This commercial-style panini grill is the only one that makes restaurant-quality pressed sandwiches and also grills meats for healthy, low-fat dinners. The Uno panini grill has a large 11-by-9-inch grilling surface that can press about four large panini sandwiches made on the traditional Italian foccacia or ciabatta bread, sear four boneless chicken breasts, or grill four servings of vegetables. The cooking surface heats up quickly and stays hot because of its cast aluminum construction and because the heating element is embedded directly beneath the grill top and bottom. For safety, a red light comes on when the appliance is plugged in and remains on for the duration of your cooking time. An adjustable control offers seven different cooking temperatures and a green light illuminates when the appliance has reached the desired heat. The plastic handle stays cool during cooking and pushes straight down, as on a professional panini grill. The floating top adjusts to any thickness of sandwich so you can feel free to stuff your paninis full of meats, cheeses, and veggies. The ribbed grill plate imprints the typical marks onto meats or bread and, for healthier cooking, drains any fats from meats into the grooves and out of a side spout to a waiting grease tray. A high-quality nonstick coating on the cooking plates ensures that food lifts off easily and that the Uno panini grill is easy to clean.
While the high-polish aluminum exterior on this appliance is beautiful and durable, it also heats up to the same temperature as the grill’s interior. The plastic-coated handle offers some protection from the heat, but cooks still must exercise caution to prevent burns from the lid or sides of the handle. The Uno panini grill stands upright for storage but is still fairly large and heavy so cooks will want to ensure that they have adequate space for it.This product is covered by VillaWare under a full one-year warranty. --Cristina Vaamonde
