A hot sandwich is any sandwich where the contents are served hot, either because they were heated before inserting them into the sandwich, or because the entire sandwich is heated by radiant or direct heat.
When direct radiant heat is applied to a sandwich after it is assembled (often to melt cheese), the term "toasted sandwich" is sometimes used.
When the heat is applied by a sandwich press, term "grilled sandwich" or a language-specific label such as panini, cubano, or croque monsieur is more commonly used.
