😋Are you hungry right now? If yes, please grab a snack first because this review will make you even hungrier.
A little trivia first. This isn’t shocking at all but did you know that more than 50 billion burgers are made, sold, and consumed every single day in America? 🍔
Although we all have our favorite burger joint that we frequent, the best burger is usually the one you make right at home. But to make a great burger, you must have the right tools.
Enter the burger press. 🤗 This kitchen tool is perfect for all burger lovers who want to make a thin, crispy patty right in the comfort of their own home.
❣️Keep reading for an in-depth burger press review!
✨What Is a Burger Press? Why Has It Become So Popular?✨
😃A burger press is simply a weighted kitchen tool that helps make a perfect burger shape out of your favorite meat patty. It's usually made out of stainless steel or plastic.
When you apply force, it pushes down against the ground beef (or any ground meat) onto your pan 🍳 or grill to give you a consistent shape, size, and weight so you can make the perfect burger every time.
These have become popular for their many benefits:
❣️It allows you to pack in patty meat without having to use your hands as much, which ❣️can actually denature the proteins in the meat
❣️It keeps the raw meat cold
❣️It helps create perfectly uniform patties every time
❣️They're always the perfect weight
❣️There's little to no cleanup, especially if using patty paper
❣️Your burgers turn out beautiful
If you're an avid burger eater, this is your sign 🛑 to get a burger press.
❓How To Use My Favorite Burger Press❓
There are several burger presses out on the market, but my favorite is the Cuisinart burger press. Here are detailed steps on how to use it:
1️⃣Heat up a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and lightly oil it
Season your preferred ground meat however you like it (I used salt, ground pepper, and garlic)
2️⃣Portion out about 4 meatballs per pound of ground beef (we used 80/20 to keep the burger meat moist and not dried out)
3️⃣Once your pan is heated, att your ball to the pan and let it rest for about 1 minute
4️⃣Add your patty paper to the top of the meat
5️⃣Take your burger press and use your body weight to smash it down to your desired thickness
6️⃣(Optional) you can add some raw onions and salt to taste here as well
7️⃣After around 4 to 5 minutes, flip the burger patty
8️⃣I added more raw onion as well as a slice of cheese on top to keep the onions in place 🧅🧀
9️⃣We made double-patty burgers here and added some steak sauce to the buns to finish it off!
💥Simple as that. Of course, make the burgers your favorite way and add your preferred toppings, condiments, and more.
💫Product Fast Facts
🙌Product name: Cuisinart Smashed Burger Press
💐Materials: Cast iron, wood
💸Price: $17.69
💯About the brand:
Cuisinart is a revolutionary kitchen brand introduced to America in 1973 by Carl Sontheimer, its founder. It first grew to fame with its esteemed food processor that helped create healthy and fine food dishes. Today, they are universally recognized for a variety of kitchen products that are used by chefs all around the world.
✨Overview:
The Cuisinart Smashed Burger Press is the key to keeping all of the juiciest flavors locked into the meat while forming a caramelized crust on the outside. The edge lip is specially designed to make uniform patties every single time and lock those flavors in.
Key Decision Factors 🤔
With so many different kinds of burger presses out on the market, some key factors make this one my favorite. Let's take a look at a few:
💸Retail Price:
On Amazon, you can find this burger press for only $17.69! For such a high-quality product by a world-renowned brand, I think this is a steal.
💐Material:
Cuisinart makes its burger press with high-quality cast iron. It cooks meat perfectly. It's solid, heavy-duty, well-balanced, and of course, food-grade.
❤️Sturdiness:
The second you touch this thing, the first thing that comes to mind is "this will last me forever." The heavy-duty material by a top-quality brand shows that when you spend money on it, you're making an investment that will last you years (maybe a lifetime?).
📏Size, Weight, Variants Available:
It is 6 inches wide and weighs 2 pounds. It is also available in both regular and XL sizes.
🥰Easy-To-Use:
All you need to do is wipe it clean after every use. If you're using patty paper, cleaning is a breeze.
✅Pros and Cons❌
Like any other product, this burger press has its pros and cons. Let's take a look at a few.
✅Pros:
✔️It has a perfectly round shape that gives you thin, juicy, and crispy burgers
✔️There isn't a lip, which means you can choose the thickness of your patty
✔️It is super affordable and you can easily purchase it on Amazon
✔️It is heavy and perfect for smashing burgers
✔️The horizontal handle is comfortable and easy to use
✔️Cast iron is much better than other stainless steel or plastic alternatives and has great heat resistance
✔️It's easy to clean, especially when using parchment paper
❌Cons:
❌Not a big fan of the wooden handle, as it feels less sanitary than metal
🏆Competition
Several different competitors offer a burger press, like Weston, Bellemain, and GWHOLE. Let's take a look at how they stack up against Cuisinart.
🌼Weston
Weston is a well-known company that makes a cast aluminum burger press. It is sturdy and commercial grade. It can create patties anywhere from a quarter of an inch to an inch and a half thick and are 4 and a half inches in diameter. It comes with a patty ejector which is pretty cool, but I don't like it because it can get stuck to the meat easily.
🌻Bellemain
Bellemain makes another burger press out of aluminum. It can only make patties from a quarter-inch to a half-inch thick. It also features a spring-loaded pusher which is great for getting the patty out. Another con is that there aren't any variations of it. It is also really hard to clean out thoroughly.
🌷GWHOLE
GWHOLE is a lesser-known brand that packs in patties as well. However, I found that the material did not feel sturdy and the handle even broke after a few uses. It's a bit clunky to use and doesn't feel as high quality as the other choices.
Comparison Chart
| Product | Materials and Durability | Ease of Use | Burger Quality | Pros | Cons | My Product Review Rating |
|---|
| Cuisinart Burger Press | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | *Perfect size
*Easy to use
*affordable.
| *wooden handle | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Weston | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | *sturdy material
* variety of burger sizes
*Great patty ejector | *Not easy to use
*Meat gets stuck easily
| ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Bellemain | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | *Okay material Great *spring-loaded pusher. | *No variations *Hard to clean and use | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| GWHOLE | ⭐ | ⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐ | | *Bad materials
*Broke easily
*Feels clunky and low quality
| ⭐⭐ |
🍔Start Making Juicy, Crispy Smash Burgers!😋
🌺That's everything you need to know about the Cuisinart Smashed Burger Press. If you're a fan of the juiciest, crispiest smash burgers in the world, you need to add this tool to your kitchen arsenal.
🥰Why Trust Me🥰
🌷I'm a diehard burger and grilling enthusiast. When you walk into my home, you'll see a wide variety of grilling tools to make the very best foods available. That also means I purchase a lot of lesser-quality products to try them out and compare them against the best.
❣️I absolutely love burgers, so I have made it a mission to purchase and try out several different kinds of burger presses. This is my favorite one!
Frequently Asked Questions 🙋
Still have questions about burger presses? Let's take a look at some other frequently asked questions about the Cuisinart Smashed Burger Press.
🍔Is Cast Iron a Good Material For Raw Meat and Cooking?
Yes! Cast iron is 100% food safe and is one of the highest quality materials for both raw meat and cooking. Hand wash it to keep it clean.
🍔Do You Have to Season a Burger Press?
No. You can use it as is, especially if you are using parchment paper in between the meat and the burger press.
🍔Do You Have to Heat Up the Burger Press?
No. Just use it as is to smash the burgers. It will keep your raw meat cool if you aren't ready to cook yet, either.
🍔How Do You Clean the Burger Press?
Just wipe it clean! Do not put it in the dishwasher and avoid using water and soap.
🤩Final thoughts
💕Cuisinart Smashed Burger Press: it’s a cast-iron, round heavy weight which is designed to smash burgers. Cuisinart makes all kinds of high-quality yet affordable kitchen products so an addition to their collection is definitely a must have!
😍You won't regret it when you realize you can make better burgers at home than at your favorite local burger joint!
💌Make sure to check out our other articles for the best food appliances.
Comment your fave burger topping below.
#smashburger #burgerpress
