how heavy should a grill press be

Straight to the Point

We like the Chefs Press. If youre buying one for the first time, the company thinks you should purchase more than one press for maximum utility (and we agree).

Whenever youre searing a piece of meat, crisping the skin on a duck breast or fish fillet, or making a killer grilled cheese sandwich, you want to maximize contact between the food and its cooking vessel. Good things happen when ingredients come in contact with the surface of a hot skillet: They cook quickly and at an even rate, and undergo flavor-boosting chemical changes, like the Maillard reaction. In contrast with the Bluths in prison, this is an instance when touching is strongly encouraged.

So how do we achieve this? Along with using proper cooking techniques—choosing an appropriately sized cooking vessel, not overcrowding it, arranging the food in it in a single layer, and so on—applying weighted pressure to ingredients maximizes the surface area thats directly in contact with the pan, which leads to more delicious browning. This is what makes smashed burgers the best kind of burgers, and produces the crispiest roast chicken skin.

As Daniel proved with his pollo al mattone experiments, there are plenty of ways to weigh down food during cooking. Ive used bricks, Dutch ovens, cast iron pans, giant cans of peeled tomatoes, fish spatulas, and my bare knuckles. Ill never forget the time when I was learning how to work a meat station, and my chef jumped behind the line and bailed me out of the steak weeds by MacGyvering weights for 24-ounce bone-in ribeyes out of logs used for the kitchens wood oven.

You Put the Load Right on Meat

Weighing down certain cuts of meat can be tricky due to their shape. Steaks and spatchcocked birds are straightforward: Their relatively flat surfaces are ideal for even skillet contact and browning. A less uniform cut, like a tri-tip roast, is harder to work with. You can certainly perch a small cast iron skillet on top of an oblong roast, but youll need to use your Jenga skills and focus to keep everything in balance as you turn the meat in the pan to brown it evenly on all sides.

With a few Chefs Press weights, this task becomes a lot easier. They can be stacked one on top of another to create one compact but hefty press, or, for long pieces of meat, like beef tenderloin, they can be shingled over each other for even weight distribution. The handle makes the Chefs Press easy to pick up while you maneuver your protein in the pan.

These weights are also perfect for using as bacon presses, preventing the pesky ends of rashers from curling up when youre cooking bacon on your stovetop. I find that traditional cast iron bacon presses take up way too much room, and end up getting shoved to the back of some high-up cabinet with other rarely used kitchen tools. With its smaller footprint, the Chefs Press is a lot easier to store. And, unlike a cast iron press, it can be thrown in the dishwasher after youre done using it.

How to Choose a BBQ Grill Press, or Bacon Press: 3 Things to Look For

FAQ

What is a good grill press?

Is a grill press necessary?

What size is the chef press?

What does a grill weight do?

How heavy should a grill press be?

Some grill presses can be too heavy and a hassle to use if you’re trying to serve burger patties on the go. The ideal weight should be around 1.5 to 2.5 lbs to achieve excellent heat distribution and flavor to the meat. Most bacon presses are built with cast iron which is the most common material used in grilling equipment.

How to choose a grill press?

If you want to use a grill press, particularly for searing or cooking the food from the top simultaneously, go for the cast iron grill press. Yet, a stainless steel grill press can be a good choice if you look at a grill press for various uses like weighing, smasher, pressing, and ironing. Grill presses are available with different handles.

How much does a cast iron grill press weigh?

The steaming dome is large in diameter, 12.5 inches in size, which can help simmer flavorful dishes in a wok. The durable cast iron grill press boasts superb heat resistance, spreading the heat into meats and other vegetables. The bacon press has quite the weight at 3.9 lbs, flattening ground beef or pork for tasty burgers.

How much cast iron do you need for a grill press?

It’s a minor annoyance but worth mentioning for your consideration. This grill press is about 2-¼ pounds of cast iron at your disposal for pressing burgers, sandwiches, bacon, or other meats. It has a waffled bottom that’s neither smooth nor ridged but will allow excess grease to escape while pressing your food.