A bacon press is a kitchen gadget that almost everyone has somewhere in their kitchen, but hardly ever uses. It is a wonderful tool that can get you out of the kitchen sooner and make your food look so good your guests will think you got it at a restaurant.
Why Use a Bacon Press?
- The weight of the cast iron bacon press reduces shrinking and keeps the bacon from curling up as it cooks, for flat bacon strips with a nicer presentation and that take up less room sandwiches and easily chopped for salads.
- It also shortens the cooking time by 1/3 to 1/2 because it heats both sides of the bacon at once.
- It keeps the grease from splattering.
- Since cast iron conducts heat better than glass and is heavier than stainless steel or aluminium, it is the best choice for a bacon press.
- A Cast iron press can also be used on your BBQ.
Bacon Press Uses
Practically anything you’d cook in a skillet, BBQ grill or griddle!
- Bacon
- Peameal Bacon
- Hamburgers
- Boneless Steaks
- Ham Slices
- Pork Chops
- Use on BBQ grill to keep franks and sausages from curling & rolling
- BBQ Chicken Breasts
- Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
- Quesadillas
- Panini
- Hash Browns
- Sausage Patties
How to Use a Bacon Press
- A cast iron bacon press must be seasoned before use unless it comes pre-seasoned out of the box. (See how here.)
- Prepare your bacon, meat, sandwich or quesadilla as usual.
- Have a heat-proof dish (like a pie plate) to put your bacon press on after it is heated.
- Heat your cast iron bacon press in a skillet or on the BBQ or griddle on low heat. (It should only take a minute or two.) When it’s ready, put it on your heat-proof dish.
- Put your food on the BBQ grill, skillet or griddle. Put the heated press on top. Cook to your satisfaction, remembering that cooking time is cut by 1/3 to 1/2 when using the bacon press.
- The bacon press shown above has a ridged bottom that sears grill lines for a better presentation.
Source:
photo of bacon press in pan: beedubz via photopin
I hope you feel inspired to get your bacon press out and give it a try on whatever you grill or fry to see if it shortens cooking time and makes the presentation of your food even better.
Do you know someone who would love to see this? Please share!