Giving a burger press as a gift is a heartfelt way to tell the person you love that they should cook you more cheeseburgers!  It's also a very useful kitchen gadget, but that's besides the point!  In this post, I want to share what to look for when shopping for burger presses, as well as the different types so that you can get the one that your favorite cook will really want!

Burger presses come in many shapes and sizes, but there are some keys to getting a quality one.  The construction material is very important, the best burger press will be made from cast aluminum so that it is both strong and lightweight.  Also very important is a non stick coating on the top surface.  The common material for this is silicone, which is inexpensive and very effective.  Presses that don't have non stick will pull the beef up with it when the press is opened up, which is not good for all sorts of reasons!  Remember, aluminum and silicone non stick are the keys to a great burger press.

There are also different styles of burger presses.  One that's really hot right now is the mini burger press, these are used for sliders which are notoriously difficult to cook properly.  Sliders are so small that any oddities in the shape or size of the patty will cause it to cook wrong.  Adjustable presses are also common, but aren't really necessary since you can adjust the size of your patty by weight, rather than dimension.

Avoid the novelty "thumb print" style presses.  This style of press is designed to put a thumb print into the patty so that it doesn't bloat while it cooks.  This is one of the oldest chef's tricks around, but guess what?  You have thumbs too (or at least know someone who does) so don't need a burger press to do that for you!

Burger presses are excellent gifts, but if you want to give one that will actually get used because it works well, follow the tips outlined above.