Top 10 best Grill Presses & Irons products

What You Need To Know Before Choosing A Grill Press

Grill presses are essential tools for any grilling enthusiast or professional chef. These versatile devices are designed to enhance your grilling experience by providing even heat distribution, faster cooking times, and improved food presentation. Whether you're grilling burgers, sandwiches, vegetables, or even bacon, a grill press can take your culinary creations to the next level.

What is a Grill Press?

A grill press, also known as a steak weight or bacon press, is a heavy, flat object made of cast iron, stainless steel, or other heat-resistant materials. It typically has a handle on top for easy maneuverability. The primary purpose of a grill press is to apply pressure to food while it's being cooked on a grill or stovetop. This pressure helps to flatten the food, ensuring even cooking and creating attractive grill marks.

How does a Grill Press Work? 

A grill press operates primarily through two distinct methods:

• Firstly, it can be employed to swiftly sear your food on the grill or on top of high-quality cast iron griddles (skillets) with reduced cooking duration. To accomplish this, the grill press or burger press is initially heated.
• Secondly, it functions as a weighty tool to expedite the cooking process, ensuring uniform heat distribution beneath your food.

The grill press, known for its substantial weight, serves another purpose as well—extracting surplus fat or moisture from your food during or post-cooking.

The steak press possesses a thick metallic surface that effectively retains heat. Once preheated, placing it over your food results in thorough cooking of an otherwise exposed side.

Similarly, when utilized as a weighty press, it exerts pressure on the food against the grill, griddle, or skillet surface, guaranteeing even contact and facilitating heat transfer through conduction.

Benefits of Using a Grill Press

Using a grill press offers several advantages that can greatly enhance your grilling experience:

1. Even Heat Distribution: The weight of the grill press helps to distribute heat evenly across the surface of the food. This ensures that your food cooks uniformly, preventing any hot or cold spots.
2. Faster Cooking Times: By applying pressure to the food, a grill press helps to reduce cooking time. The increased contact between the food and the cooking surface allows for more efficient heat transfer, resulting in quicker and more consistent cooking.
3. Improved Grill Marks: Grill presses are excellent tools for achieving those coveted grill marks on your food. The weight of the press helps to create direct contact between the food and the grill grates, resulting in beautiful sear marks that add visual appeal to your dishes.
4. Enhanced Flavor and Texture: The pressure applied by a grill press helps to lock in the juices and flavors of the food, resulting in a more succulent and flavorful end product. Additionally, the press can help to create a crispy exterior while maintaining a tender interior, adding a delightful contrast in texture.
5. Versatility: Grill presses are not limited to specific types of food. They can be used for a wide range of dishes, including burgers, sandwiches, paninis, vegetables, and even bacon. Their versatility makes them a valuable addition to any grilling arsenal.

Key Considerations for Proper Grill Press Usage

Effectively utilizing a grill press is advantageous; however, its incorrect application can substantially impact your entire dish. Hence, it is imperative to bear the subsequent guidelines in mind.

• Ensure there is sufficient space between your food items. When using a grill press, it's important to avoid overcrowding your skillet or griddle with too many burgers or steaks pressed beneath it. This can lead to the release of excess moisture and fat from the food, resulting in undesirable outcomes. Your food might take longer to cook due to the excess fluids, and the steam can negatively affect the texture.

• Use caution when handling a hot grill press. Never attempt to pick up a hot grill press without using a dish towel or a pair of heat-resistant BBQ gloves. Even if the handle is made of wood, there are still risks involved. Likewise, when the grill press is not in use during or after cooking, make sure to place it in a safe location to prevent accidental contact that could result in burns.

• Utilize the grill press for quicker cooking. The grill press accelerates the cooking process by ensuring that your food receives uniform heat distribution while under its weight. Consequently, you may find that the standard recommended cooking times in regular recipes no longer apply. It's advisable to check your food's doneness about 20% earlier than the recommended time.

• Avoid leaving the grill press on your food unnecessarily. Unless you are well-acquainted with its proper usage, refrain from keeping the grill press on your food for extended periods. Doing so can inadvertently flatten or crush the food, causing unintended damage.

• Be mindful of steam buildup, excess moisture, and fat release. Considering you have a single grill press at your disposal, it's understandable that you might attempt to use it on multiple foods simultaneously, even if they don't all fit comfortably beneath it. However, this approach might not yield optimal results. While using a spatula could work in such situations, when it comes to the grill press, allow it to perform its designated task. Focus on using it for a single steak or burger, allowing it to work its magic and create that appealing golden crust on the food's surface.

Considerations When Choosing Grill Presses

Design

The main working area of a cast-iron grill press is undoubtedly constructed from cast iron. This robust material effectively adds pressure to your food. The pressing surface must maintain a level profile, as this is vital in guaranteeing uniform weight distribution. Additionally, a handle is essential for easy handling. 

Shape and size

The majority of grill presses made from cast iron come in a rectangular shape, although there are also circular alternatives on the market. Regarding dimensions, opting for a larger press enables the preparation of a greater amount of food in one go. However, if your intention is not to cater to sizable gatherings, selecting a medium-sized press is advisable since the cost escalates with the dimensions.

Weight

In general, optimal grill press weights typically fall within the range of 1 to 3 pounds. The appropriate weight for you to consider purchasing relies on the specific kind of food you intend to grill using it. For example, when dealing with robust meats such as steak, a substantial cast iron grill press is necessary, whereas for more delicate foods like fish, which can easily break under excessive weight, a lighter press is more suitable.

Features

Seasoning

As you would have experienced with most of the other cookware, a grill press needs to be seasoned properly. While pre-seasoned options are widely available, some variations will require proper seasoning before use. 

One thing to note here is that even if you have a seasoned cast iron grill press, you cannot put it in the dishwasher or soak it with water. After you run a damp cloth on the grill press, make sure to dry it properly with a dry and clean towel, so there is no moisture left on it. 

You should avoid using any harsh dish soaps as the chemicals can strip the seasoning away.

Handle

The handle of a grill press makes sure that there is enough distance between your hand and the direct heat of the cooking surface. A good handle will stay cool while the grill press rises in temperature. Furthermore, the handle should have an ergonomic design, so your hand feels comfortable while holding it.

You should pay attention to how a handle is attached to the press because some of the presses have handles that are a part of the whole press, while others have it attached with bolts and screws. The latter way of attaching the handle is not secure, and it might break away easily if the screws or bolts loosen with time.

Conclusion

Grill presses are indispensable tools for achieving professional-level results in your grilling endeavors. With their ability to provide even heat distribution, faster cooking times, and improved food presentation, they elevate your grilling experience to new heights. Whether you're a seasoned griller or a novice cook, a grill press is a must-have accessory that will help you create delicious and visually appealing dishes every time you fire up the grill.