Norpro8.75-Inch Cast Iron Bacon Press with Wood Handle, Round

Frying uncured bacon used to be a disaster. It would be all warped, burn black in some spots while being slightly uncooked in others, stick to the cast iron pan, and not come out crisp. I thought I would try this bacon press, expecting that at least the bacon would come out flat and maybe fry up better. Well I am shocked at how much difference this bacon press has made. The same uncured bacon comes out perfectly flat (duh), doesn't burn, doesn't stick to the same cast iron pan, and comes out crisp.It comes unseasoned, but seasoning it was no problem. I gave it a light coat of bacon grease on top and bottom, put it in the aforementioned cast iron pan, put the burner on medium (with the range hood fan on), and in an hour it was black on the bottom and brown on the top. Beautiful!Yes, if you touch the metal brackets that hold the handle you will get burned, so you have to be somewhat careful to not do that, but for me, the handle is long enough that it is not a problem, and I don't have small hands.The diameter is 8 3/4", not 9" as stated in the product description and it weighs just shy of 3 lbs. I have only had this bacon press one day (it actually arrived today), but I can see that it is a winner in my kitchen.I'm very glad I bought it.Update: 7/27/15Since I wanted the top of the bacon press darker than my original seasoning achieved, I tried this: I wiped the oil off of the bottom of the press, put a light coating of bacon grease on the top, and placed it directly on a large electric burner on medium heat. My thinking was that the top didn't get hot enough when I seasoned it in the pan, and this would get the top much hotter. Well, it worked beautifully. My bacon press now is totally black on the bottom and very dark brown on top.

I wanted a bacon press, but I'm often cooking in round skillets and most bacon presses are square. This leaves a lot of room around the edges, giving you minimal area in which to cook. Square is great if you're using a square surface, but round skillets require a round press. The NorPro cast iron round bacon grill press is a great answer!Pros:Cast Iron! I've used Teflon for a long time, but recently I've discovered the beauty of stainless steel or cast iron. If properly used and cared for, they cook better and still provide non-stick characteristics. The same can be said for this bacon press. It's heavy, so it provides a good weight for keeping your bacon flat. I've also used it for burgers and sausage patties. Cast iron can take a beating, and this press feels like a solid product that will last a lifetime.Round design means it works very well with skillets.Wood handle never gets too hot to touch.Cons:Cast Iron! I had to list it of course. Being cast iron, you can't just soak this thing or stuff it into a dishwasher. You have to properly care for it, which means seasoning it, baking it, wiping it down after every use as soon as it's cool enough, and reapplying the oil of your choice after each use. It only take a couple of minutes, and you're left with a product that is non-stick and ready to go next time. If you dry it completely and store it properly, it won't rust. If it does show signs of rusting, clean, oil and season again to restore the surface to original condition. It takes care and patience, so if you prefer to soak and walk away, or throw it in the dishwasher, you'll need to find another product.The wood handle is great, but I've nearly burned myself a couple of times because my hand is just a tiny bit smaller than the handle and the cast iron on either side is definitely hot. I need to find a way to insulate the risers that hold the handle.I definitely recommend this product, and I'm considering buying one for a friend that loves cast iron as well. :-)

This press is a great value. I'm not really a fan of the graphic added to the top, it could have easily just been a bare surface but function over form. Also not a fan of the wooden handle. They might as well have just made the whole thing out of cast iron because I just use a potholder anyway, and you can't stick it in the oven like the other all-iron pieces I have. If it made it cheaper in the end then I guess I can't complain but it just seems to me that all-iron would have been better.The ridges on the underside are nice because they are shallow and wide enough so nothing really gets stuck in there but not so wide that you still get even pressure. For cooking bacon, I got very even cooking, nothing works better! I'm still experimenting with burgers and sandwiches but I think the key is to use higher heat and shorter times than you ordinarily would, for best results. Only flip once...As you can tell by the pictures, the press comes completely unseasoned. Since all raw cast iron cookware comes preseasoned now-adays this is was an unusual sight! Be forewarned: you WILL get rust on this right away (I did) if you don't oil it. Being used to the lodge preseasoned pans I wasn't prepared for how much oil this thing will absorb... It was literally a sponge at first, soaking up at least 3-4 liberal coatings of oil! After 2-3 uses it begins to develop a nice patina and becomes much more resistant to rust. I can imagine that in the next 10-15 uses it will be the usual black color of a well seasoned skillet.Also, for reference, this press fits EXACTLY into the bottom of the lodge 10-1/4" skillet Lodge Logic L8SK3 Pre-Seasoned Skillet, 10.25-inch that almost everyone has at least one of in their kitchen, even if they aren't cast iron aficionados (like myself)This is the procedure I followed with good results: take new press out of box and rinse with water and scrub with the nylon scrubber I use on my cast iron cookware (no soap!). Immediately dry with towel. Heat the press in a non-teflon skillet on medium heat. when press gets to a nice warm temperature, apply liberal amounts of oil. turn off heat and allow to cool in the pan.After use, I usually follow this exact procedure before storage. I will occasionally use salt and a paper towel to dry scrub the surface. over time, this will make it very smooth like glass.

I have seen lots of reviews of this item complaining about rust - well, it's cast iron, and cast iron rusts, if you don't take care of it. If you are not prepared to properly care for cast iron, then do not buy this product.For myself, I bought it, took the handle off, and seasoned it 3 times before re-attaching the handle. I've had it for a week or so, and just used it for the first time today. It worked well, heated quickly on my induction cooktop, and did exactly what I expected. While I've only used it the once, and don't know yet if it will behave strangely, I've used cast iron almost exclusively for several years, and can't imagine that this thing will be any different.It's solidly built, heavy, and does exactly what I wanted it to.Note that the wooden handle is great, but where it and the press meet, there is some metal that will get VERY hot - it's quite easy to burn yourself on that, if you are heating the press itself. I don't imagine it would be a problem if you just put it in a hot pan, but if it's over the element for a few minutes, it becomes easy to burn yourself.

Nice thick and large press. The one I received is coated with a non-stick coating so seasoning is not necessary. I don't see any problem with the handle as others have stated, mine is very secure. I recommend this press.