Wife wants a burger press

March 30, 2017, 12:56 PM

6guns

quote:
Originally posted by Jim Shugart:
A guy from health department was inspecting a restaurant. The cook, a fat guy wearing a 'wife beater' shirt, was making hamburgers. He would roll up a ball of meat, stick it into his armpit, squeeze it, and then throw it onto the grill.

"That's the nastiest thing I've ever seen", said the inspector.

"That ain't nuffin'", said the guy, "Come back in the morning when I'm making donuts."

March 30, 2017, 12:57 PM

46and2

Burgers should be barely held together, mildly irregular, forms.

Unless of course Meatloaf Sandwiches are your thing.

Make a ball, flatten it with your hands (wax paper if you wish), and cook em.

March 30, 2017, 12:58 PM

cmparrish

I form the meat into a decent size ball then flatten with the back of a bread plate.

March 30, 2017, 01:18 PM

Voshterkoff

Does your dinnerware have a ring on the bottom? If so use one plate on top of the other.

March 30, 2017, 01:27 PM

AKSuperDually

We use this:

Weston Single Burger Press

The key is using the little wax paper squares. I bought a small box of them at a restaurant supply store 2 years ago, and haven't used half the box yet. I think it has 500 squares.

Here's 1000 wax paper squares for $12

I like the weston because it can adjust for patty size. I change the size depending on my burger mix and who I'm making burgers for. Big 3/4lb burgers for me and my friends, small 1/8lb for the kids and 1/4lb for people who like it "well done". Usually I'll mix up the meat the evening before, then in the morning smash out the burgers and lay them stacked 2 high across a cookie sheet. Then I toss them in the freezer until grill time. Makes the perfect burger. My moose burgers are well known in my circle of friends to be the best burger they've ever had.

Clean up for the press is easy and minimal. It comes apart in seconds. Generally there is about a table spoon of meat inside the press, which I either fry up or press into a child burger by hand. In 4 lbs of burgers, a tablespoon of meat. Mostly because I put too much in, expecting excess to squeeze out. That way I get really compacted burgers.

The press then washes up easily, and I spray it with a silicon based food-safe lubricating spray. You can get it at butcher shops, restaurant supply, cabelas, and of course Amazon.

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"The trouble with our Liberal friends...is not that they're ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so." Ronald Reagan, 1964
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"Arguing with some people is like playing chess with a pigeon. It doesn't matter how good I am at chess, the pigeon will just take a shit on the board, strut around knocking over all the pieces and act like it won.. and in some cases it will insult you at the same time." DevlDogs55, 2014

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March 30, 2017, 01:33 PM

oldRoger

quote:
The key is using the little wax paper squares. I bought a small box of them at a restaurant supply store 2 years ago, and haven't used half the box yet. I think it has 500 squares.

Thanks for that, those squares will save me time which I can waste another way.
My press looks a lot like the one shown.

March 30, 2017, 01:46 PM

Skins2881

My gosh what a pointless invention. Just use your hands, or her hands.

Wouldn't work for me anyways. I make mine into the shape of a red blood cell. This way when it cooks it shrinks in an even disk and the inner and outer parts cook to same temp. This avoids the burger that is fat in the middle and over cooked on the edges. Try it that way I'm sure you guys will be happy with the results.

March 30, 2017, 01:51 PM

Jim Shugart

I suspect that this qualifies as a 1st-World problem.

March 30, 2017, 02:22 PM

AKSuperDually

quote:
Originally posted by oldRoger:
quote:
The key is using the little wax paper squares. I bought a small box of them at a restaurant supply store 2 years ago, and haven't used half the box yet. I think it has 500 squares.

Thanks for that, those squares will save me time which I can waste another way.
My press looks a lot like the one shown.

I use two for each patty when "squishing" them. Then I pull the top one (which usually tears around the sides as part of the smash process) and toss it before freezing. Then, just as if you bought a pack of frozen patties, you roll it onto the grill or skillet using the bottom paper, without touching the meat. Helps to keep shape of the patty in the process.

Skins, don't knock it until you've tried it. It makes a superior shaped burger that cooks much more evenly. It also makes it much easier to add flavors and fillers to your burger. I typically add oatmeal, eggs, coconut oil, spices and a touch of bbq sauce. But I rarely use beef, and you need to add fat to extra lean meats. My moose burger mix is 90-95% lean.

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March 30, 2017, 02:34 PM

Expert308

quote:
Originally posted by mark123:
quote:
Originally posted by chellim1:
A simple wood press, together with a piece of wax paper to keep it from sticking, which also keeps it from getting greasy/gross:

Hmmmm, seems kinda bacteria-ish.

Thus, the wax paper.

March 30, 2017, 02:53 PM

ScorpionBoy

I use the tupperware one most of the time, it works and is easy to clean.

I also have the big metal one, from cabelas, and use it less frequently but it works just as well. You do need to use waxpaper with the metal one.

March 30, 2017, 02:58 PM

fpuhan

On the rare occasion I cook and eat a burger, I simply knead it and squish it into a burger-ish shape. Then with my thumb I make a "crater" in the center. This helps the heat distribution, so the burger comes out evenly cooked.

And if you aren't cooking burgers over an open flame, all your efforts to make it pretty are for naught.

March 30, 2017, 02:58 PM

Oz_Shadow

This is a gun forum dammit! Hit it with some case lube!

(And the press must be blue)

March 30, 2017, 03:10 PM

Bald1's Tupperware maker has been around for at least 30 years. All you need is the maker and not the storage containers.

You use a bowl and add the meat, onions, peppers, seasoning, etc and mix it up with a fork. You place the maker on a small dish or wax paper. Next you use a spoon and fill the maker with enough for the thickness you want and then press it. You then just use the wax paper for storage in the freezer for later use or just slide it off into the pan.

Here are several that are similar to the Tupperware unit which sells for $40 with the maker and storage containers:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Stu...atty-maker/170158607

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cui...N92UB6-fHLQWn8TOy-2Y

What I like about the Tupperware unit is that it is tall enough that you can control the thickness of the burger. So for under $10, you can get ones similar to the Tupperware unit at WalMart or other places like Bed, Bath.