Norpro 8.75-Inch Cast Iron Bacon Press with Wood Handle, Round

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. :-)

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.

The only way I was able to get perfectly flat bacon was to use the broiler pan, laying my bacon flat and slowly roasting. While this method produced really great flat pieces of bacon, it required more work in clean-up time than I was willing to do for just a few pieces of bacon. So I broke down and purchased this bacon/sandwich press which fits perfectly in my 12" skillet.No more curled up bacon with uncooked loops of fat or pieces of over cooked and undercooked areas and curled up strips. This turns out nicely evenly cooked flat strips that are beautiful. I even use this when cooking bacon that is supposed to be crumbled for recipes as I can stack the flat cooked strips and dice quite quickly.Another reviewer suggested that they wait a minute of so before placing the pig iron onto the bacon to prevent sticking and I fully agree with them. I just wait until I can see a little transparency in the strips and then place the press on as usual and I have never had any trouble with bacon sticking to the press.I have had no problem with the handle being loose nor with burning myself on the handle brackets but my hands are small and that might account for the luck I've had in that area. Clean up is easy as I just wipe down the whole thing with paper towels. I will occasionally take a stiff brush and scrub the top side of the iron with soap and water with out submerging it in the soapy water just to keep the build up at a minimum. I never let the soap touch the bottom side. I always wipe down all surfaces until totally dry before storing and my little pig has remained in great shape. This is a well produced little product which has turned into a kitchen must have for me.