Floating Hinge, Ridged Plates: Choosing the Best Panini Grill

A torta is only as good as its last minute. The bolillo or telera has to go crisp on the outside and stay soft inside, the cheese has to melt into the beans and the meat, and the whole sandwich has to stay together when you cut it. A restaurant does that on a flat-top with a heavy press, or on a commercial panini grill. At home, a panini grill does the same job: two hot plates, closed on the sandwich, cooking both sides at once.

Panini grills range from small sandwich presses that do one thing to contact grills that open flat into a griddle. What separates a good one is a floating hinge that presses thick and thin bread evenly, plates that suit what you make, some control over heat, and cleanup you will actually do. This guide compares nine presses on those points, using makers’ specifications, the Amazon listings and America’s Test Kitchen’s published panini press review.

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Quick verdict: which panini grill to buy

The table shows our five standout picks, one for each kind of cook. All nine presses are reviewed in full below it.

Five panini grills side by side

Plates and heat control for our five standout picks, as each maker, retailer or Amazon listing states them.

Product images from Amazon. Specifications as stated by each maker, retailer or Amazon listing; check the listing before you buy.

Our picks for the best panini grill

These nine presses cover every kind of buyer: a premium contact grill, a six-way Griddler, a commercial cast iron press, simple sandwich-only presses and compact budget models. Our best indoor grill guide already covers the Cuisinart Griddler with Smoke-Less Mode, the Breville Smart Grill and the T-fal OptiGrill as grills for meat, so this page picks different models and judges them as sandwich presses first: how evenly they press a thick roll, and how they handle bread, cheese and fillings.

How to choose a panini grill for tortas and sandwiches

A sandwich press looks simple, but a few details decide whether it turns out a crisp, even torta or a squashed one that is pale in the middle. These are the points a sandwich line pays attention to.

1. A floating hinge

A floating hinge lets the top plate rise and sit level on top of the sandwich, instead of pivoting from the back and pressing the rear harder than the front. ATK lists it as the first thing to look for and adds that the hinge should move smoothly, since a stiff one is hard to handle. Most presses here list a floating or adjustable hinge; the Dash and George Foreman listings do not say whether theirs floats. If you make tortas on bolillos, check the clearance too: the George Foreman lists a 1-inch hinge.

2. Ridged or flat plates

Ridged plates leave grill marks and let fat run off meat; flat plates brown the whole face of the bread and suit quesadillas, eggs and pancakes. ATK prefers tall, widely spaced ridges, which give clearer marks and are easier to clean, and found low, closely spaced ridges a weakness. Reversible plates, as on the Breville Sear and Press, Cuisinart Griddler and Chefman, give you both.

3. Plate size and opening flat

Most home presses take two sandwiches. For a family torta night, look at the plate size: the Breville Sear and Press lists 9.8 by 11.8 inches, the Cuisinart 240 square inches opened flat, the long, narrow Waring about 7.75 by 14.5 inches by its title, and the Dash only 8 by 5. A press that opens flat doubles as a grill or griddle, which is useful for searing the meat before you build the sandwich.

4. Temperature control

Simple presses heat to a fixed temperature and show a ready light; that is fine for sandwiches. A dial or a digital control helps when you also grill meat or griddle tortillas. The Breville Sear and Press controls each plate separately, the Cuisinart has dual-zone control with a 500°F sear function, and the Waring’s thermostat goes to 570°F.

5. Plates, coating and cleaning

Removable plates are much easier to clean. If they are nonstick, ATK recommends washing them by hand, because the dishwasher wears the coating, even when the maker allows it. Use the coating facts the maker gives: Breville calls the Sear and Press plates ceramic and free of PFOA and PTFE; Cuisinart lists ceramic nonstick plates on the Griddler Deluxe; Hamilton Beach, Proctor Silex and George Foreman describe theirs as PFAS-free. Cast iron, like the Waring’s, is not nonstick and is cleaned on the machine.

6. Warranty

Warranties run from one year (Breville Panini Duo, Hamilton Beach, Chefman, Dash) to three years (Cuisinart, Proctor Silex, George Foreman). The Breville Sear and Press listing states two different terms, and the Waring listing gives none.

How we picked these nine panini grills

We started from what a sandwich line needs: even pressure on a thick roll, a hot, steady surface, room for more than one sandwich, and plates that clean up fast. We looked for panini presses and contact grills sold on Amazon in the United States from established makers, kept only models showing as in stock when we checked, and confirmed each specification against the maker’s page, a retailer’s spec sheet or the brand’s Amazon listing. Where a source gives no figure we write “Not stated”. We read America’s Test Kitchen’s panini press review and cite it by name where its findings apply, and we say when ATK reviewed a different model number. We did not read Wirecutter’s or Serious Eats’ coverage for this page, and we have not cooked on these presses for this guide. We left out presses showing low stock, including the Breville Perfect Press, and lesser-known brands with thin listings.

Pressing a better torta

• Bread: a bolillo or telera with a crisp crust and soft crumb. Split it, pull out a little crumb if it is very thick, and spread the beans and mayo to the edges so the press seals the sandwich.
• Heat first: preheat until the ready light comes on. Hamilton Beach, for example, recommends six minutes on its 25460 press.
• Cook the meat separately: a press warms fillings; it does not cook raw meat through inside a sandwich. Grill the carne asada, milanesa or chicken first, on the open plates or a cast iron skillet.
• Cheese on both sides: it melts into the bread and glues the torta together.
• Lettuce and tomato after: open the press, add the cold, crisp toppings and close the sandwich by hand.

Panini grill questions, answered

What is the best panini grill brand?

Breville and Cuisinart make the most capable home presses here, with the Breville Sear and Press topping ATK’s review. Waring is a long-standing name in commercial panini grills. For simple, low-cost presses, Proctor Silex and Hamilton Beach; for compact models, Dash and Chefman.

What is the best panini grill for home use?

The Breville Sear and Press if you want the best results and a grill as well; the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe for versatility and a three-year warranty; the Proctor Silex for two sandwiches at a time on a budget.

Which panini grill does Wirecutter recommend?

We did not read Wirecutter’s coverage for this guide, so we cannot report its picks. The independent review we did read is America’s Test Kitchen’s, which named the Breville Sear and Press its winner and the Proctor Silex press its Best Buy.

What do panini grill reviews look at?

ATK’s review pressed toast, a ham and cheese panini and a chicken sandwich on bulky sub rolls, then griddled pancakes, eggs and bacon, and judged browning, ease of use and cleanup. The features it rewarded were a smooth floating hinge, tall, well-spaced ridges, removable plates and good grease drainage.

Is a panini grill the same as a quesadilla maker?

No. A quesadilla maker has wedge-shaped plates that seal a round tortilla; a panini press has flat or ridged plates and a floating hinge for bread. A press makes quesadillas well, but a quesadilla maker cannot press a torta. Our quesadilla maker vs panini press comparison goes through the differences, and the best quesadilla maker guide covers the wedge-plate machines.

Can you grill steak on a panini grill?

Yes, on a press with ridged plates and enough heat, especially one that opens flat. Thin cuts for tortas work best. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service lists 145°F for beef steaks, with a rest of at least three minutes, and 165°F for poultry, so check the center with a thermometer.

Our final pick for pressing tortas

Buy the Breville Sear and Press if you want a press that handles tortas, cubanos and the meat inside them, with separate heat for each plate. Choose the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe for a versatile grill, griddle and press with a three-year warranty, the Waring WPG200 for restaurant-style cast iron in a slim body, the Breville Panini Duo for sandwiches only, and the Proctor Silex when price matters most.

For a stovetop alternative, a heavy press on a hot pan does a similar job; see our guide to the best cast iron grill press.

Hate scrubbing plates? See our guide to the best panini presses with removable plates.

On a budget? See our guide to the best value panini presses.

Related guide: Best sandwich cookbook.

Related guide: Panini press alternative.

If you also want a flat cooking surface for pancakes, eggs and tortillas, see our best electric griddle guide. And when you would rather someone else did the cooking, see the menu or call to order.