6 Tips For Making Great Panini Sandwiches
Panini sandwiches have become popular meals today. There are many ways to improve the taste of your sandwich. Everyone craves for the best ones in terms of appearance and taste. Sometimes you may have the right cooking appliance or a panini maker, but still, it isn’t enough. We end up disappointed whenever our panini is poorly cooked.
Preparing a perfect one requires knowledge. You need to master important steps like adding one ingredient after another and properly preheating the cooking appliance. Sometimes we prepare in a rush and end up with sandwiches which turn your family members into food critics at the table. Below are some tips on how to make great panini sandwiches.
Compactness
It is always irritating whenever your sandwich comes out of the grill falling off. There are ways to prevent your fillings like vegetables and meat from falling off.
-Avoid putting too much stuffing in your sandwich, instead lay a considerable amount of ingredients one after the other to create a beautiful and compact sandwich.
-Don’t use ordinary bread which is thin and less dense, use Italian bread like ciabatta to prevent sandwich deformation which also ensures all fillings are tucked in place.
-Use cheese to help bind together your fillings like vegetables and hold them together, perfect ones being cheddar and mozzarella.
-Stop using bits of vegetables and meat since they have a tendency of falling off much easier, instead use large slices.
Mushy Bread
The appearance of your sandwich is very important. A good looking sandwich increases your appetite as opposed to a slushy sandwich. This appearance is always due to excessive liquid like sauce, oil or water. You will be forced to throw your Panini away because almost all kids hate it.
-Use the right type of bread which is not prone to slushiness like focaccia which give you thick and dense sandwiches.
-Remember to drain water from your meat and vegetables by using a strainer which removes moisture after cleaning your ingredients.
Oily Sandwich
An oily panini is undesirable due to its tendency to mess up the table and hands. Consider the following while applying oil on your ingredients.
-Use the recommended amount of oil or butter as provided in your approved recipe.
-Keep the spread thin enough to provide the right taste while preventing unappealing, oily panini.
-Wrap meats with excess fats like salami and sausage in a paper towel before laying them on your bread to allow the paper to absorb excess oil.
Partially Cooked Panini
Sometimes we put a lot of effort only to obtain a partially cooked panini in the end. Here portions of the sandwich appear uncooked and very unappealing.
-Make sure your panini maker is preheated properly by connecting the appliance to the heat source and allowing it to heat up before you start preparing your sandwich.
-Don’t make the sandwich too thick in order to provide a feasible surface area for the heat to reach.
Not all grilling methods yield the same results. Also, the method used depends on intended quality and the grilling frequency.
-Grill pan produces a nice sandwich although the process might be a bit hard.
-Panini press is easy to use and allows you to control heat and pressure much easier thus producing quality panini.
Flavors
It’s good to be flexible when using flavors. There are many ingredients which help in achieving great tastes. If you are tired of the same old panini, try the following;
-Add some fruits like fresh blackberry jam paired to brie and prosciutto, sliced peaches added to fontina and pancetta, mango added to mozzarella.
-Spread things like mayonnaise, mustard, honey, pesto, and salsa to make your sandwich more delicious.
-Try adding some chocolate and Nutella to your panini for dessert.
-Switch the type of bread used including ciabatta, focaccia, and sourdough which are perfect for panini sandwich.
Conclusion
Everyone wants to eat a delicious meal or wants to see their cooking skills appreciated. Panini sandwich is a modern meal which is likable to both kids and adults. There are many ways you can improve the taste and structural integrity of your sandwich. These include avoiding watery ingredients, choosing the right grilling method and adding a sizable amount of oil. You can improve the taste by adding different flavoring ingredients like honey. Preheat your appliance and check the thickness to avoid partial cooking. Embrace these tips if you are looking to prepare a tasty and an appealing panini sandwich.