I’m not a choosy eater on the whole. However in terms of burgers, I like them just one manner: smashed.
This wasn’t at all times the case. Rising up, I longed for my mother’s neighborhood-famous burger nights that includes soy-sauce-infused, extra-thick quarter-pound patties that have been blackened on the skin but somewhat bloody on the within. It was what I thought of the gold normal of juicy burgers for the longest time. However then I attempted Shake Shack, which is thought for its crispy, ultra-thin smashed patties — and my total notion of a damn-good burger modified.
Although the substances for making a daily burger and a smash burger are precisely the identical, the defining component, as is the case with most recipes, comes right down to the cooking approach. With smash burgers, flattening the burger patty till it’s merely a quarter-inch thick maximizes its floor space for extra umami-unlocking potential, and it additionally creates a wider platform to pile on additional toppings. It’s a match made in heaven.
Nevertheless, reaching the right smash is simple if — and provided that — you’ve gotten the suitable gear. That’s why I at all times enlist the assistance of my ride-or-die grill press, the Cuisinart CISB-275 Stainless Metal Smashed Burger Press, when burgers (or different smashable meals) are on the menu.
With this sturdy grill press, you possibly can evenly smash meals with out overexerting your self. Plus, it’s particularly simple to wash due to its modern chrome steel floor.
After many irritating and failed makes an attempt to evenly smash burger patties utilizing the again of a versatile silicone turner, I lastly invested in a grill press for the primary time just a few years in the past. I picked this mannequin from Cuisinart as a result of it isn’t forged iron, which makes it one thing of an anomaly within the class.
All the opposite presses I had tried have been forged iron, they usually all had their flaws. They provided a bit extra weight to assist flatten meals, however they have been finicky to take care of and annoying to clean, as all cast-iron kitchen instruments might be. To not point out, I usually wanted a layer of parchment paper between the meals and the cast-iron floor to forestall them from sticking collectively, which could possibly be fairly wasteful. Plus, the cast-iron handles might get actually sizzling, actually quick. Ouch.
The Cuisinart grill press is made of industrial quality chrome steel, with a 6-inch flat floor huge sufficient to create completely sized patties with each smash. It weighs just one pound, whereas cast-iron fashions are round 2 kilos, but it surely performs simply as nicely. It additionally comes geared up with a hard and fast wood deal with, which sits a snug 2.5 inches away from the warmth supply to make maneuvering round scorching substances safer.
One other perk: The sturdy deal with helps me safe an excellent grip to use a fair quantity of strain and simply flatten meals, which is why I’ve dubbed it “The Hulk” of my kitchen instruments — it might smash a number of issues with nice ease. For an ultra-thin smash-burger patty, don’t be afraid to provide it an excellent smash; the thinner the patty, the higher it’ll brown and unlock its umami.
Whereas testing out of doors griddles for our information, Wirecutter author Kathleen Squires discovered a second use for the grill press: to softly glide swimming pools of cooking oil throughout the griddle’s floor earlier than including the burgers. Over the course of every week, she used the grill press to make a whopping 50 smash burgers.
And it’s not simply nice with burgers. Evenly toasted grilled cheeses, griddled cinnamon rolls, croissant ham and Swiss sammies, crispy asparagus spears, smashed mini potatoes, or my private favourite, tostones, crispy, flattened inexperienced plantains — the record goes on.
I’ve encountered just a few sticking points when utilizing this helpful (pun meant) device, and I’ve wanted a layer of parchment paper solely when smashing particularly sticky meals, resembling cinnamon rolls. However the launch isn’t easy. When not utilizing parchment, I discover that barely twisting the grill press as I launch strain usually helps preserve meals from sticking.
I even have one criticism in regards to the wood deal with. Though it resists warmth extraordinarily nicely and doesn’t scald my hand after I’m in shut proximity to a piping-hot cooktop, its sheer gloss coating will get barely slippery because the scorching oil splatters onto its floor. The excellent news: That’s nothing a fast wipe received’t repair.
Then, there’s the matter of the press’s round form. For smash burgers, it’s all the pieces I might ever need, and extra, however after I’m working with extra summary meals shapes, the 6-inch diameter poses some limitations. My workaround usually consists of smashing in sections at a time till I’ve fully flattened your complete floor of what I’m cooking. Holding a number of slices of bacon from curling up on a flat prime, for example, can rapidly flip right into a sport of Whac-A-Mole after I’m utilizing this device. An oblong grill press could be higher suited to that job, however in my thoughts, getting two instruments for mainly the identical process isn’t definitely worth the funding.
That’s as a result of my kitchen is small — it’s, like, lower than 40 sq. toes — so I’m exhaustingly selective about any new kitchen instruments I deliver into my already-cramped area. One-trick ponies aren’t welcome right here. And this grill press definitely isn’t a one-hit surprise.
That mentioned, as a rule, I’ll nonetheless revert to a toasted brioche bun full of good ol’ American cheese, grilled onions, additional pickles, and an ultra-thin smash-burger patty that by no means ceases to fill my coronary heart — and stomach — with an abundance of pleasure. Sorry, Mother.
This text was edited by Megan Beauchamp and Maxine Builder.
