches. We also use this at home on a little gas grill but it doesn't get nearly as hot as a campfire and the cook time is much longer, but it still works. This really is ideal for grill or campfire, but make sure you have someplace to set it while cooking. You really wouldn't want to try to hold this heavy maker for 8 minutes or so by the handles.

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I needed to lose weight in order to lower my blood pressure and I decided to cut back on my caloric intake.Cooking for myself I thought that vegetarian panini's would help me control my weight.This panini maker is just what I needed.Buying club rolls at my nearby bakery,I hollowed them out and filled them with all kinds of vegetables and low fat cheeses.After spraying the inside with olive oil,and on a low-medium flame,this cooker cooked the panini to prefection in 6 minutes (three minutes on either side).Voila perfect,crunchy panini.Since it's solid cast iron it will last a life time!!

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