Hamilton Beach Panini Press
By Hamilton Beach · Electric Griddles · Kitchen & Cooking · More from Hamilton Beach
- 10 x 8 inch nonstick grids (80 sq in)
- Cafe-style floating lid presses evenly
- Power and preheat indicator lights
- Lid locks for upright storage
- 1400 watts, 5 lbs
Price not listed
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Summary
A fixed-temperature clamshell sandwich press with two heated 10 × 8 in nonstick grids, a floating lid that locks over the food or closed for upright storage, and no heat adjustment. It is a cheap, storable press for thin and medium sandwiches; check your fillings before you buy, because there is no temperature control and no grease drain.
Strengths
- Heats quickly and stays hot; ATK got deep browning with a bit of appealing char and grilled chicken breasts well.
- The floating lid presses sandwiches of any thickness evenly, and the tightenable hinge knob holds it over the food for bruschetta and open-face sandwiches.
- Both plates heat, so a sandwich never has to be flipped mid-cook.
- Power and preheat lights plus a lid that locks above food or closed make it easy to store upright in a cabinet.
- It is simple to run: no capsules, filters or proprietary parts, and routine care is a wipe-down.
Weaknesses
- No temperature control; the press turns on when you plug it in, and ATK flagged it as the only model in its test where they wanted to turn the heat down.
- A 413.7°F ceiling left thick ciabatta and thick mozzarella undercooked in CNN Underscored’s testing.
- No grease drain and a rim around the cooking surface let rendered fat pool; ATK got one sandwich that came out slightly soggy and greasy.
- Low, rounded ridges sit close together, giving less-distinct marks and trapping food between them.
- Plates are not removable, so cleanup is a hand wipe, and ATK’s construction read was that the machine “did not feel overly durable”.
Verified specifications
| Type | clamshell hot sandwich maker / panini press; both plates heat, so nothing has to be flipped. |
|---|---|
| Model | 25460A; siblings 25460G and 25460Z, later Silver revision 25460MN and red 25462MN; the manual is published for 25460 | 25460Z. |
| Cooking surface | 10 × 8 in nonstick grids, top and bottom, 80 sq in. |
| Control | on/off only, no temperature adjustment. |
| Measured maximum temperature | 413.7°F (America’s Test Kitchen). |
| Lid | café-style floating lid that presses sandwiches of any thickness evenly; a hinge knob tightens to hold any position, and the lid locks above food for open-face sandwiches or closed for upright storage. |
| Indicator lights | power light and a green preheat/ready light that shows when the press is hot enough to cook. |
| Preheat | six minutes before use, per the manufacturer. |
| Capacity | 2-slice (Foodal); the manufacturer’s page says the 10 × 8 surface fits 2-3 sandwiches at once. |
| Grease handling | no grease drain, and a rim around the cooking surface lets rendered fat pool. |
| Ridges | low and rounded, set close together, giving less-distinct grill marks and trapping food. |
| Plates | integrated, not removable. |
| Weight | 5 lb. |
| Dimensions | 4.53 H × 12.64 W × 11.61 D in. |
| Warranty | limited, one year in the US and five years in Canada. |
| Cleaning | wipe clean with a damp sponge and dish detergent on the cooking surfaces, and a damp cloth on the outside. |
Full research notes and sources
Heat and what you can cook
There is no temperature adjustment at all: the press is on/off, and ATK noted it was the only model in its test that could not have its heat turned down. The consequence is a hard ceiling of 413.7°F. ATK still got deeply browned panini with a bit of appealing char and good results on grilled chicken breasts. CNN Underscored, testing seven presses, found the same machine’s maximum heat “wasn’t enough to brown the crust of the thicker ciabatta or melt our thick slices of mozzarella”. Both results are credible for a fixed-temperature press, and together they define the buyer: this machine suits grilled cheese, thin panini and quesadillas, and it is the wrong tool for thick, wet or heavily filled sandwiches.
Cleaning and upkeep
Routine care is a wipe-down: a damp sponge with dish detergent on the cooking surfaces and a clean damp cloth on the outside. Because the plates are integral, there is no dishwasher step, and trapped fat between the low, close-set ridges is the one task the manufacturer does not call out. The lid locks closed, so the press stores upright in a cabinet or drawer.
Warranty and parts
Claims go through service rather than the store. No replacement plates, hinge or lid parts are listed for the 25460 family on the manufacturer’s pages read, and because the plates are integral, a coating failure would most likely be a replace-the-appliance event rather than a replace-the-parts event. Running costs are essentially zero: there are no capsules, filters or proprietary parts, only optional cooking spray or parchment.
Is it worth it?
Hamilton Beach lists the Silver revision 25460MN at $49.99 direct (Hamilton Beach, 2026), and at that price the design limits are cheap to live with if you make grilled cheese, simple panini and quesadillas. ATK tested presses priced from about $20 to about $300 (America’s Test Kitchen, 2025), so the value here is set by what you cook rather than by the sticker. Above roughly $60, do not pay for this machine without checking what the extra money buys: the construction reservation, the fixed 413.7°F ceiling and the one-year warranty are the findings that should decide it. For heavy daily use or thick, wet fillings, a press with adjustable temperature, a grease channel and removable plates is the better target.
Which model this is
This page covers the Hamilton Beach Panini Press Gourmet Sandwich Maker, model 25460A. The Amazon listing is ASIN B00IWOJRSM. Do not confuse it with the Hamilton Beach Searing Grill, models 25360 and 25360MN: that is a different appliance with a 118 sq in surface and a 450°F control. The Silver revision 25460MN and red 25462MN are later siblings of the same line; some listings attach the 25360 number to a panini press, and that is wrong.
Sources
Manufacturer:
- Hamilton Beach Panini Press Gourmet Sandwich Maker, model 25460A (official US product page)
- Hamilton Beach Panini Press & Gourmet Sandwich Maker, Silver, model 25460MN (official US product page)
- Hamilton Beach Panini Press Gourmet Sandwich Maker, model 25460Z (official US product page)
- Panini Presses & Sandwich Grills category page (official US site)
- Hamilton Beach Searing Grill, model 25360 (official US product page; different appliance)
- Hamilton Beach 25460 / 25460Z instruction manual
Independent reviews:
Owner reports:
- No owner-forum data was retrieved (Reddit blocked), so no owner reports are cited.
