Cuisinart CISB-111 Cast Iron Smashed Burger Press Review: The $17 Tool Behind Restaurant-Style Smash Burgers
The smash burger has gone from diner curiosity to the dominant homemade burger style in the US, and the Cuisinart CISB-111 is the product more home cooks have bought to chase it than any other — over 20,000 Amazon reviews and counting. It's a 6.5-inch cast iron disc with a wooden handle and one job: press a loose ball of ground beef flat against a scorching hot surface so fast that the Maillard reaction does the rest. If that sounds like what you want, this press does it reliably and affordably. If it sounds like overkill for your burger setup, it probably is.
Product Overview
The CISB-111 is Cuisinart's cast iron entry in the smash burger press category — not to be confused with the brand's newer stainless steel CISB-275. Cast iron is the right material for this application: it's heavy enough to compress a 3-oz ball of beef in a single press, it tolerates scorching-hot griddles, and it holds enough heat to maintain surface temperature during contact.
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Material | Cast iron body, wooden handle |
| Diameter | 6.5 inches |
| Weight | 2.65 lbs |
| Compatible surfaces | Griddles, flat-top grills, cast iron skillets, outdoor grills |
| Dishwasher safe | No — hand wash only |
| Price (verified May 2026) | ~$16.24 (frequently on sale from ~$24.99 list) |
| ASIN | B07SZFHKVZ |
The press has a shallow raised lip around its perimeter — roughly 10mm — that Cuisinart says helps contain juices during pressing. That edge also sets a floor on how thin you can press a patty; extremely thin smash burgers (the sub-¼-inch variety from dedicated smashburger chains) require a flatter tool. For home purposes, the CISB-111 gets you to a thin, lacy-edged patty that performs well.
There's one variant bundle worth knowing about: Cuisinart also sells the CISB-111 bundled with its CGPR-221 grill press as a two-piece set. If you plan to use a grill press for chicken thighs or panini anyway, the bundle may be the better buy.
Performance & Real-World Use
The technique for smash burgers requires speed and heat: a loose ball of beef hits a surface preheated to 400–450°F, then gets pressed hard within the first few seconds before the exterior seals. The Cuisinart's 2.65-lb weight does most of the work — you press down and hold for 10–15 seconds, no gym required.
For optimal results, place a small piece of parchment paper between the press and the meat before smashing. Without it, beef fat will bond to the cast iron surface during the initial press, and the patty tears when you lift the press away. Parchment paper is standard practice in commercial smash burger operations; it's not a workaround for a product flaw, just how the technique works.
Multiple test sources — including roundups from BBQ Report (which named it "Best Premium") and Cuisine at Home (which called it the best tested in a 2024 review) — confirmed the same result: a thin, even, well-crusted patty with lacy caramelized edges. The 6.5-inch diameter accommodates a 3–4 oz portion comfortably, which is the right size for a two-patty smash burger stack.
The wooden handle stays cool through normal griddle sessions. Reviewers who've used carbon steel or stainless handles on competing presses note that bare metal handles get uncomfortably hot when the press sits near the griddle between uses; the Cuisinart sidesteps that.
Cleanup is straightforward: wipe the hot press clean while still warm, rinse under hot water with a soft brush, dry immediately, and apply a thin film of cooking oil if storing long-term. Treat it like any uncoated cast iron.
- Even pressure from 2.65 lbs of cast iron minimizes effort and produces consistent, thin patties
- The wooden handle stays cool against a 450°F griddle surface — a real advantage over stainless competitors
- Works on any flat cooking surface: griddles, flat-tops, outdoor grills, cast iron skillets
- Named "Best Premium" pick in BBQ Report's hands-on roundup; recommended by Cuisine at Home in 2024 testing
- Simple one-piece design — nothing to break, reassemble, or lose
- Cast iron is durable: drop it, scratch it, leave it greasy — it still works
- Price is extremely accessible (currently ~$16, regularly ~$25)
- No non-stick coating — without parchment paper between the press and the meat, beef sticks and the patty tears on removal
- The 10mm perimeter lip limits how thin the patty can go; purists chasing sub-¼-inch smash thickness may want a completely flat alternative
- Single-purpose: this tool presses burgers and that is its entire job; it's not a bacon press, panini weight, or multi-use grill tool
- Not dishwasher safe; requires hand washing and immediate drying to prevent surface rust
- No depth guide or thickness ring — shaping is entirely by eye, so thickness will vary press to press
- Cast iron needs occasional re-oiling to prevent rust, unlike stainless
The Cuisinart CISB-111 does one thing and does it right. If smash burgers are in your regular rotation, it will noticeably improve the crust and thinness of your patties over using a spatula, and the wooden handle and cast iron weight make it more pleasant to use than most competitors at this price. The parchment-paper requirement is a technique point, not a product failure, and the single-purpose nature is a fair trade for the simplicity and durability of the design. **4.5/5** — loses half a point for the perimeter lip limiting extreme-thin smashing, but for home smash burgers it's the clearest, cheapest path to a better result.
