Breville SG820XL Maxi 2 in 1 Panini Press Review

I find that most of the people have a fascination towards the grill with ridges so that the sandwich bears those typical marks and looks good. There is no doubt that these gives the sandwich an authentic Italian style, but for me taste matters more than the looks alone. I dumped my Delonghi Panini in favor of the Breville SG820XL Maxi 2 in 1 Panini Press. After using this new found solace I repent for my delayed move and strongly feel that Delonghi should have been chucked from the kitchen long back. This has all the features that anyone looks for in a Panini press that toasts restaurant quality sandwiches at home itself.

The Breville SG820XL is one of the very few grills that come with a flat plate without any grooves in it. The advantage of having even surfaced plate is that it toasts both the sides of the bread evenly. What happens in the grill with the ridges is that by the time stuffing inside the bread gets cooked, the raised portion of the sandwich that is in contact with the pan gets extra crispy. This has a large cooking surface and can simultaneously prepare 4 sandwiches. This saves a lot of time and I can be with the family instead of spending more time in kitchen as I used to do with the traditional toaster.

I make a variety of sandwiches and Panini with no restrictions on the items stuffed inside. The most common ingredients that I use are chicken, prawn, egg and colorful vegetables. As the cooking is done the excess amount of cheese and oil is thrown out of the Panini and do not bother about this as it is very common phenomenon. The base plate comes with a raised cup sort of thing to collect the oil. If needed, the sandwich can be left in the grill till you sit for breakfast so that it is hot just right to eat. It will neither get burnt nor soggy.