Breville BSG540XL Nonstick Panini Quattro 4-slice

I recently purchased this Breville sandwich press as my second one. I had purchased the earlier model SG820XL in 2006 and it is still operating flawlessly, having been used about 20-30 times per year, over the 5 years.Knowing that, eventually favorite tools can break or malfunction, I did not want to risk not having a sandwich press with flat plates. For a more detailed review on grooved plates versus flat plates, see two of my 2006 reviews...one for the DeLonghi grooved grill versus a companion review of the Breville flat plate grill. I had purchased the Delonghi first and was unsatisfied with grooved plates for my intended purpose of use and returned it for the much more satisfactory flat plate Breville. And I can say from much experience, that the Breville flat plate grill is at the top of the food chain, in performance and build quality (after 5 years of constant use).And it is much more versatile than a grooved plate panninni press, since you can use it for everything from toasted sandwiches (providing a perfectly browned crust and thoroughly "heated through" ingredients), to hamburger patties, quesadillas, pancakes, and reheating pizza slices (placing cold pizza slices on the bottom plate, crisps the crust back to original consistency while using the stair step locker on the side to adjust the top plate to "hover" at various clearances, just above the pizza surface, to radiate heat to the top side ingredients from above, without touching, makes for a great "leftovers" result).There is no temperature control because one is not needed. This unit is "set" to be very forgiving, so there is virtually no risk of burning a sandwich. However, to provide consistent browning, I do open the lid and flip sandwiches in mid stream to keep the browning consistent. But be sure to use only plastic spatulas on the non stick surface. Most everything will cook in this unit within 5-7 minutes (including hamburger patties which benefit from being cooked on both sides at the same time). If you do hamburger patties, be sure to use lean (90/10 or 95/15), because 85/15 or 80/20 usually has so much grease shed that you may end up making more of a mess, since the unit has somewhat limited capacity for retaining a lot of juice and fat run-off. There is a raised lip around the perimeter to contain this but again, it is somewhat limited and bears experimentation and watching. But realize that is not the primary intended use for this unit so that is not a factor to conside at all in the purchase for use. Another "not intended for use" is bacon. I love being able to cook bacon "flattened out" by the press. Simple and easy, however, don't put too many slices in at one time because there is a lot of grease shed and may overflow the lip. So experiment with a few slices of your favorite and then add as many as you think you can get away with, until you get to the magic number of maximum it can handle without overflow.In the locked position, this unit will sit upright, taking up very little counter space or cabinet space. And it is a very handsome piece of chrome equipment if you care to leave it out as kitchen decor on the countertop.Cleanup is a snap. I usually let the unit cool down in the open position for 3-4 minutes after removal of ingredients and then take a paper towel to both the top plate and bottom plate while they are both still fairly warm. This prevents ingredients from having time to cool down and get dried onto the plates. You can then do a quick wipe down with either wet rag with soap and water, to be rinsed, or a clorox wipe, rinse and dry.You will find this to become an indispensible kitchen tool I would be lost without mine since it makes such quick work of many things that might normally find me dragging out the skillet and firing up the stove. Enjoy.

I did an extensive amount of research and waited several years to purchase a good Panini press. I wanted a bigger surface area in order to make more than two sandwiches at once. I also wanted a flat grill so as to have even cooking and easy clean up. All I can say is... happiness does indeed come to those who wait! OMG, I use this once a day and sometimes twice. Not only is it great for Panini sandwiches, I also do eggs, bacon, sausage on it, grill shrimp on skewers, hamburgers, stir fry vegetables, chicken breasts, etc. The graduated heights for the lid make it possible to do any number of things. Clean up is a piece of cake because with a touch of cooking spray nothing will stick. I especially like the flexibility of the larger size cooking area. The onlty negative is that it takes a little jimmying to adjust the lid to fit flat sometimes, but I have learned to live with it. Everything else is right on.

But they don't make it anymore. This one pops and snaps so loud it's amazing. Worse thing is the design doesn't work well when we want to heat things without the top fully down on the food. Like when were reheat pizza ,etc. The old designs was okay, this one is supported only one one side and sags left to right. More all the time.Miss the old one.

This is the only breville panini grill that has flat plates - both top and bottom. This has the best results, by far. It is 1500 Watt in power (110V of course), it hit up quickly and is easy to clean. The plates do not come off for cleaning, though.You can make anything with it - fish, eggplant (yes!), omelettes, and perfect paninis!It is made of great materials and has several options for lid closing - that is, you can have the top part not fully closed if you wish. You can also lock it closed if you'd like.The down side, as in almost all breville's paninis, is that it doesn't have a power switch nor a temperature control. You have to plug and unplug it from the electricity in order to turn it on/off.

I'm absolutely in love with this press, Very well made, no cheap parts here. This is my first panini press so I can't compare it any other brands. I do use it 3-5 times a week with no problems. Clean up is a breeze and it gets hot as I allow about 15 minutes to cool down to wipe clean. Again very impressed with this product and recommend it to anyone interested in a durable press.

Bought this over a year ago and use regularly. Has worked like a champ, quick heat up, even heating and easy clean-up. A great piece.

I love Breville appliances, and this is no exception. Does a great job, easy clean-up, but one reminder: DO NOT touch the side of the appliance while it is on. You will get a nasty burn.

This appliance is very easy to use. The flat surfaces of this panini press ensure even toasting and cooking. There are no ridges on the cooking surfaces which makes it a snap to clean.Once you lock to panini press plates together, it is very easy to store this unit in an upright position. There are four small feet on the end of this device (across from the main handle) that you can use to store in an upright postion. I don't have a great amount of counter space in my kitchen. Being able to store it in this manner is a big plus if you don't have much counter space.This panini press has been a very big hit with my family.

We bought this through Amazon over 4 years ago, has been used many, many times and still looks brand new. It is extremely durable, very easy to wipe clean and stores neatly, upright in our pantry.The cord is a bit cumbersome and doesn't stay put, but a very minor detail.Makes great paninis but with the adjustable height on the top plate, you can also make wonderful, open-faced sandwiches too...not to mention the best and easiest crustinis for appetizers.A great piece of equipment for any kitchen.

The item was here next day! Wow! It was a housewarming gift for my boyfriend. He loves it! A bit different than the one I purchased at William and Sonoma a few years ago. Does. Not have grills or heat settings on top. Great product. Love Breville ( I had just had surgery and was unable to get out shopping. Yahoo amazon.com!

I first saw one of these in Australia, and then hunted around everywhere for one. In Australia it is called a "toasted sandwich maker". Here in Canada it's a Panini Press!I particularly wanted a press that had flat plates, not corrugated ones. Easier cleaning and less damage from cleaning.I great tip is this: prior to putting your sandwich in the press, use two sheets of parchment paper line the top and bottom plates. All the mess from the sandwich fillings goes on the paper and not on the plates! Much easier to clean, and you don't need butter for browning!

I wish they had put a gadget on the left side also to prevent the lid from closing down all the way. As is, this one-sided control results in a lopsided sandwich.

The Breville Panini Quatro has given our family entre into the culinary process of Panini Cooking. Panini's are easy to prepare and an excellent way of serving a balanced .nutritious and very tasty meals. great machine, great process for food preperation, simple to clean and unlimted variety of food preperation.