Review: five electric panini presses

King of panini (and bacon!)

The brushed stainless-steel Breville Panini Grill has a 9 1/2 -by-10-inch nonstick grilling surface, variable temperature control (350 to 440 degrees), a six-setting height control, flip-out feet and a locking mechanism for upright storage. A large drip tray fits securely along the front. It comes with a recipe book and a grill scraper.

What’s the difference: This is the only grill that has a degree-specific temperature control; height control; and flip-out feet that let you elevate the front of the machine or slant it slightly downward. Because the pan has no lip, it doesn’t need a pour spout.

What we thought: The Breville is the clear winner. Like the De’Longhi, its temperature assured a nicely grilled sandwich every time, because you can regulate the heat according to what’s inside your sandwich. So when it comes to panini, there’s a two-way tie. But the Breville is good for making much more than panini -- it’s also great for grilling vegetables, cooking burgers, bacon, etc., particularly because the flip-out feet let you cook at an angle, allowing the grease to drain while you cook. The fact that the pan is lip-less, unlike all the others, makes cleanup much easier. The lip-less design also makes it easier to slide off cooked ingredients. The height control, on the other hand, doesn’t add much functionality.

How much: $100, exclusively from Williams-Sonoma stores and online at www.williams-sonoma.com.

Takes on the tall ones

The De’Longhi Retro Panini Grill has a height-adjustable hinge, an adjustable heat control, an 11 1/2 -by-9 1/2 -inch nonstick grilling surface and a locking system that allows upright storage. A recipe book is included.

What’s the difference: The De’Longhi has a temperature control with three settings.

What we thought: The shiny De’Longhi, with its cool, retro design, grills panini as well as the Breville. With its pivoting heavy top, the machine can accommodate tall ingredients, such as super-filled sandwiches or steaks. But it’s not as good at grilling anything fatty because the unattached cup that catches the oil is too small and doesn’t stay in place. Still, for panini it’s great.

How much: $60 at Bloomingdale’s stores and online at www.bloomingdales.com, www.cooking.com and www.amazon.com.

One-temperature wonder

The Krups Universal Grill Panini Maker has a nonstick surface and a locking mechanism. It comes with a recipe book.

What’s the difference: The Krups only cooks at one temperature, and there’s no pour spout.

What we thought: The Krups is a sturdy, functional machine. Without a pour spout, though, it’s difficult to clean, and its preset temperature limits its use to panini and other foods that can cook at that particular temperature. Though it has a locking mechanism, the lock is flimsy, rendering the handle useless for carrying it (it falls open). But its nice, slim design makes it easy to store.

How much: $80 from Sur La Table stores and online at www.surlatable.com, www.krups.com, www.cooking.com and www.amazon.com.

Small but sturdy

Cuisinart GR-1 Griddler Panini and Sandwich Press has a brushed stainless-steel housing, an 11-by-6 1/2 -inch nonstick surface and a floating hinge. It comes with a grill scraper.

What’s the difference: The Griddler only has about half the surface cooking area as the other pans.

What we thought: The small grill size of this new model means you can only cook two panini at once. Its lack of runoff spout and tray and the preset temperature control make the grill less versatile than the others. And accommodating tall sandwiches is more problematic because when the hinge is fully extended, you lose about an inch of surface grilling area. No lock means you can’t store it upright.

How much: $50 from www.cuisinart.com, www.bedbathandbeyond.com, www.cooking.com and www.amazon.com.

Some disassembly required

The Hamilton Beach 25451 Contact Grill and Sandwich Press has a 9 1/2 -inch-square cooking surface with removable, dishwasher-safe nonstick grill plates.

What’s the difference: You can remove nonstick grill plates and put them in the dishwasher.

What we thought: The grill cooks unevenly, with food browning at the edges before it cooks in the middle. The design of the press, which has edges that rise farther up than the ribs on both sides, also means that you can’t cook very thin food, such as bacon slices or thinly sliced bread. The grill plates rattle, so the machine doesn’t seem very sturdy (also, the unattached drip pan is easily knocked around). The parts are dishwasher-safe, but it’s not much easier to clean because disassembly is required.

How much: $50 from www.target.com and www.hamiltonbeach.com.