A Panini Genie? (UPDATED: 3/1/06 & 3/15/06)

Well, recent events in the entertainment industry have actually had an impact on me for a change. My father-in-law, who lives in Western Wyoming, has always been a big fan of the mini-series Lonesome Dove. He liked it so much that I made a videotape set of the series for him and gave it to him some years back, and he still pops it in the VCR and watches it fairly often. However, he was reading the paper the other day and learned that Larry McMurtry (author of Lonesome Dove) was nominated for an Oscar for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) along with Diana Ossana for “Brokeback Mountain.” I’m pretty sure that this means that Dad is just never going to be able to look at Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones and that cattle drive in the same way again.

On the Frozen Food Front:

Let’s face it – call it by whatever name you like: a grilled sandwich, a Panini, doesn’t matter – who can resist the allure of melted cheese, sumptuous meat and toasty, crisped bread, particularly for a lunch on the go? Nobody, it seems.

Stouffer’s, trying to capitalize on the enduring appeal of toasted sandwiches, has introduced two new product lines, containing 8 new dishes – Stouffer’s Corner Bistro Panini and Stouffer’s Lean Cuisine Panini. Early print media reviews are highly favorable. (See March 1st "Update," below, however...early Diner regular reviews are not good).

Each frozen box contains one sandwich. You open the box, place the open-faced sandwich on the top of the box and microwave it for about 3 minutes. Amazingly, Stouffer’s has created what they call a “revolutionary grill tray,” and it works, turning the bread crispy and melting the filling.

Each sandwich costs about $3.00 US. The Lean Cuisine versions have about 300 calories each with less than 10 grams of fat. The flavors are:

Corner Bistro: Grilled Chicken; Smoked Turkey Club; Philly-Style Steak and Cheese and Southwestern Chicken.

Lean Cuisine: Southwest Style Chicken; Chicken Spinach and Mushroom; Chicken Club and Steak and Mushroom.

I’m still trying to find these locally; in the meantime, if you’ve tried these and have any comments, you can comment here or post your own review at the Icebox Diner. C’mon, all you Panini Wahines….what do YOU think?

March 1: UPDATE: A Diner Regular recently contacted me and said she had "wasted" 320 calories on the Lean Cuisine Southwest Style Chicken Panini, which she ranked as "dreadful." She stated she wouldn't try one of these again. I currently have one of the Corner Bistro versions in my freezer; as soon as I've tried it, I'll update here again. Stay tuned!!

March 15: UPDATE: We've definitely had mixed reviews at the Diner about these sandwiches. I tried the Corner Bistro Smoked Turkey Club and hated it. Two other reviewers, however, tried the Southwest-Style Chicken Panini and each rated it Five Forks. I don't know if our taste buds are that different, or if I had heightened expectations from the Corner Bistro line, from which I have previously had great frozen dinners. Yes, the bread is crispy on the outside, but to me, the filling was seriously lacking in quality and taste. They are definitely not my cup of tea. For the calorie count, I think Stouffer's can do a lot better.