I stopped toasting my bread before making tuna melts

Used to always toast the bread first so it wouldn't get soggy from the tuna. Switched to putting it in the panini press raw about 2 years ago after I burned my hand on a hot slice of rye. The bread gets way crispier and the cheese melts deeper into the bun instead of just sitting on top. Has anyone else changed up a basic sandwich routine and ended up liking it better?

2 comments

2 Comments

taraanderson17d ago

OH wow hold on, I gotta say something here because I think you're mixing things up a bit. The whole point of toasting the bread FIRST is so it can handle wet ingredients like tuna without turning into a sad, drippy mess. That's like bread science 101. But if you're putting both raw bread and tuna into a panini press, that's basically just cooking the whole thing at once, not really a "swap" from your old method. You're making a fully cooked sandwich from scratch, not toasting ahead of time to prevent sogginess. Your new way might be tastier but it's a COMPLETELY different technique, not an upgrade to the same thing. Just wanted to clarify that because the physics of bread and moisture don't care if we're using a panini press or a regular toaster.

the_emery16d ago

Wait is the texture actually different though? I've been toasting my bread first for years because I hate when the bread gets all gummy from the tuna moisture, but you're saying the panini press fixes that? How long do you leave it in there to get the bread crispy all the way through without burning the cheese?