Q&A for How to Make a Panini

Yes, but olive oil is better. You don't have to put olive oil or vegetable oil on it at all if you like.

Hot dog buns are too delicate and soft to be used as a substitute for making panini. Since the panini is pressed while cooking, it could break apart the bun.

You may not be using enough grease on the press. You could also try laying sheets of parchment paper.

No, the heat from the press should be sufficient to warm the bread.

No. Do not make paninis with raw meat. If you're referring to the picture, that looks like honey-baked ham. It just appears raw because it's pink, but it is fully cooked.

If you can't have dairy, then you can either leave the cheese out or replace it with another ingredient that you like.

You can use a sandwich toaster to grill your sandwitches. You can also use a pan.

The best bread to use to make a panini is focaccia bread. Or, you can use ciabatta, or a whole grain baguette. It is best to avoid using sourdough, which is too heavy and strongly flavored.

Yes, it is delicious, I highly recommend it!

This is true in Italian. However, English somehow adopted "panini" as the singular and made "paninis" the plural.

Technically speaking, this would make a grilled sandwich (or in New Zealand and Australian English, a toastie) rather than a panini - but it would still be tasty, so go ahead!

Italian style bread is best for a panini, but you can use other types of bread too. Just so long as the bread can hold the ingredients together, it will work well for a panini. Common types of bread used for paninis are: Italian bread, ciabatta, focaccia, and sourdough.