How to Make a Panini Without a Panini Press

By Jawara Kashka
Jawara Kashka

Jawara Kashka began his culinary career in Kansas City, Mo., as a young teen washing dishes at a local restaurant. He quickly moved through various positions in the kitchen, from prep cook to line cook, assistant chef and eventually banquet chef. Kashka then moved to the east coast and worked in various restaurants, all the while increasing his skills at a wide range of cuisines. Bringing his skills to Westport, Conn., he was instrumental in turning Ship's Lantern restaurant into one of the town's most praised culinary hot spots. Kashka also developed off-premise catering for Susan Layton Catering in Fairfield, Conn., and had a long run as the manager of a very successful bakery in Westport.

Making a panini without a panini press can be done in a cast iron skillet with grills and a grill weight. Simply make the sandwich, butter the bread and place it on a cast iron skillet with instructions from an experienced chef in this free video on cooking.

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Video transcription

Love Paninis and don't have the expensive grill to cook them on? I'm Jawara the Chef and I will show you how to cook your Paninis without the expensive grill. What you need to buy is a cast type of skillet with the grills in it; costs about twenty dollars and stuff. You can buy a sandwich press which you can buy at a kitchen store. You can make any type of sandwich you like. But what I'm going to make, I'm going to; you don't have make a lot of fancy stuff; I'm just going to use white bread, mustard; so a little mustard on there; you can use any type of mustard on there. You just make your sandwich any way you like. I'm going to make mine a little fancy right here. Put a little mustard on there. I have my Swiss cheese; a little Swiss on there; a little slice turkey; Alfalfa sprouts and my turkey. It's a nice sandwich. But like I say, you can make yours any way you like. Together, roll over, put a little butter on; got to put that on both sides now. Now I take my sandwich now, bring it over to my hot pan and here, now I put my weight on it. Don't do like this, just put it down gentle. Now I'm going to flip it. Beautiful, beautiful. Remember, just place it back on, don't drop it. Maybe two more minutes until it's golden brown and then we're ready to it. I'm going to take my sandwich out and bring it right over to my cutting board. Beautiful, nice color; beautiful, nice texture, nice color and everything. I'm Jawara the Chef and that's how you make your sandwich without the expensive grill and that's what I'm talking about.