Customer Reviews

Breadman TR456 Panini Maker

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

For starters, you'll read a lot of reviews here referring to how Amazon ships the unit. I'm not sure if that's how they did it back then (these reviews seem to be older) but mine arrived very well packed, with the original packaging surrounded by filler, surrounded by a cardboard box marked 'FRAGILE' outside. Everything was completely intact when I received it.

Now to the unit itself. I'm pretty handy in the kitchen, and I have one of just about every crazy gadget imagineable. I had two criteria in mind when I bought this - heavyweight (for durability and to retain heat better while cooking) and powerful (to get enough heat in the first place).

My first paninis were made out of steak (top loin sirloin, which I sliced very, very thinly) which I cooked on the grill itself. The grill did a fantastic job of cooking the meat, leaving attractive grill marks and cooking it very evenly. I took a loaf of bread that I'd sliced per the instruction manual, and got cracking. Five minutes later, well done, nicely thinned, evenly cooked steak and cheese panini.

My observations - very strong and even cooking. The unit does feels like its worth more than you've paid for it, which is always good. The heftiness of the machine and the swinging hinge helps you take uneven sandwiches and turn them into evenly flattened and cooked paninis. The cleanup afterwards wasn't bad at all - although I'm sure one person's complaint here that the buildup will be more difficult over time is likely true. The only way I can see getting around that would be to have removeable plates, but that kind of feature is only found in units that are significantly more expensive - in other words, if you want it, you'll have to pay for it (like a Cuisinart Griddler at 4x the price).

My advice - if you're getting started with paninis, this is probably your best bet. Likewise if you're cost conscious. You may have the impression that this is a cheapo unit, and you'd be better off by paying more to get a higher quality unit - but unless there's some feature that you need that this one doesn't have (like those removeable plates, or an adjustable thermostat), I'd pass on that thinking - this bad boy is about as durable and performant as you're going to find, regardless of the price tag.

The Breadman panini maker is a welcome addition to my kitchen. Unlike most other counter grills, it has a hinged top that adjusts to the size of the bread so it doesn't force the fillings out on one side. The nonstick surface makes cleaning relatively easy, although you need to run a damp paper towel between the grooves if you use butter. Sandwiches are crispy brown in about four minutes after placing them on the preheated grill. The grilling surface measures ten inches by twelve, enough room for four regular size sandwiches or two to three large ones. I have not tried to grill anything but panini, but I see no reason why it could not be used for other indoor grilling recipes.

Be creative with your combinations. Try maple honey turkey, smoked gouda, and chipotle mayonnaise on an Italian roll. Grilled vegetables and Boursin on focaccia. Pepperoni, provolone, ham, turkey, and tomato on slices of Italian bread. Buy or make fresh wholegrain loaves and slice them thickly, and fill. You will be limited only by your imagination and your tastes. For best results, the bread needs to be thick. Butter or olive oil helps with even browning, although you don't need to use either if you are watching fat intake.

This panini maker is not perfect. As other reviewers have noted, the lights are hard to see, and the only way to turn it on or off is to unplug it. But this is a sturdy grill that does its job well. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to bring a little pizzazz to soup and sandwich night.

The TR456 makes a nice sandwich, no question. But if you make anything even remotely messy, it will take as long to clean up as it did to cook: it's not immersible, and the cooking surfaces aren't removable, so you have to go at it with a soapy sponge, then rinse it with a series of damp paper towels until you're confident your next panini won't taste of burnt detergent. My mother had an immersable electric skillet over 40 years ago; why are they still selling items like this that aren't?

There are other usability issues. The handle, as you may be able to tell from the photo, wraps around both sides and the front of the top. But it's only plastic in front; along both sides it's metal, and gets scaldingly hot when in use. There is no power switch: you have to unplug it between uses. There are two indicator lights: red to indicate power is connected, and green to indicate the unit has reached its operating temperature. The thing is, the green light indicates that the operating temperature has been reached by turning off rather than, as I think most of us would expect, turning on. And both lights are in the middle of the top, which means they are nowhere in sight when you have the lid up.

Overall, the Breadman TR456 Panini Maker is usable but poorly designed.

After reading the reviews, I decided not to order it online because i didn't want it to arrive broken and found it both Macy's and Target for $39.99. I've only had it for a week, but we've been eating panini every day for lunch since I bought it - i refuse to part w/ it!! I've used sourdough bread (my favorite) and have used a variety of cheeses, pastramis, pepperoni, olive tapenade, roasted bell peppers to make the most delicious sandwiches.

The non-stick grilling plates are not removable, but that's ok - it cleans up very easily after the unit cools down.

It's true - the lights on the outside (red and green) are not very bright, but just plug it in and heat up for several minutes and you should be fine.

As far as not having an off/on switch, well due to my limited counter space, i can't store it on the counter anyhow - i slide it on top of my microwave for storage...so i wouldn't want to keep it plugged in all day (like my toaster or microwave) anyhow - it works fine for me.

I was looking at all of the other brands (cuisinart, villaware, krups) and I don't see how they can be so much better. This breadman panini maker is a HEAVY, sturdy piece of equipment.

For me, I wanted the following:
-something non-stick
-something sturdy/heavy
-something that heats up quickly
-something that will clean up easily
-something that will make perfect panini

This unit does all of that and more - and it's worth the $39.99 price - it's almost TOO cheap.

If you love panini and do not want to pay $80 to $130 for a panini maker, I would highly recommend this. I am very particular w/ my kitchenware and LIVE in the kitchen. I only want the best microwave/coffee maker/espresso maker etc....just because the price is so good doesn't mean it's a cheap piece of equipment. This performs, feels like, and looks like a $80-$100 piece of kitchenware.

Readers please do not fear receiving your unit from Amazon. My grill arrived gift wrapped in the cutest blue bag with a light green satin sash. The box was packaged most carefully with plenty of air bags and was marked fragile on each side of the box.

I would not trade this panini maker for any other brand.

The heavy duty construction performs perfectly and your guests will consider you a gourmet when you present them with perfectly grilled cuisine. Using a panini is the only way to eat a sandwich, bar none. Cooks Illustrated recommends using a cast iron pan and a bacon press...WRONG...not the same effect. The grooves on the unit are perfectly placed and the heating element allows you the perfect temperature givng your sandwich a crunchy, crispy outside and moist and tender inside with gooey melted cheese. YUM

Also, the streamline size allows for easy storage.

I received the Breadman Panini Maker as a gift, and it certainly delivers.

Within minutes I was eating delicious home constructed panini's to me and my wife's delight.

Nice things:
1) It gets hot relatively quick, and maintains heat.
2) Large grilling area.
3) Floating hinged top allows equal pressure on all points of a sandwhich being grilled.
4) Nothing sticks to this Teflon baby!
5) Cord storage underneath unit.
6) Small recipe book included with hints on yoru own food pairings and combinations.

Area's of concern:
1) No on/off switch. Basically plugs in to turn on, remove plu from wall to turn off.
2) Rubber feet on base legs have a tendancy to come out from time to time. Not sure why they weren't secured.
3) Once off, grill plates stays hot for quite a while. Children watch out!
4) Because grill plates aren't removable, and it's overall healthy weight, cleaning in a sink can be awkward. Took me more than a sponge wipe down to clean between grooves.

I bought my Breadman Panini Grill a few months ago; although, from reading other reviews about how the handle might break in shipping, I decided to buy mine at a Target store for about $40. I wasn't sure I'd use it all that often, so I didn't want to spend a lot of money on it. I thought, if I use it enough, then I'll invest more money in a "nicer" one. But, no need - this is a GREAT grill!!! I mostly use it to make grilled sandwiches, and what a way to invest $40!!! My husband LOVES every sandwich that comes out of it. Even plain grilled cheese tastes better. You don't really need to spray the sandwiches with olive oil or spread with butter - I've forgotten to do that a couple of times, and nobody can tell the difference. I've made garlic bread on it too - I split open ciabatta rolls, sprayed with olive oil, sprinkled with italian herbs and granulated garlic then grill, once grilled, sprinkle w/freshly grated parmiagano-reggiano ~~~ YUM!!! My only COMPLAINTS: ***it's kind of big and a little difficult to store in a small kitchen (so, I store it in it's original box under the bed!!!)***the grill plates are not removable, but if you wait for it to cool completely, it wipes clean VERY easily with a paper towel. It also does not have an on/off switch, but that works for me so I don't forget to turn it off. If you're considering buying this grill, do it - you won't be sorry.

For starters compared to other models and brands this one is reasonably priced.It cooks really well. Has the grids on it which makes the sandwich look nice. It can cook up to four regular sandwiches or 2 big ones. It's really good with rustic and artisian breads leaving them nice and crispy and crunch, It makes a really good gourmet style sandwich that you'd probably pay alot for in a restaraunt. I am unfamilar with them as do we do not have no area in my part of New York State which makes panini so I found out about them on my own and have began to make them. I really like them and the panini maker alot.

We are very happy with this unit. I was leaning toward the Krups but bought the Breadman on price. After buying and using the Breadman I compared it to the Krups unit and they are very similar in construction. The grills look identical. The Krups is a 1500 watt while the Breadman is 1400 watt. This unit makes great Panini - very crispy bread with nice grill pattern. Cooks fast in 4-5 minutes. Highly recommended!

After seeing all the $80+ Krups and Villware machines at high-end kitchenware shops, his machine caught my eye based on the amazon.com reviews. However I was leery of ordering it after reading the packaging problems (or lack of packaging problems) that others detailed in the reviews.

However today I just happened to run across this unit at T* while grocery shopping so I tossed it in my cart. Great machine. It's a very solid well-made press that feels better-made than the Krups for twice the price. The grill grates are also designed better with thin grooves so it is much easier to clean than some of the other brands.

No more wrecking my waffle iron making paninis!