This is, quite likely, a stupid question, but it’s been bothering me. Given the price disparity between the two, what exactly is the functional difference? Is a GF grill just a low-end sandwich press? Anyone have experience with both?
Thank you.
~ stonebow, a big fan of panini grilled sandwiches…and of keeping as much money in his pocket as possible.
My two cents.
My old roomate had a GF grill and I didn’t like it. The top grill never layed flat on the burger or dog. It’s not a big deal for the burger but the round dog it seemed to only ever grill 2/3 of the dog unless I stood there and kept rotating it.
So in my experience I would think a panini grill would be better but as a fellow cheap-o, as much as possible, I would probably get the GF grill and just not care about even grill marks on the sandwich.
I’ve got a basic model el-cheapo GF that I’ve had for years. It’s great. I make panini-style sandwiches on it all the time. It’s also great with burgers, but doing brats (or dogs, I suppose, but I’m not a fan) does require some rotating, as Tahssa says. It’s also incredibly easy to clean. All around a great value – probably the only thing ever advertised on late-night TV to ever qualify for that statement!
I thought we were buying a coffee maker? Christ, I can’t keep up. 
All my pristine white counter tops are going to be covered with gadgetry, soon. Calamity.
I also have one of the low end GF grills. It’s fine but I’m not crazy about it for sandwiches because the raised grill bits are too far apart and it seems to make too deep grooves. I just got myself a nice grill pan and I press the sandwiches down really well if I want a panini type sandwich.
While I’m not a mod in either forum, I’ve moved this to Cafe Society. It seems that cooking related questions fare better there.
samclem
I have the littlest, cheapest GF grill and we make sandwiches in it all the time. You just need to flip them halfway through for even pressing. And occasion push down. But I really like it.
I also have the little el cheapo GF grill and really like it for burgers, fish and steaks. I’ve never tried it for sandwiches, though.
I can’t comment on the George Foreman Grill, but we have a George Foreman Rotisserie that we picked up nearly new at a Garage sale and I gotta say that it makes some of the best Chicken and Cornish Game Hens I have ever had. Crispy cracklin’ skin and oh so juicy tender delectables.
Our kitchen here at work uses GF grills as panini grills if that means anything. The cook has to press down on the top to make sure they get evenly done.
Whether it’s GF, waffle iron, panini, or other brand, they’re the same device, basically. A coupla things to look for: The little pan for the drained fat is more convenient on some. More important, does the top grill stay parallel on thicker items?
A little off topic, but you could get one of these. I have one that’s smaller and cheaper, but still cast iron (I think I got it at Bed, Bath and Beyond for 10 bucks or so). I heat it up on a burner before I use it, toss a sandwich in a hot pan, toss on the press, and enjoy the panini goodness. If you really like lines on both sides of your bread, you can flip the sandwich during cooking, but I don’t bother. It’s great if you have limited space in your kitchen for various gadgets.
The GF is a pain to clean.
The newer ones have grill plates that come off to make cleaning easier, plus they come with a sponge made especially for cleaning them. They’re grooved, and make cleaning it very easy.
Does the Panini grill have some sort of safety mechanism to prevent your foot from getting stuck in it?
Is this the same grill you got stuck on your foot?
No!..yes.