Lodge 6.25" Burger Press, Cast Iron

Really heavy duty, perfect for smash burgers, grill cheese, bacon, or any other item requiring a press. We use it inside the house as well as outside on the grill. Comes seasoned, but I seasoned it again using the instruction method available from Lodge. Works perfectly, no stick surface as well.

This review is for the 7.5” grill press.You need to accept that this is heavier than most other grill presses, even at this size. That weight comes in very handy when you’re trying to sear a steak, or when cooking a large package of bacon. It’s also great when you’re cooking sandwiches or making paninis, because you can easily get 1 - 2 underneath. Mexican food? Yep.For a single burger, it’s a bit overkill, but it definitely does the job well. I wouldn’t 2 at the same time for smashburgers, and you want to space out the patties due to the size of this thing.Now people will ask, “does it stick?”. It can, but that can happen with any press regardless of what it’s made of (don’t believe the marketing hype of some of the other brands). You’ll quickly learn that all you need to do is to put the press on the grill or griddle for about 2 minutes for the surface to heat up a bit and you’re good.“How hard do you need to press?” Not very. That’s the point of why this thing weighs close to 5lbs.Cleaning is a breeze. Sponge and water. One of those chainmail cleaners if things get gnarly.Yes, this is seasoned. And yes, you will see a spot where it looks like it’s worn or maybe even a little reddish. That’s normal and it’s from the manufacturing process. Nothing wrong with the press, and you can clean and season that spot as part of your normal maintenance.When it comes time to season it, wear a pair of disposable gloves (optional) and/or a rag or towel you don’t mind getting covered in oil. Just apply whatever seasoning oil you prefer and coat the thing. Once you’re done place it on a baking pan in the oven and heat at 375 for about an hour. I don’t recommend using paper towels due to them tending to leave remnants while applying oil.Last comment/question I hear a lot of is “does it get too hot to hold?”. It’s metal, so depending on the heat source and how long you leave it in contact, yes the handle can get toasty (welcome to the principle of thermal conductivity). In normal use, you’re not going to have a problem. It’s a LOT of metal to heat up, and those springs on the handle keep you from directly touching the handle. In normal use, it might get a little warm, but you’ll never have an issue.That’s my not-so-short review. Hope it helps! I’ve found this to be a great addition to my kitchen, both indoors and out.One last bit of advice - don’t use this with any kind of non-stick griddle or pan. This thing is cast iron and it will scratch the heck out of the non-stick surface.

I bought 4 of these grill presses to use for baking on my wood stove when the power is out. It works very well as a top heat source on my 3-quart Combo cooker set, or my 5-quart Double Dutch Ovens, which have flat spaces on the lids. To use, I heat up the grill presses on the wood stove while preparing my bread, or casserole, etc. Then, I place the lid on the ovens, and put one of the grill presses on top, and it will also have the heat from the bottom of the Dutch oven from the wood stove. These have enough thermal mass to put the nice browning on the top of bread, or casseroles that is misssing without having top heat. I had one on top of the Dutch oven, and one warming on the back of the stove to switch out when the top grill press seems to be cooling down. We were able to have the comforts of an electric stove while our power was out for an extended time. I had previously used the other grill press, with the bailing wire handle, but had to replace them after a few years, because the nuts attaching the handle to the press were rusting and loose. With this design, I expect they will last much longer, but they do require a hot pad to handle. I have not used them as a grill press, so I can't rate them on that, but for my use, they are fantastic.

I admit I read the other reviews where they stated the problem with the screws, but I trusted that a company that has been around so long would want to take care of a problem like that quickly I risked it and placed my order. I was so wrong! The item is beautiful, nice weight, nice materials, nice overall product except the screw problem, I tried putting it together and as I had read, the screws were too long and caused the handle to be completely loose. I received the item on 12/24 and when I called them they were closed and would not reopen until the 26th. I left a message and on the 26th I got a called from a very nice lady, I explained the problem and she said she would send me the replacement hardware. I got it on 12/31, and to my shock they were the exact same screws that I had received with my package. Again I called and again they were closed until 01/02, again I left a message, this time when they called back I was not at home, it was a man, he left a message which I returned a few hours later, although they were open when I called back all I got was the operator and a voice mail, I AGAIN left a message and I am still waiting for a return call. I kept the item because I have a very intelligent 17 year old who while I was getting ready to return the item asked me if he could try something. The "hardware" is made up of 2 screws, 2 metal washers, and 2 nuts. He put in the original screws, but instead of using 1 metal washer for each screw he placed the original washer plus the washer that came in the replacement hardware, and it worked!!! The second washer took up the extra space on the screw and he was able to tighten it all the way and the handle is nice and tight and the press is now usable! So if your press happens to come with the wrong screws, call the company and have them send you a new set of hardware and even if they don't send the correct screws, you will still be able to repair your press. I do recoment the item, I just can't give them 5 stars because of their lack of customer service.