I never thought of that. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt suggest using a floor trowel as a cheap lightweight grilling press, as the full weight presses are not appropriate for all foods.
Separate trowels for the food and floors is recommended.
It looks like in at least one place he suggests using it for both:
Why would I use a construction trowel when Amazon sells a whole slew of bacon and burger presses for just about the same price, or even a little cheaper? It's really a matter of weight. Burger presses are heavy, which limits their usefulness. They automatically compress gently formed burger patties or soft bread. A light trowel, on the other hand, compresses only as much as you'd like it to, allowing you to adapt its use to a wider range of cooking scenarios. It's also great for installing that new tile floor in the laundry room.
It has always amazed me that my favorite bistros could reliably have tasty tomatoes regardless of season.
The benefit to a cast iron press is that you can heat it up first, get it sizzling hot, and then use it on your burger. Cooks quicker and more evenly, and of course you can still press down on it if you want to. I find that about 1/3 of the bacon I buy has a tendency to curl up, and it comes in handy for that too, when needed.
I wouldn't use construction materials for cooking if I could avoid it, because I don't know what went into them. There are some trace metals I can do without.
I use cast iron presses pretty often on things that both:
A) Need a good crust on the outside, and,
B) Need to be cooked to 165 for food safety reasons.
Pressing the meat down into the cast iron pan with a cast iron press definitely encourages crust formation, and also speeds cooking to temperature. It makes great smash burgers, chicken breasts, or pork steaks.
For beefsteak, I don't use them because it'll cook the center beyond medium rare very quickly. I use the 'just keep flipping' method, with butter and appropriate seasonings.
It looks like in at least one place he suggests using it for both:
ReplyDeleteWhy would I use a construction trowel when Amazon sells a whole slew of bacon and burger presses for just about the same price, or even a little cheaper? It's really a matter of weight. Burger presses are heavy, which limits their usefulness. They automatically compress gently formed burger patties or soft bread. A light trowel, on the other hand, compresses only as much as you'd like it to, allowing you to adapt its use to a wider range of cooking scenarios. It's also great for installing that new tile floor in the laundry room.
It has always amazed me that my favorite bistros could reliably have tasty tomatoes regardless of season.
Perhaps it's a regional thing, but was 50 years old before I ever saw a weight or press used on meat. I wasn't impressed.
ReplyDeleteNot everyone can take the pressure.
ReplyDeleteA depressing topic.
We must press on.
I've only seen it recently. Though I may have seen them in diners when you can see the grill.
ReplyDeleteThe benefit to a cast iron press is that you can heat it up first, get it sizzling hot, and then use it on your burger. Cooks quicker and more evenly, and of course you can still press down on it if you want to. I find that about 1/3 of the bacon I buy has a tendency to curl up, and it comes in handy for that too, when needed.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't use construction materials for cooking if I could avoid it, because I don't know what went into them. There are some trace metals I can do without.
Maybe if you boil the utensil a few times before using it you'll leach out whatever would have leached from the surface.
ReplyDeleteI use cast iron presses pretty often on things that both:
ReplyDeleteA) Need a good crust on the outside, and,
B) Need to be cooked to 165 for food safety reasons.
Pressing the meat down into the cast iron pan with a cast iron press definitely encourages crust formation, and also speeds cooking to temperature. It makes great smash burgers, chicken breasts, or pork steaks.
For beefsteak, I don't use them because it'll cook the center beyond medium rare very quickly. I use the 'just keep flipping' method, with butter and appropriate seasonings.