Alton Brown's Panini Press Omelette Barely Takes 2 Minutes

We all know the omlette fondly as that warm, comforting breakfast that we can customize to our heart's content. Pack it with veggies, load it with proteins, pile on the cheese, or all of the above — however you build yours, it's a meal that's sure to please, satisfy, and satiate for a solid start to your day.

While a classic omelette is easy enough to make, it's tricky to master. Let's be honest, we've all struggled to make one before. Maybe your eggs started sticking to the pan, or you let the bottom brown too much, or you just couldn't seem to get that fluffy texture or quintessential folded shape you were going for.

Don't throw the towel in yet; there's good news. Professional cook and food-science-junky Alton Brown is known for doling out lots of helpful hacks to help home cooks rule the kitchen — and he's got just the trick for making an easy, no-fuss omelette. One that doesn't require any tilting, flipping, or setting, and even better, the whole process barely takes two minutes. All you need is a panini press.

A panini press can be used for a lot more than pressed and grilled sandwiches, and Brown's ready to prove it in his Food Network video "How to Use a Panini Press with Alton Brown". He shows how you can whip up anything from pizza to grilled veggies to even a whole cornish game hen in just minutes. 

To make his lightning-fast panini press omelette, Brown first throws a couple of strips of bacon into the panini press and lets them sizzle and crisp up for two minutes. Then, using the bacon fat as cooking grease for the omelette, he adds a handful of spinach, pours over two scrambled eggs, and closes the lid again. All you need is one minute for the omelette to cook, then just peel it off the press, roll it up, and enjoy.

If you want to switch up the recipe, you can make whatever substitutions or customizations you'd like. Maybe you want to grill up some sausage instead of bacon, or skip the meat entirely and just use some cooking spray instead. You can add your favorite cheese shredded into the scrambled eggs, or throw in some more mix-ins like mushrooms and onions. Whatever omelette path you choose, pressing it in the panini will produce a no-fuss, no-mess final product that'll be ready to eat in record time.

A panini press is notoriously easy to use, and by heating the food from both sides at once, it works quickly to cook and crisp up your meal — leaving those aesthetically pleasing grill marks in its wake. These handy countertop appliances can save you loads of time in the kitchen, so let's make sure you're getting the most out of your panini press. Want some other creative ways to use yours that step outside the traditional grilled sandwich?

Think about anything you'd ideally grill, and chances are you can replicate that with a panini press. For example, you can throw some corn on the cob in your panini press for an easy, indoor method to get those charred pieces of corn. Something like fish is also great for grilling in a panini press, especially thinner filets that don't need much time to cook. For a tasty side dish with some crispiness, try panini-pressing slices of polenta or small smashed potatoes. And don't stop at dinner — you can caramelize fruit, make cookies, or even bake individual-sized cakes in your panini press. Time to plug in that nifty machine and press away. You'll be glad you did.