Cold Paninis?

[naivin]

My wife and I are preparing a basket of items for a family who's mother just had rather serious surgery and just returned home. Knowing thay are likely to be inundated with full scale meals from other well wishers, my thought was just to include a handful of paninis that they could eat for lunch, heat up for dinner or throw away if they don't get to them. The idea being that it doesn't require any preparation, dishes, etc.

My question is as to their viability if I make them on a panini press and refrigerate them. Will the bread get hard, overly soggy, etc. More or less, are they going to end up getting some sort of inedible sandwich? My plan would be ciabatta bread, turkey, bacon, etc. I don't necessarily see a problem, but am open to any tips. Obviously you see them in coffee shops and delis all the time. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Jikoni]

Naivin, I do not know anyone who is a fan of cold panino. Urmaniac13 would probably respond to this one...where is she? I love a hot panino anytime. If you are thinking of not doing a lot of cooking why not make a chicken, beef or seafood salad with bread, and keep cool until serving time. Prepare in advance and it's sorted. Just an idea.

 

[kadesma]

Naivin, while your idea is thoughtful and aims to help,Paninni's really need to be eaten right from the grill. The artisanal breads are wonderful, but when let cool off, get hard crusts and the bread feels dry and stale. Now if they have a pannini press, you could assemble the things they need so they could put them together as needed. Or make a varietly of other type sandwiches, include a pot of soup or a big salad and dressing. These options might work better than already cooked sandwiches.
kadesma

 

[kitchenelf]

Why not make a "stuffed" sandwich with some round bread cut in "pie slices". Stuff it with all the favorite meats, cheeses, muffaletta relish, black olives, with some sort of olive oil/salt/basil dressing. The bread will soak up some of the juices and be better after it sits around for a day.

Here's sort of a "guide" to understand what I mean

 

[Alix]

My thought was sort of on par with kitchenelf's. I would pack a basket with all kinds of sandwich fixings. Deli meats, relishes, sliced breads etc. That would likely be much appreciated.