Kitchen tip: DIY panini press

As much as I adore Kathy's passion for the panini press, and recognize it as a true multifunction tool, and in spite of the fact that we have a bigger kitchen than most, I just cannot bring myself to invest in another semi-major appliance that we have to store somewhere. Luckily, there's an alternative that utilizes something we have in spades: Pans.

Two cast iron pans will do; we have one enamlized Le Creuset fry pan and one slightly smaller cast iron pan, which play together very nicely. First step: Get your pans rocket hot. 

Compose your sandwiches, and lay them down on the larger pan.

Set the screaming hot smaller iron pan on top. Let the weight of the pan do the work for you. 

And, you know, cook it. After just a few minutes, you'll have neatly pressed sandwiches with a crispity crunchy crust.

To be fair, you won't get those nice grilly mark things, but trust me when I say you won't miss them, either.