Hello Foodie Friends! Summer is a great time to cook outdoors or to make some of the delicious salads that we tend to avoid during the winter months. Both my wife and I love Cobb Salads made with diced tomatoes, avocado, chicken, cheese, diced egg, and crispy bacon or adding bacon to potato salads. A familiar problem with cooking bacon is the bacon curling up on you and not crisping evenly. This is where a bacon press comes in allowing you to flatten your bacon and cooking it to perfection. Bacon presses come in several shapes and styles; circular, rectangular, or shaped as a pig. The press is made of heavy cast iron construction with heat resistant wood handles. The large surface allows for pressing multiple strips of bacon at once. There are also various other uses for the bacon press. You can use it as a tortilla press by putting the dough ball between two sheets of plastic wrap and pressing down with the bacon press with all of your might. Then, cook the tortilla in the skillet. Or, you can use it to make a quesadilla by placing a heated bacon press on top of the tortilla to ensure even melting and browning. Another use for the bacon press is turning your next sandwich into a Panini by heating a seasoned skillet and placing the press inside to heat up. After building your sandwich, place the sandwich into the heated skillet and under the heated press, pressing slightly leaving your sandwich golden brown. A bacon press can be used on the outdoor BBQ grill to quick cook burgers or steaks on both sides at the same time. Heat the press up on the grill before you begin cooking and place the press on top of the meat. Crispy hash browns are delicious for both breakfast and as a side dish for entrees. Make crispy hash browns by placing 3 tbsp. of oil in a pan on medium heat, add the bacon press inside while the pan heats. Once the pan heats up toss your potatoes in and place the heated bacon press on top. Cook until the hash browns are golden brown. For desserts, use a bacon press on bar cookies pressing gently to flatten the bar cookie and crispy rice treats. The bacon press is truly a versatile tool! At Compliments to the Chef located at 46 Marion Avenue in Saratoga Springs, we carry both the round and rectangle bacon presses. Stop by Saratoga Springs’ true kitchen essentials store to help you with your culinary needs. Have fun with using the bacon press to assist with those culinary “pressing matters”. Remember: “Life Happens in the Kitchen”. Take care, John and Paula