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.