Exploring Flat-Top versus Traditional Grilling Methods thumbnail

Exploring Flat-Top versus Traditional Grilling Methods

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3 min read


I make smashburgers on steel typically. The work is getting your hamburger bar together: chopped pickles, onions, cheese, special sauce.

Elite Savory Burger Recipes for 2026

Get your griddle or steel ripping hot. You need to work quick. We're preparing these for 30-60 seconds per side, and you desire it screaming hot for that Maillard response, the sear that makes smashburgers famous. I like to smash for pals. Most of the time, they have actually already had our Baking Steel pizza, and I like to blend up the menu.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & SteakburgersFreddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers


I've made smash hamburgers on this thing that people still talk about. Smashing the beef thin makes the most of contact with the hot steel, triggering the Maillard reaction, the chemical procedure that produces that deep, mouthwatering, browned flavor we all crave.

Your first hamburger and your 4th get the same unbelievable edge-to-edge crust without the temperature dropping. I 'd know my family has been in the steel service for over 50 years at our shop in Hanover, MA. I comprehend this material, and I developed these griddles particularly to solve the heat retention problem that cast iron can't.

How to Cook a Gourmet Flat-Top Burger

Let it preheat for 10-15 minutes until it's ripping hot (around 500-550F). This is the very same concept behind our pizza steels fill the steel with heat, and it does the work for you.

Season the smashed patties kindly with kosher salt and fresh black pepper. Prepare for 60-90 seconds.

Use a bench scraper or stiff spatula to get under the patty, guaranteeing you scrape up all the crispy, browned bits. Turn it over. Instantly put a slice of cheese on the turned patty. Prepare for another 30-45 seconds to melt the cheese. Briefly toast your buns on a cooler part of the frying pan for 15-20 seconds.

Achieving Restaurant-Quality Fries at Home

Cheese melting perfectly on the Mini Griddle Cast iron is the standard choice for smashburgers, and it works. I used cast iron for several years. After evaluating both side-by-side for over a decade, I switched to steel. And look, I'm not simply a guy with a viewpoint. My household has actually run considering that the 1960s.

I understand how it stores and transfers heat in such a way many people never think about. That understanding is exactly what led me to develop the Baking Steel in 2012, and it's why I created the Skinny Griddle specifically for stovetop cooking like this. Here's the distinction: That means it recovers temperature quicker in between hamburgers.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & SteakburgersFreddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers


Steel doesn't drop. You get the exact same screaming-hot crust on your very first burger and your 4th. It heats up quicker and distributes heat more uniformly. No locations, no cold areas. Just constant, edge-to-edge browning. No flavoring, no babying. Simply cook, scrape, wipe clean. I have actually tested cast iron, stainless-steel, and every frying pan on the marketplace.

Want to take your smashburger game outside? Place your Baking Steel Original directly on your outside grill grates. Preheat the grill and steel for 15-20 minutes on high heat, then smash your burgers right on the steel. You get the same extraordinary crust with the included benefit of outside cooking and that subtle smoky flavor from the grill.

Making Restaurant-Quality Sides at Home

They stroll up expecting routine grilled burgers and instead they see me smashing patties on a slab of American-made steel on the grill. Perfect smash hamburgers made on the Baking Steel Original on an outdoor grill I designed each of these for a particular use case.

Achieving the Best Crunch for Homemade Fries

It fits on a single burner and is ideal for families or hamburger night with pals. Exact same heat retention, smaller footprint. Utilize it in the oven for pizza, or take it outdoors and place it on your grill for smashburgers, steaks, and more.

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