The Panini Press Trick For Reviving Dry Store-Bought Burger Buns

For some reason, the number of burgers in a package and the number of burger buns in a package rarely add up. Nobody wants to run out of buns at a cookout, so people tend to buy more buns than they need. But that practice leaves the problem of leftover buns, which can dry out in just a day or two and get thrown away. Food waste is a huge environmental problem around the world, and it's also a problem for your wallet because you're throwing grocery money in the trash when you throw things away uneaten. If you own a panini press, however, you can save the day. 

If there are burger buns hanging around after a weekend barbecue, give them a refresh by popping them in a hot panini or sandwich press for a minute or two. The heat will revive the proteins in the bread and make the bread soft and chewy, you'll get some extra flavor from toasting the surface of the bun, and you'll save yourself a few dollars and another trip to the grocery store.

For buns made with wheat-based flour, a little heat can go a long way toward bringing it back to life. This is because the starches in the bread reabsorb water at around 131 degrees Fahrenheit. This is why toast is a great way to use up bread that's a little dry and getting stale. If your buns are gluten-free, the heat will also soften the fibers of the bread, but you may need to keep an eye on how long to leave them on the heat, as different types of flours have different reactions to heat (as you may have discovered when searching for the perfect gluten-free foods).

While you can certainly toast your leftover buns in a toaster oven or heat them on the grill next to your burgers while you're cooking, a panini press is next level because it has more surface area and will add extra flavor and texture to your bun. In fact, a panini-pressed bun might even be a little better than a plain bun because you're adding extra toasted, caramel flavors from the Maillard reaction.

If you want to use your panini press to perk up your burger buns, you have a couple of options as far as technique, depending on how you want your handheld to come out.

The first option is simple: Cook your burger and then toast your bun on the panini press for a minute or two until it's warm and a little browned. Then assemble your burger with cheese, toppings, and condiments as usual. The second option is to treat your burger like a panini sandwich, since, after all, that's what the device was made for. To make your patty melt-style burger, it's best to cook your meat to temperature before getting the sandwich press involved. Next, assemble your burger inside the bun, adding any cheese and condiments you'd like, and press it for a few minutes until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted.

Now that you know that your panini press works for reviving burger buns, give it a try for all your other leftover buns. Hot dog buns are also great in the panini press, and you can squish a couple at a time for weeknight chili dogs or for a warm lobster roll, which is perfect since the numbers of hot dogs and buns in packages also never seem to match up.