The Bacon Press

[David Ross]

I've got a traditional bacon press, but I've never used it when cooking bacon. I used to fry bacon in a pan, but recently I changed my method to cooking bacon in the oven. It stays flat when you cook it in the oven so there's no need for that press. However, I do use it for grilled sandwiches. No need for a George Foreman grill if you use a bacon press. It delivers perfectly grilled cheese sandwiches every time, sans the grill marks from a panini press. And a bacon press is far cheaper than a fancy electric sandwich press.

I used to avoid using the bacon press for hamburgers, because I worried that the weight of the press would squeeze out a lot of the juices in the meat, making my burger dry. On the other hand, without using the bacon press on the burger, it would seize up into a baseball.

Last night I made a delicious burger and used the bacon press to keep in a perfect round patty shape. Yes, some liquid seeped out, but I suspect it was the added water in supermarket ground beef. Cooked to a medium-rare the burger kept it's shape and fit within the round bun, all due to the weight of the bacon press.

Do you own and use a bacon press? Have you found ways to use it other than for bacon, burgers and sandwiches?

[David A. Goldfarb]

Another solution for the flat burger is to make them with a depression in the center.

[ChrisTaylor]

I have no idea what a bacon press is. I just had a mental image of someone taking a thick slice of home-cured pork belly and compacting it with a tortilla press.

If your burgers are swelling up to the point they're no longer patty-shaped, instead turning into something more akin to a meatball, there's maybe an issue with your burger-making technique. What is your recipe for burger patties? Roughly how heavy/what size is each patty? I assure you there is a way around that problem without needing to resort to anything fancy. Even if getting 'fancy' means you get to use something called a bacon press, which is pretty awesome.

[nickrey]

When you get past the six degrees of Kevin Bacon on Google, it looks like a flat bottomed weight you place on top of bacon in the frypan.

[rotuts]

the better ones have an image of a pig on the working part of the press!

[David Ross]

the better ones have an image of a pig on the working part of the press!

And here is said implement:

[lindag]

Anyone use on of these?

I've been looking at this one.

 

 

Here.

[Anna N]

We have looked at them before. Here.

I keep one handy but use it mostly for grilled sandwiches. 

[AlaMoi]

I have a round one -very similar to the pix - fits the 10" fry pans.

had a rectangular one - which worked fine on a griddle, but not so good in a round pan.

 

bacon, sausage, grilled sandwiches, burgers, ham steaks . . .

 

the usual length of bacon is too long for a 10" pan - I cut the strips in half, the round press then handles the smaller pieces much better - bearing in mind I'm cooking for two . . . not a useful trick for a family of xx ....

[donk79]

I have on that is rectangular in shape.  It's not perfect in my round pans, so the round one looks preferable.

 

I will warn that I used to care for it just like my other casr iron, seasoning and all.  This is why a third of my handle crumbled off as charcoal.

[DesertTinker]

I have this Lodge press, as well as a rectangular stainless steel press from a Calphalon grill pan/panini set. Both see pretty regular use.

[liuzhou]

I have a  small (21cm diameter) cast iron pan that I sometimes use as a press inside a larger (27cm) cast iron pan. I always try to multifunction rather than collect more cupboard blockers that rarely get used.

 

Small

 

Large

 

 

Edited June 5, 2023 by liuzhou (log)

[Tropicalsenior]

I have this one that I've had for about 15 years. It was a present from a dear friend. I used it the other day for the first time in about 14 years. It worked great to hold something together until the glue dried. Too bad we're not closer or I would send it to you.