Pressing smashburgers with wax/parchment or no?

[Linda0818]

I'm not understanding why the need for parchment or wax paper in the first place? Why wouldn't you just use the spatula? You're going to wash it any how, so why buy, use and toss $omething.
Even should it stick a bit, using a 2nd spatula, seems much easier to me. And if you use a silicon type it won't stick in the first place.

My personal reason for using the parchment and the burger press is because the burger press is much wider than my biggest spatula (I can't afford to go buy a huge spatula just for burgers) and smashes the burgers down wider and flatter than the spatula would. That and with the burger press, you have a handle on top where you can press down and smash the heck out of the meat and have more control over how thin and how large your burgers turn out. Plus, if I have a burger that needs a little more pressing, I can smoosh it down easier.

As for the parchment, it's a convenience thing. That and it's pretty much a guarantee of no sticking. You could spray the burger press with nonstick cooking spray, but the parchment is just easier, in my opinion.

 

[dragnlaw]

I can understand the burger press, I would use one too. LOL, but I guess I'm too lazy to prepare a bunch of papers for the burgers and all for a single use.
I will say I've never 'smashed' burgers - always just shaped by hand to begin with - hands are already into the mix.

Actually I have smashed them in the pan once because I didn't shape them very well, but I didn't like the rough crevices and edges it produced.

 

[medtran49]

I can understand the burger press, I would use one too. LOL, but I guess I'm too lazy to prepare a bunch of papers for the burgers and all for a single use.
I will say I've never 'smashed' burgers - always just shaped by hand to begin with - hands are already into the mix.

Actually I have smashed them in the pan once because I didn't shape them very well, but I didn't like the rough crevices and edges it produced.

A smash burger IS smashed in the pan, and the rough jagged edges are part of the appeal. A smash burger is supposed to have texture from the edges and the process of being smashed into the hot pan/surface.

If it's not smashed in the pan from a ball or thick disk, it's not a smash burger and is simply a thin hamburger patty.

 

[Linda0818]

I can understand the burger press, I would use one too. LOL, but I guess I'm too lazy to prepare a bunch of papers for the burgers and all for a single use.
I will say I've never 'smashed' burgers - always just shaped by hand to begin with - hands are already into the mix.

Actually I have smashed them in the pan once because I didn't shape them very well, but I didn't like the rough crevices and edges it produced.

I don't make burgers often and, when I do, it's only 2 at a time (one for me, one for my son) and I use the same sheet of parchment for both burgers. I just smash one, pull the parchment off and smash the other with it.

I have the parchment sheets that fit on a sheet pan. I cut them into 4 pieces. So I get 4 uses from one sheet.

 

[Andy M.]

I'm not understanding why the need for parchment or wax paper in the first place? Why wouldn't you just use the spatula? You're going to wash it any how, so why buy, use and toss $omething.
Even should it stick a bit, using a 2nd spatula, seems much easier to me. And if you use a silicon type it won't stick in the first place.

The meat will stick to the spatula. Where it is so thin, it makes a mess on the griddle/pan.

 

[Andy M.]

You could smash the burgers between layers of parchment before you put them in the pan.

 

[dragnlaw]

Ah well, guess it's just not for me.

 

[Linda0818]

Ah well, guess it's just not for me.

Dragons would like them because they're crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

 

[jennyema]

I'm not understanding why the need for parchment or wax paper in the first place? Why wouldn't you just use the spatula? You're going to wash it any how, so why buy, use and toss $omething.
Even should it stick a bit, using a 2nd spatula, seems much easier to me. And if you use a silicon type it won't stick in the first place.

Me too

 

[jennyema]

A smash burgers IS smashed in the pan, and the rough jagged edges are part of the appeal. A smash burgers is supposed to have texture from the edges and the process of being smashed into the hot pan/surface.

If it's not smashed in the pan from a ball or thick disk, it's not a smash burger and is simply a thin hamburger patty.

Exactly

 

[CharlieD]

I'm not sure what smash burger is versus regular burger, because no matter what in my mind you always have to "smash" the meat somehow to make it into a patty . I use mold to make burgers and what I found out works, at least it does for me, is rinsing the bottom part of the mold before putting the meat in.

 

[dragnlaw]

Good poiont Charlie, like dipping your knife in water to slice sticky things.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I’ve read that the original smash burgers were made by using an unopened can of beans to flatten the burger meat on the griddle.

It seems like the real reason for smash burgers might be the weighing/portioning balls of ground beef prior to smashing them on the grill.

I just smash them because I like thin burgers with crispy bits around the irregular edges.

 

[dragnlaw]

I guess they don't interest me in that if I hit a "crispy" bit on a hamburger, I'll just think someone wasn't paying attention and it burnt.

 

[jennyema]

I'm not sure what smash burger is versus regular burger, because no matter what in my mind you always have "smash" the meat somehow to make it into a patty . I use mold to make burgers and what I found out works, at least it does for me, is rinsing the bottom part of the mold before putting the meat in.

See Medtran's answer, above

 

[caseydog]

I'm not understanding why the need for parchment or wax paper in the first place? Why wouldn't you just use the spatula? You're going to wash it any how, so why buy, use and toss $omething.
Even should it stick a bit, using a 2nd spatula, seems much easier to me. And if you use a silicon type it won't stick in the first place.

When you smash the burger meat that thin, the meat can stick, and then the patty fall apart when you lift the press/spatula. The paper just keeps you from ruining your smash burger.

As for cost, I paid 12 -bucks for about ten year's worth of burger papers. Parchment paper is biodegradable, and there are brands that are compostable. Wax paper is not, BTW.

CD

 

[caseydog]

I guess they don't interest me in that if I hit a "crispy" bit on a hamburger, I'll just think someone wasn't paying attention and it burnt.

I like smash burgers, while other people prefer thicker burgers. It's personal taste thing.

From Burger Historian George Motz...

CD

 

[dragnlaw]

OK, think I get it now. Never occurred to me to smash and make "thin" burgers. Of course, I don't have a restaurant where I need to make a slew of patties. Nope, sorry I like my burgers "hand pressed".
casey, the video refers to the juice being pressed out and denies that. Yes, I agree completely, the juice is not being pressed out. That patty is now so thin, after smashing, that the patty never has a chance to develop juice in the first place.
LOL - teasing, but still MHO

 

[taxlady]

Smashburgers sound like they would be yummy. I gotta try that soon. I think it would be a welcome addition to the burger repertoire.

I noticed years ago that a really thin steak or pork chop is often really good and not dry. The ratio of browned surface to volume is really high. Makes up for not being medium rare and juicy. I do still tend to prefer a thicker piece of meat that is pink inside.

I imagine it's similar with smashburgers.

 

[caseydog]

The ratio of browned surface to volume is really high.

That is the big draw of smashburgers. The browning to meat ratio means lots of flavor.

When it comes to steaks, I like a thick slab of meat cooked to medium-rare. With burgers, I prefer the opposite.

Try it. Maybe you'll like it, maybe you won't.

CD