This may be old news to many of you, but if you love panini and don't have a panini grill ... if you own a George Foreman (as many college students do) then you've got one. Just make sure the meats/cheeses are sliced thin. If you're a veggie lover, vegetarian, vegan, sauteeing the veggies before grilling the sandwich works well. There's certainly no limit to what type of sammie one can come up with. Yum!

Cher

Two cast iron pans also work well... Put the sandwich in the first pan as you normally would, then put the second pan on top.

Where can you find good, relative inexpensive cast iron pans? All I see these days are cheapo pans.

Anywhere that sells kitchenwares should have cast iron pans. The manufacturer I recommend is Lodge. They've been around since the early 1800s and make great pans which are also inexpensive (cast iron is generally less expensive than other pans). I've got some of my grandmother's cast iron pans and they're still great!

If you get any cast iron, be sure to season them properly before using. Since these things last forever, take the time to do this properly and get your pan off on the right foot.

Lodge also has pre-seasoned pans, but I've never used them (preferring to season them myself). Your milage may vary.

Thanks dude. I've been wanting to replace the one my roommate took from me 6 years ago. What sort of seasoning regimen do you recommend?

I usually like a little EVOO, some fresh smashed garlic, some cosher salt and maybe a dash of Mrs. Dash...

Heat the oven to 250 - 300.

Coat the pan (completely) with lard or bacon grease. Don't use a liquid vegetable oil because it will leave a sticky surface and the pan will not be properly seasoned.

Put the pan in the oven. In 15 minutes, remove the pan & pour out any excess grease. Place the pan back in the oven and bake for 2 hours.

Repeating this process several times is recommended as it will help create a stronger "seasoning" bond.

Also, when you put the pan into service, it is recommended to use it initially for foods high in fat, such as bacon or foods cooked with fat, because the grease from these foods will help strengthen the seasoning.

From this page.

TRUST HIM ON THIS ONE!!! Sorry for yelling, but he's soooooooo right. At our house, we ONLY used Crisco for seasoning the pan and bacon grease or Crisco for cooking in cast iron. It may not be so good for you, but it's good for cast iron.

Drew, what do you suggest for old cast iron pans that are rusted? Steel wool and elbow grease?

Cher

You got it. There may be some commercial cleaners that'd do the job as well, but I've always used that combination myself. The other thing to do is to wash, dry, and then put the cast iron pans into a hot/warm oven (like it is after you turn it off after using it) to thoroughly dry.

After cleaning it, you may need to re-season!

Hey I wanted to say thanks to Skoey and Drew for their recommendations. Now I gotta order one and get to seasoning. Mmmmmmm bacon. Me likey.

Dude, I was joking...although the seasoning I suggested works well on chicken and pork on the grill...