 Great product that works well, however there are better alternatives. |
| Review Date: November 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: S. Power, Detroit, Michigan, United States |
This single purpose machine is very good at it's single purpose: making sandwiches. It is better at this task than any other product on the market. If that is all you are looking to do, this is the one to buy. It's only downside for that purpose is that the plates that contact your food are not removable or dishwasher safe. You have to clean it with a wet towel or sponge. Either method works well, and the plates have a very effective non-stick coating.
Several products from the George Foreman line are similar to this machine, about the same price range, and do much more than just make sandwiches. You should consider those products, especially the ones with removable, dishwasher safe plates, before you settle on this machine from Breville. |
I'm im-Pressed: A Breville BSG520XL Panini Duo Nonstick Panini Press Review
|
| Review Date: December 31, 2009 |
| Reviewer: L. T. Beasimer, Dallas, TX |
Since 2006 I have owned and regularly use a Breville 800GRXL Die-Cast Indoor Barbeque and Grill for making panini, grilling, and more. Previously I owned and was greatly disappointed by the Cuisinart GR-4 Griddler with removable plates. The removable plates are a nice concept, but not an important feature for me. Knowing the quality of the Breville 800GRXL, I eagerly wanted to try the Breville BSG520XL Panini Duo. Even so, I didn't think I would want to use both over time.
The Panini Duo is a no fuss non-stick panini press. The top floating hinged ribbed plate and flat bottom plate are coated with non-stick Quantanium(tm) allowing for oil free cooking while resistant to scratching even when using metal utensils. The top plate features adjustable height settings for making open faced sandwiches or desserts.
At first I compared the Panini Duo to my 800GRXL and thought I would miss features such as the drip tray, plate tilt feature, or the ability to lay out flat. However the lack of features and versatility of the Panini Duo, by comparison, are by design. The purposes of these two appliances are not the same.
The simplicity of the Panini Duo is this appliances strongest feature. I can quickly make two paninis by plugging in the outlet, assemble the sandwiches while waiting for the green light, and placing the paninis into the press. Since oil is not required, I made panini without buttering the bread. I prefer the butter flavor; however the bread still came out a toasty brown and crisp. I have toasted buns for burgers by leaving the top open. Additionally I reheated pizza by using the adjustable height feature to heat from above and below. These are all tasks I could accomplish with the larger feature rich Breville 800GRXL, but not with the same ease and efficiency.
While I will use the larger more versatile Breville 800GRXL for cooking breakfast, grilling, and preparing larger meals, the Panini Duo has become my favorite appliance to prepare a quick hot sandwich. The compact size is perfect for making lunch for me and my other half while taking little counter or storage space. If you are looking for a simple panini press for two, the Breville Panini Duo is the perfect choice.
PROS:
Quantanium non-stick surface
Simple to use and care for
Adjustable height feature for melt and open face sandwiches
Oil/butter not needed for healthier cooking
Perfect for a family of two
CONS:
Lacks features found in many panini presses |
What it does, it does well
|
| Review Date: December 10, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Dr. J. J. Kregarman, Denver, Colorado United States |
The cons are fairly obvious. It only feeds two, it does not expand into a large grill, the heating plates are not removable for dishwasher cleaning, and the power cord is very short. The last is claimed as a safety feature.
However it makes great panini uses no grease and is a breeze to clean unlike the Cuisinart Griddler. The recipe book that is enclosed is excellent.
I noticed that others had trouble cleaning the plates. Last night I made a sandwich with cheese. Some of the cheese dripped on the plates. This morning everything washed off with a damp cloth. No problems, no need to soak or scrape. |
Very nice sandwich press and electric griddle
|
| Review Date: December 22, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Adam Wood, Tucson, AZ USA |
1. PERFORMANCE
First, I'd like to discuss the performance of the unit. It's brilliant! I honestly didn't have high expectations for a hot sandwich press, but I've been very happy with it over the past month. Here are some of the items that I've made the most and my remarks:
- Sandwich Wraps: Absolutely fantastic results. I can tailor the cooking time for how firm I want the tortillas to be, and the internal ingredients are nice and hot. Having a flat bottom plate and ridged upper plate gives them a perfect combination of toasting and grill marks. The ability to set a minimum height between the top and bottom plates works wonders for veggie wraps because otherwise (at least with mine) the ingredients don't support the weight of the top plate and the wraps get smashed. The tortillas slide right off the non-stick coating, and any ingredients that spill out during cooking have cleaned up very easily.
- "Grilled" burritos: Again, fantastic. Just like a sandwich wrap but with other ingredients. I've started to grill these with the fold facing upwards to help prevent ingredients (such as salsa or guacamole) from leaking out during cooking.
- French Toast: Works pretty well. I have made it three times so far, each time with the lid down but locked in the second highest position (I haven't tried just cooking one side of the toast by leaving the lid up, yet). If the bread isn't too wet, then it works very well. If the bread is very moist, though, it doesn't cook through to the center very well. With the egg, this items does make it a bit more difficult to clean the non-detachable ribbed top plate.
- Pancakes: Works pretty well. The two drawbacks are that the top plate is still being heated even though I'm not using it, and (more important for cooking performance) the temperature of the griddle portion isn't adjustable. Pancakes do come out pretty well, but not as good as on my other griddle that I use on the stove. Also, for some reason the first batch of pancakes sticks to the griddle a bit. I haven't run into that on any other food so far.
- Ham: Cooked great, but I'll never do it again because of the mess. Because of the splatter from the juices, I closed the top lid. The bottom flat plate was pretty easy to clean off, but the ribbed top plate took a while because the nooks and crannies of the ribs make it more difficult.
2. WHAT I REALLY LIKE
- The floating hinge. That is fantastic and makes cooking thick sandwiches and wraps easy.
- The locking height adjustments. This works wonders for less solid foods like toast and veggie wraps.
- The front handle. Might seem silly to mention, but the handle stays cool and opens the press easily.
3. WHAT I WOULD CHANGE
- Add a power button. I would prefer to not have to unplug it to turn it off. When the unit is heating, there is a decent spark that gets generated at the outlet when I unplug it (same thing happens with my George Forman grill)
- Make the heating plates removable, at least the top ribbed plate. These clean up pretty easily, so this is minor, but it can be a bit tedious trying to clean the top plate.
- Add a temperature adjustment. This is pretty minor to me because it typically works great, but for pancakes (which are shown on the box as a breakfast item), an adjustment would be nice.
4. FIT AND FINISH
This is my third Breville appliance, and I was expecting the same level of fit, finish, and attention to detail on this press as I had with the other two (Breville BJE200XL Juice Fountain and Breville BKC700XL Coffeemaker). Upon opening the box, the packaging (at least of my unit) was a bit sloppy with the protective plastic bag around the press not fully covering it. After taking the unit out of the box, I noticed that the fit and finish aren't as nice as my juicer and coffee maker. For example:
- Some of the bolt holes and rounded corners on the lever arms are sharp as if they weren't properly deburred.
- The bottom plate has some rough patches on it
- The power cord and cord-wrap on the bottom plate aren't very well design, IMO (but that's just personal preference)
I mention all of that for one reason - if you are looking at this press because it is a Breville and you have a certain expectation of quality like I did, then those comments might be important to you. I did not remove any stars for this because the unit is nice - it's just not as nice as I had expected from this brand (which I think actually speaks highly of the brand). |
It makes Paninis and it makes them well
|
| Review Date: December 9, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Joseph Tidline, Phoenix, AZ USA |
| For many years I have wanted a panini maker. I have had numerous George Foreman grills over the years and on occasion would try to use them to make grilled sandwiches but I never like how they turned out. My sandwiches always came out flat and squished. So when I had the chance to try out the Breville Panini Duo Panini press, I jumped at the chance. Let em tell you, I had not had a grilled sandwich until I had one that was made with this panini press. The first sandwich I made was a Reuben. One of my favorite sandwiches. Not only was it perfectly cooked all the way through but the bread was crispy too. Usually the bread gets soggy but not this time. There was nothing like cutting the sandwich in half and seeing that melted swiss cheese pull as I separated the halves. This is an awesome machine for making sandwiches. And it also opens up so you can use half of it as a griddle, so you can cook pancakes or eggs. I know a lot of people have stated that unlike some Foreman Grill models, this does not have removable plates, but if all you want to do is make sandwiches, then you don't need removable plates. I will stick to making steaks, burgers and grilling chicken on my Foreman. But from now on, I will be making my grilled sandwiches on the Breville BSG520XL Panini Duo. |
|
No video reviews found for this product.
