Hamilton Beach 25460 Panini Press Gourmet Sandwich Maker (Discontinued)

I always thought to myself that the whole 'panini craze' was just hype; a fad...I imagined the panini press was just another poorly built Yuppy-toy, cluttering-up middle class counters & soon destined for the landfill...I mean, REALLY, it's just a grilled sandwich with little grill-marks on it, right?Well, I bought this on impulse & I'm thrilled with it! Months later we are still using it 4+ times a week. I've never used a press other than this, so I canna compare, but this one is an excellent value & has worked reliably since day one. It's well built & is easily cleaned. The nonstick surface is not thinly coated, so as to scratch-off like the dozens of frying pans I've wasted $ on over the years. The floating press-lid is an important feature, allowing thicker sandwiches to be evenly grilled. Hamilton Beach Press has turned-out to be much more versatile than one might think; looking online for recipes I've tried & really liked all of these things: bacon, grilled apples, zucchini & tomatoes, onions.....lots of ideas left to try.

This is a great little Panini press! I have found it to be quick, easy to clean, and easy to store. I have made both sandwiches and quesadillas in my machine, and they turn out delicious every time. I bought it because I have celiac disease, and gluten-free bread is not typically very tasty. The Panini press, however, seems to bring out the best, even in gluten-free bread and gluten-free tortillas. The melted cheese helps to hold the sandwiches together.I have only had the press for a short time, but I have been totally satisfied. It is very small, so it will only hold a couple of small sandwiches or one quesadilla, but it cooks very quickly, so that hasn't been a problem. If I were feeding a large family, I would definitely purchase a larger press. This is a good "starter press," however. The price is so low that if you decide that Paninis are not for you, you haven't put yourself out much.

I bought this panini press brand new in March 2013, one year ago. I used it about 5 or 6 times, just for the two of us. It worked great those first few times. However, when I went to use it last week, it didn't work correctly. While sandwiches were in it, I heard a "pop" in the top level of the press and the red/green light went out. Then, the center area of the top level became scorching hot and burnt the top of the sandwiches. It had never burnt anything previous times I had used it. Once it cooled down and I was wiping it off, I could now hear a "rattle" in the top level, I'm assuming from the light that broke inside it. (Possibly damaging the heating elements inside? I don't know but that was my thought).So, although I had had it almost a year, I contacted the seller (The Nerds) and asked if I could just exchange it for another one, thinking this was probably just a fluke. (I have the original box with inserts. Just like the rest of my kitchen gadgets/small appliances, I store them in the original box to maintain their longevity). They responded with "closed-expiration of returns period). So, since they won't return a defective product, I am now out the $38.00 I paid for this (I wasn't asking for a refund, I was just asking for a replacement). I know that's not an extreme amount of money, but one would think when buying a small appliance, and barely using it, it would last more more than 11 months!

I became infatuated with panini presses/sandwich makers after using an old one that my friend had and I went searching for one I could call my own.I stumbled upon the HB25460 and after using it a few times, I would say it works well. It does what it says and it heats up the sandwich and interior filling. You can let gravity do the work or press on the lid to squish the sandwich down. I haven't tried a monster sandwich, but I would say the max 'toppings' you could put on the inside would be 10-15 before it gets ridiculous.The machine I received (I can't speak for others) burns one edge or corner more than another, you could remedy this by rotating it during the heating process.The last gripe I have is that there is no heat setting, there's only "on" or "off", which isn't bad.All in all, it works better than a toaster and the reason why I bought it was to make the fillings hot. It does its job and it does it well.

This panini press is to replace a small one I had for the last 15 years. I am pleasantly surprised how easily it gets heated up and ready to go. I can comfortably fit two small sandwiches in it side-by-side at one time, so it saves half the time that I used with my old one.Because the opening is elevated, it also can accomodate any thickness of the sandwich you throw at it without squeezing either the cheese or the meat out of the sandwich when it is pressed down. The grid mark on the sandwich and intense heat of the unit really transforms a regular sandwich into a gourmet one to die for!Even though I used a stale bread smeared with butter to make my first sandwich, it tasted as if I spent top dollars to buy some gourmet bread when I finished preparing it. Highly recommend this gadget to anyone!!

The panini press works, but seems to work a little too well. The edges seem to burn a little too quickly. It would be nice if there were a temperature control. So far we've just used it with Canadian White bread, so it may not burn if you're using bread that has a different consistency. Perhaps I'll learn some tricks after I've used it more, but right now it is burning the edges of everything I put in it.I'm on the fence whether or not I would buy it again. The price jump from this unit to some of the others is steep, and I doubt I'd use it enough to justify that expense. For the price, I don't feel ripped off, but I'm not fully satisfied either.