Tips & tricks paninis

Handy tips to serve the perfect panini

Less is more!

Do not overdo in number or quantity of ingredients. The panini must be eatable on the go. All this has an influence on the grilling or heating time and a good, deep spread of the heath inside.

 

Essential ingredients to keep on hand

1. Never leave out cheese
   Adding cheese helps the recipe and sandwich stick together. Choose for a fast melting cheese such as grated cheddar or mozzarella.
    
2. Choose your filling wisely
   Meat is the most common used filling. Any type of meat can be used to as long as it’s pre-cooked and thin sliced (rather than a thick slice). Dare to go out of your comfort zone and try out a variety of fillings such as fish, veggie or vegan alternatives. Why not offer a “Panini of the week” and try different fillings, in order to keep up your customer’s interest?
    
3. Tomatoes and/or grilled vegetables are always a winner
   Who doesn’t love hot vegetables? Choose for plum tomatoes or semi dried tomatoes to get the best result. Create some extra flavor by adding pesto or fresh herbs such as basil or rocket!
   
   Overall, a composed filling of 60 grams to 80 grams is suitable for finger food.

Tip: Put the wettest ingredients in the middle, somewhere between the cheese and the vegetables to obtain the best result. In this way they stay juicy during and after the grilling process and it prevents soggy bread!

 

Prepare ahead of time

As fully baked product you can easily fill the panini in advance and wrap it with foil to keep it cold (2°C) in your cooling counter or display. In this way it's ready to grill or heat up in a high-speed-oven, whenever you need it.

 

Baking instructions

Grill the panini in a contact-grill at 220°C during 3 – 5 minutes.

Tip: Grill the panini between baking paper to protect the surface of the grill and to avoid a burned smell and smoke. Turn the panini at half baking time to obtain a nice square pattern in the crust!