Panini Happy® » Product Reviews

Fun Sandwich Toys + BIG Toy Giveaway!

Kathy — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 07:17:38 +0000

Maybe it’s because I blog about sandwiches or because I shop often for toys but I’ve started noticing quite a lot of sandwich toys on the market these days. I enlisted the help of my 4-year old daughter and 2-year old son to help me test out four fun-looking sandwich toys I’ve come across lately. If you’ve got any food-loving children (or kids at heart) on your holiday shopping list you’ll definitely want to look into these. PLUS…

**Win These Sandwich Toys!**

At the end of this post you’ll have the chance to enter to win the toys that I’ve featured – from brands including Melissa & Doug, Green Toys, Gamewright and Handstand Kids. Read on!

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Panini Happy is on Pinterest!Follow me and my fun, food-filled boards, including Foodspiration, Exceptional Sandwiches and Sandwich Art.

More from Panini Happy:

These sweet and savory Chicken Sausage, Apple Butter and Fontina Panini with Caramelized Red Onions rank among my favorite new sandwiches of this season.

~ I love a good grilled cheese sandwich on a chilly day and these Gruyere with Caramelized Onion Panini are definitely among my favorite grilled cheese on the blog.

~ Traveling to a new city soon? Browse Panini Happy’s Great American Sandwich Guide to find the best sandwiches across the country!

~ Ready to buy a panini press? Check out my Panini Press Buying Advice for the features to look for.

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© Panini Happy®, 2011. Panini Happy is a registered trademark of Kathryn Strahs.
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Grilled Crab, Mango & Avocado

Kathy — Mon, 09 May 2011 04:16:28 +0000

It’s been a hot time for sandwiches lately! Two of my blogging friends have released sandwich cookbooks in the past month. By their titles, 400 Best Sandwich Recipes and The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches, you can tell right away that each covers quite a bit of sandwich territory. Today I’ll share with you the Grilled Crab, Mango & Avocado recipe from 400 Best Sandwich Recipes, by Alison Lewis of Ingredients, Inc. and later this week I’ve got another recipe from The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches, by Susan Russo of Food Blogga.

In 400 Best Sandwich Recipes, Alison Lewis takes on the gargantuan task of creating a comprehensive collection of sandwich recipes – everything from the classics to burgers to wraps and condiments. The Grilled Cheese section alone contains 91 recipes – and I thought I was exhausted of grilled cheese!

Without question, coming up with this many sandwich recipes requires a good amount of creativity. Alison’s creativity proves to be boundless as she delivers innovative twists on familiar favorites such as BLT Pimiento Cheese Sliders, Tuna Caesar Wraps Prosciutto and Melon Grilled Cheese. She also has an appetizer section with a slew of mini sandwiches and crostini.

Out of the 400 recipes in this cookbook, the one that I knew right away I wanted to make first was the Grilled Crab, Mango & Avocado. The reason? A chance for sandwich redemption.

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© Panini Happy®, 2011. Panini Happy is a registered trademark of Kathryn Strahs.
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WIN!! Mario Batali Bags Keep Panini HOT!

Kathy — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 07:01:48 +0000

Can you believe these are lunch bags? How cute are they?! Lunch boxes sure have come a long way from the Darth Vader and Dukes of Hazzard ones we had in elementary school. Leave it to the master of Italian cooking, Mario Batali, to come up with insulated lunch bags that not only keep your panini hot (yes, he actually had panini in mind when creating them!) but are also super-chic. I’m giving away THREE of them! Read on for my review or jump ahead to find out how to win! THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

I was really curious to see just how well these cute bags actually performed at keeping food hot. I tested out the Satchel (pictured above), which is about the size of a small handbag. I can’t say my testing was entirely scientific, but I gave it my best shot. I grilled three of Mario’s Classic Panini, an absolutely delicious combination of olive tapenade, prosciutto and fresh mozzarella on ciabatta, the recipe for which comes as part of the bag’s packaging. I ate half of Sandwich #1 fresh off the grill – a) I was really hungry, and b) I wanted to sample the “best case” – and left the other half on the plate. I packaged Sandwich #2 in some aluminum foil and let it sit on the counter. And, lastly, I wrapped Sandwich #3 in aluminum foil and stored it in the Satchel. Then I waited for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, Sandwich #1 (left out in the open) was room temperature, as one might expect, and the cheese was rather chewy. Not great. Sandwich #2 (packed in foil only) was a bit warmer, a little soggy but generally tasted all right. Sandwich #3 (packed in foil and stored in the Satchel) was as hot as when I’d put it in the bag! I couldn’t believe it. I honestly hadn’t expected there to be any notable difference from wrapping in foil alone. The only issue was somewhat gummy bread, an unavoidable casualty of steam being trapped inside the foil. But overall, the Satchel turned out to be an excellent way to keep hot panini hot. Bravo, Chef Batali!

Win a Mario Batali Lunch Bag of Your Own!

To enter, leave a comment on this post about your favorite lunch box from childhood. Mine? Well, I loathed it at the time but in retrospect I feel proud to have carried the old Tupperware Pak n Carry lunch box in red. THREE winners will be selected at random to receive their choice of one of the following three super-stylish Mario Batali lunch bags: the Satchel, the Messenger or the Collapsible Tote. Great holiday gift! The entire line is now available at eBags (10% of the sale of each bag benefits The Lunchbox Fund and Food Bank For New York City). Apologies to my international readers – we can only ship the prizes to the U.S. Contest closes Wednesday, November 12 at 12 PM PST. THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

© Panini Happy®, 2008. Panini Happy is a registered trademark of Kathryn Strahs.
Permalink: http://paninihappy.com/win-mario-batali-bags-keep-panini-hot/

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Grilling in the Microwave? A Product Review

Kathy — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 23:43:00 +0000

As Seen on TV Micro Grill

$29.99 at Linens ‘n Things

PROS: Fast, easy to use, convenient for the office, far superior to microwave alone

CONS: Mediocre crisping

It’s no secret that the microwave is the enemy of bread. In mere seconds, this otherwise ultra-timesaving contraption can transform the crispiest thin pizza crust or the airiest croissant into a moisture-laden gummy lump. Alas, this makes the option of preparing or reheating our beloved panini quickly and conveniently in the microwave essentially nonexistent. Or is it?

With technology ever improving, I thought sure that someone somewhere must have devised some kind of gadget to help keep bread crisp in the microwave. Clearly, the HotPockets folks had it figured out. After a little searching online, I happened upon the MicroGrill – a microwave-safe “grill” that promised to “convert your microwave into a turbo-charged grilling machine.” Could this be true? If so, move over Lean Cuisine – freshly-prepared panini may be coming to an office kitchen near you!

Better than Microwave Alone…But I Wouldn’t Call it “Grilled”

When I first opened the Micro Grill packaging I was immediately struck by the simplicity of the product. It’s not often that I find a kitchen gadget that’s very lightweight and with minimal packaging (just two small pieces of styrofoam!). I gave it a quick wash in the sink (it’s also dishwasher-safe) and then prepared to give it a go.

The little recipe booklet that comes in the box recommends “preheating” the Micro Grill by heating it in the microwave on its own for two minutes. While it was heating, I assembled a very simple ham and swiss sandwich on sliced sourdough, spraying the outside of the bread with olive oil cooking spray. Once the Micro Grill was ready, I loaded in my sandwich and cooked it for another 2 minutes, according to the directions. If I could make good panini in 4 minutes total, already the Micro Grill was displaying a distinct advantage over a traditional panini press – speed! But would a fast sandwich be a good sandwich?

Two minutes later, I had my answer: kind of. As you can see in the photos, the Micro Grill did produce grill marks. They weren’t very dark or deep, but they were there. When I went to cut the sandwich in half, I could tell right away that the bread was pretty soft rather than crisp. Soft, but not gummy, as it would have been in the microwave alone. Tastewise, it wasn’t a bad sandwich – just not what I would call a panino.

The Verdict

Would I use the Micro Grill as my primary panini maker? Absolutely not. I like my panini to come out nice and crispy, even if it means waiting 10 minutes or so. Would I use it to make hot sandwiches at work or to reheat pre-grilled panini? Sure! Unlike the microwave alone, the Micro Grill will heat bread without turning it gummy. So if heat, not crispness, is your goal, the Micro Grill handles the task well.

© Panini Happy®, 2008. Panini Happy is a registered trademark of Kathryn Strahs.
Permalink: http://paninihappy.com/grilling-in-the-microwave-a-product-review/

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