Ree Drummond's Clever Trick For Preparing Frozen Breakfast Paninis

Ree Drummond, host of Food Network's "The Pioneer Woman," has a lot of mouths to feed down on her Oklahoma ranch. She and her husband, Ladd, are parents to five children, reports People, and Drummond often makes food for her family and the employees of their ranch. In "The Pioneer Woman" season 20 episode "Breakfast Freezer Faves," the chef says "recipes need to be approved by cowboys, hungry kids, and me." In order to cut down on food prep time in the mornings, Drummond often makes food ahead of time and freezes it for later.

Whether it's because you have a lot of people to cook for, or you need to grab a quick bite before heading out for your commute to work, food prep can be a great way to cut down on wasted time in the mornings. But no one wants a breakfast of soggy bread. Crumpets & Cocktails reports that bread gets soggy while defrosting due to a build-up of moisture. To prevent this, Drummond alters the preparation of her breakfast sandwiches.

When Ree Drummond makes her breakfast paninis, she has one trick for making sure they don't get soggy the longer they sit in the freezer. According to the "Breakfast Freezer Faves" episode, she keeps everything separate while she preps it. She uses a panini press to toast the bread on its own, then allows it to cool as she gets to work on the rest. When she makes the eggs and ham, she allows those to cool as well, ensuring that the steam from the hot food will not cause any added moisture in the bread.

Drummond also adds cheese to her paninis, but she adds it cold, fresh out of the fridge. She says she doesn't melt it ahead of time, because twice-melted cheese is less than ideal. Her cheese of choice? Monterey Jack. She also mentions that "every panini has to have a delicious spread,"  recommending one with a mayonnaise base (via Facebook).

Once everything is prepared, she'll assemble each sandwich, wrap it individually, and stack it in the freezer for later enjoyment.

You may be wondering why chose a breakfast panini over an egg sandwich on a bagel or roll. It's really a matter of preference. Though they go by different names, the panini is actually a variation of the sandwich. In fact, "panini" is Italian for "sandwiches." In fact, Paninis first rose to popularity in Milan, Italy, in the 1960s. Bargoers frequently enjoyed them as a meal, and the food quickly spread to the States (via Origini).

The biggest differences between the panini and traditional sandwich are the bread used and how it's prepared. A panini typically uses traditional Italian bread, like ciabatta or focaccia. The most important quality is that the bread is hearty and structurally sound, and will hold up to the grilling process without losing its shape.

Generally, a panini is grilled via a panini press or on the stovetop. A perfectly pressed panini should feature crisp grill marks, perfectly crunchy toasted bread, and a warm, melted inside. And yes, we say you probably can panini press your bacon, egg, and cheese on a bagel, too. Why not?