Abstract: A grilling apparatus for use in a cooking chamber of an oven, wherein the apparatus comprises: a panini press which comprises: an upper grill comprising a pair of oppositely disposed downwardly facing first guide rails; a lower grill comprising a pair of oppositely disposed upwardly facing guide surfaces; wherein the upper grill is reciprocally movable in a vertical direction towards and away from the lower grill by a pair of oppositely disposed alignment devices connected to opposing sides of the upper grill and disposed within a respective pair of upwardly facing guide surfaces connected to lower grill; and a paddle for holding at least one food product, which paddle comprises: a base portion, and a pair of oppositely disposed upward facing second guide rails which align with their respective the first guide rails, such that when the paddle enters the cooking chamber the second guide rails contact their respective the first guide rails which causes the upper grill to move upwardly away from the lower grill,