Have you ever arrived at lunch and not been a fan of the main course? Of course you have, it happens to all of us. Thankfully, Sage Dining provides FOUR beautiful Panini Presses, and they can do wonders for your appetite. Sadly, some students have not yet experienced the exquisite sandwiches that can be made from these presses, and I’m here to fix that. 

Here are 2 excellent ways to utilize the Panini Presses.

1. The Classic

What I call “The Classic” is perhaps the simplest method to make a Panini at Beaver. Do not shy away from this meal simply because it is fast and easy to make. It is by no means “not tasty,”, in fact, because of its simplicity, this meal is almost impossible to mess up, and thus provides a reliable and delicious source of nutrition. 

Ingredients: 

• 2 slices of sliced bread (white or whole wheat)
• 2 slices of cheese (either of the two available)
• 1 slices of ham (2 if you’ve got a Sports Game that day)

Instructions:

1. Select your bread
2. Combine ingredients into a sandwich (you should probably know how to do that already)
3. Place into paper bag that Sage Dining provides *This is a very important step! Don’t make other students mad when your unprotected sandwich gets stuck to the press!*
4. Cook at the highest temperature for 3 mins
5. If nice lines appear after 3 mins, turn sandwich 90° and cook for another 2 mins (This will add some nice design to your sandwich, and you can show off your skills to your friends when you eat it)
6. Take the sandwich off the press and onto your plate *It will be hot so be careful!*

There are tons of variations to this sandwich. You could add tomatoes, pickles, more cheese, more ham, more turkey. Go crazy with it, maybe you’ll find something you love!

2. The Bagel

This “sandwich” is a little unorthodox when compared to the other meals in the cafeteria, but it’s a tasty alternative to the traditional toasted bagel. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, the cafeteria has a beautiful bagel toasting machine which toasts bagels to various degrees of toastiness. While this machine is excellent, I often find it to be a little inconsistent, and I realized (one fateful day after the machine was not working), that the Panini Press is an excellent alternative to the bagel toaster. The Panini Press allows the chef to feel more connected with their food, as they can directly control the toastiness of the bagel.

Ingredients:

• Bagel (split it in half)
• Preferred item to be on the bagel (cream cheese, butter, jam – only to be used after toasting)

Instructions

1. Place both bagel halves in the paper bags provided and place on the press
2. Turn heat all the way on
3. Rotate the bagel (for maximum heatage)
4. Toast for as long as you need

After toasting, you’ll notice that both sides of the bagel will be nicely toasted, which adds extra crunch when eating. Add on some cream cheese and you’re all set with a delicious snack! 

If done right, panini’s allow any student to create a masterpiece of a sandwich, with varying toppings, every single day. While the hot lunch is usually delicious, panini’s serve as a delectable fallback that are always readily available.