Product Description

Grill thick sandwiches, chicken and meat. Professional highly polished aluminum housing with restaurant-style handle. 1400 watts 11 inch by 9 inch grilling surface with non-stick coating. ProPress hinge adjusts for foods up to 3 inches thick.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6281 in Kitchen & Housewares
• Brand: Villaware
• Model: V2160
• Dimensions: 5.80" h x 15.20" w x 15.60" l, 12.59 pounds

Features

• Exclusive design grills either panini sandwiches or meats
• Large 11-by-9-inch grilling surface; adjustable temperature control
• Cast aluminum with embedded heating element for fast, even heating
• Ribbed grill plate with grease-draining side spout feature
• Commercial-style handle; floating top adjusts to all thicknesses; one-year warranty

Amazon.com Review
This commercial-style panini grill is the only one that makes restaurant-quality pressed sandwiches and also grills meats for healthy, low-fat dinners. The Uno panini grill has a large 11-by-9-inch grilling surface that can press about four large panini sandwiches made on the traditional Italian foccacia or ciabatta bread, sear four boneless chicken breasts, or grill four servings of vegetables. The cooking surface heats up quickly and stays hot because of its cast aluminum construction and because the heating element is embedded directly beneath the grill top and bottom. For safety, a red light comes on when the appliance is plugged in and remains on for the duration of your cooking time. An adjustable control offers seven different cooking temperatures and a green light illuminates when the appliance has reached the desired heat.

The plastic handle stays cool during cooking and pushes straight down, as on a professional panini grill. The floating top adjusts to any thickness of sandwich so you can feel free to stuff your paninis full of meats, cheeses, and veggies. The ribbed grill plate imprints the typical marks onto meats or bread and, for healthier cooking, drains any fats from meats into the grooves and out of a side spout to a waiting grease tray. A high-quality nonstick coating on the cooking plates ensures that food lifts off easily and that the Uno panini grill is easy to clean.

While the high-polish aluminum exterior on this appliance is beautiful and durable, it also heats up to the same temperature as the grill’s interior. The plastic-coated handle offers some protection from the heat, but cooks still must exercise caution to prevent burns from the lid or sides of the handle. The Uno panini grill stands upright for storage but is still fairly large and heavy so cooks will want to ensure that they have adequate space for it.This product is covered by VillaWare under a full one-year warranty. --Cristina Vaamonde

Customer Reviews

BEST for sandwiches
I had lusted after this little baby for some time and finally bought it when I found a great deal on it. It makes the most amazing sandwiches, which you can custom-tailor to your tastes. I also used it for a rolled flank steak, stuffed with mushrooms and cut into thick slices. Each slice cooked perfectly at medium heat, although like all steaks, it requires a watchful eye to prevent overcooking.

My experience with vegetables was similarly good. Peppers, onions, eggplant slices all cook in minutes with good result. I have not tried chicken breasts, but from reading the other reviews, imagine that the results will be similar.

One negative: fish can be a tricky business on this grill. I cooked an ahi steak for only a few minutes and it was overdone. I bought a stovetop grill pan specifically for fish after that (well, I confess I do throw a little bacon on it too from time to time).

I am quite satisfied with this panini grill, and love my homemade paninis. I found that a sliced kaiser or hoagie roll works well, as well as thickly sliced Italian or sourdough bread. My favorite sandwich?: thickly sliced bread, olive tapenade, roasted red pepper slices and sliced fontina. Who said heaven isn't right here?

Grate Grill
I've had this panini press for 6 months now, and use it at least twice a week. Works extremely well, as advertised. Easy to clean, and stores well, too. It gets verry hot unlike some countertop grills on the market steam the meat. Crispy well marked dinner and lunch entree's. Non-stick coating still shows no indication of wear. This grill looks snazzy too! Makes super panini; the recipes enclosed, (of which I've used 2) are a great guide to the world of hot pressed sandwiches. Next purchase, is a panini and bruschetta cookbook. Overall, very happy with this purchase

Best Countertop Appliance I've EVER Purchased!!!!!!!!!
I love, love, love, love, love this Panini Grill!!! We just bought it two weeks ago and used it nearly every day last week and probably every other day this week and look forward to using it much, much more.

We paid the full price for it through Crate and Barrel (that was a mistake - I know better to check Amazon.com first) and it was well worth the full price, but the price it's offered for here is a great bargain.

I agree with another reviewer in that I think this is a much better quality grill than the George Foreman (which I don't own, but have used at my in-laws). It's sturdy, very easy to clean with the included tool, has a grease catch that can be thrown in the dishwasher, and to top it all off it's great looking and has a latch that allows it to be stored standing on end - I keep mine on my counter top for easy access.

Again, can't say enough good things about this great grill.

Doesn't matter if you're a serious cook, a weekend griller or a microwaver; this appliance is easy to use and with a little imagination you can make the greatest appetizers and meals.

This is one small appliance that won't be collecting dust in our home and I bet it won't in yours either.

P.S. Two great cookbooks I'd recommend to use with this grill:
**Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book: The Best Sandwiches Ever...**
**Panini, Bruschetta, Crostini: Sandwiches Italian Style**
They are both available through Amazon at a competitive price.