Mario Batali Panini Grill and Press, Espresso

 (2 customer reviews)

Purchased this for my ceramic top stove and it fits my 11" round cooking spot. Made a panini the first night and grilled some chicken breast without the press the next night. Less expensive than the French options and more practical than a dedicated electric grill. My only disappointment is that I didn't get the $3 scraper. The textured surface is hell on a sponge and a nylon brush doesn't get all the food bits off. A piece of wood or plastic does the trick easily. I am very pleased and look forward to many tasty meals.

In regards to other reviewers. The textured surface is to allow the food to release better. It is easy to clean if you used it properly.

This was a real disappointment. Instructions say 'ready to use without curing'...but 1st sandwich was hard to remove... small amount of cheese got onto bottom and it was impossible to remove. Soaked in soapy water and scrubbed endlessly, pieces of cheese lift and then reaffix onto other spots requiring similar effort to remove...then it migrated again! Have never seen anything like it! Someone needs to get Alton Brown to do a chemical analysis of the surface to figure out what's happening. We'll give it a second chance, but without better results "en la basura", a sad lesson in using untested celebrity products.