Forms for the preparation of cutlets: types and selection criteria

Various kitchen appliances are designed to facilitate the work of the hostess. They help to prepare delicious and beautiful food. For example, cutlet forms are a newfangled device with a lot of advantages. With it, your meatballs will gain aesthetic appeal.

The design principle of all presses for frying cutlets is approximately the same. The form contains three elements:

• top and bottom covers;
• the press itself.

The round parts are combined into a single design and are a complete kitchen appliance that allows you to speed up the cooking process. Stuffing is laid in the lower part and one half of the cutlet is formed. The top cover allows you to form a neat filling. The third device is a hand press, with which you can crush the minced meat and form a workpiece for a hamburger or a classic cutlet.

The cutlet itself, compressed in this form, turns round and flat. This type of cooking is called crickets. It is believed that a workpiece thickness of up to 2 cm reduces the frying time, while preserving all the juice and aroma inside. Another type of round cutlets is a steak. This product is also round and flat, different cooking methods. At food enterprises, cutlets are molded in a special machine. She forms blanks, breads them, but only on one side. Semi-finished products are modified manually.

It is the crust on the outside and the juicy minced meat inside that testifies to the correctness of the cooked meatballs.There are certain requirements for the shape of cutlets in the food service technology. At home, there is no fundamental need to make oval-shaped blanks, considering them ideally correct.

Like any other household appliances, cutlet forms have their pros and cons.

• The press allows you to cook perfect cutlets in shape. Unprofessional doing the work in the kitchen with their own hands, it is impossible to achieve ideal results. Billets of various sizes may burn during frying or remain damp. The press will provide the same cooking.
• The cooking speed is reduced by using a mold. No special labor is required.
• Press assumes wide possibilities of exploitation. The use of the form is limited only by the culinary skills and imagination of the hostess. Here it is allowed to choose various products for both minced meat and filling.
• A modern mold is not difficult to maintain. The design is disassembled and easy to clean. The device is sold accompanied by detailed instructions.
• Compactness. The dimensions of the mold allow its storage in a drawer with other kitchen accessories. The press does not require special storage conditions.

A manual fixture for the home is not without drawbacks, among which is a low output ability. Automated devices that are used in enterprises are devoid of this minus. More users note the negative characteristics of inexpensive Chinese products. For example, color dyes used in the press react with food. The quality of the material is low, so the forms quickly become unusable. Silicone forms have a very unpleasant odor.

Presses for cutlets are divided into two main types:

• hand mold;
• automatic device.

The first option is suitable for home use, but if you do not need to cook a lot of meatballs with filling. Hand presses are used at catering points, provided that there is little need for burger cutlets, and they are not the main course of the menu. The principle of the devices is simple, but the designs are integral or separate. The first look is of better quality, and the second is easier to wash after use. Both devices are suitable for forming stuffed cutlets, which then can only be put on the pan for further cooking.

The second form option is suitable if you need to cook a large number of servings. The view is widely used in various fast food establishments. A distinctive feature of the device is the presence of containers for the manufacture of cutlets of various shapes. The diameter of the containers varies from 100 to 130 mm, while the press practically does not require human intervention. It is enough to press the button, add the stuffing to the machine, and he will do all the work himself. The device is capable of producing from 200 to 300 blanks for hamburgers per hour. The main disadvantage of an automatic mold is its high price.

Molds can be single-layer, two-layer, three-layer. The latter can especially quickly reduce the cooking time, as they accommodate several blanks at once. Single forms must be used for each cutlet separately, but they are very easy to use. The previous option still needs to learn to use.

Double and triple forms are not detachable. Whereas a single analogue has a separate press and body. Some products are complemented by a corrugated coating, which adds the appearance of a grilled cutlet.

Popular cutlet molds are metal, plastic. There are silicone, but the demand for them is small.

• Metal has a longer service life, therefore, is more popular. If the form is made of high-quality stainless steel, then it will not absorb odors. The metal is considered waterproof and very durable. The main disadvantage of metal forms is their susceptibility to corrosion. Modern forms with a special coating eliminate this negative quality. The disadvantage of such products is the high price.
• Plastic mold not inferior in popularity to the previous version. Responsible manufacturers create products with high-quality and strength characteristics, which are sold at a lower price in comparison with metal forms. In addition, the plastic is not susceptible to rust, and the water resistance of the material is the same as that of metal. Negative qualities: absorbs odors, not as durable as metal.
• Silicone molds for cutlets are not very common. Products are not of high quality. In addition, there are many fakes on the market, as manufacturers try to reduce the cost of material by adding harmful components to it.

Recommendations for the selection of cutlet molds relate to the rules for the purchase of a quality product. There are far from safe presses on the market, so buying a mold should be a responsible event. You should not spend money on the first cutlet mold that comes across.

Pay particular attention to the choice of plastic molds. The material must be high quality, food grade, with special markings. The smell of plastic may be slightly present on the new product, but after the first cleaning with detergents it should completely be removed. If signs of chemical odors remain, then it is better not to use this form.

High-quality plastic presses must be made by casting. Poor fakes will have burrs on the surface, other defects. They are noticeable during a thorough inspection of the product, therefore Selected options must be carefully considered.

The manual form for cutlets is easy to use and will help simplify the cooking process for inexperienced housewives. Devices from different materials look almost the same, are supplied with identical instructions. The document assumes the following step-by-step steps.

• To begin with, it is recommended to moisten all parts with cold water. This will prevent the minced meat from sticking to the surface.
• A serving of minced meat should be placed in the bottom cover. Then the upper part closes, and the press is needed to crush the product. With its help, you can form a recess for the filling.
• Then you need to open the form, and put any products in the recess: you can use boiled eggs, cheese, mushrooms, potatoes. It is desirable that the filling is not liquid.
• The second half of the stuffing is inserted into the top cover. The press is closed, and all parts of the cutlet are squeezed into a single whole billet. It can be sent immediately for baking or left for further freezing.

The operations are simple, they are repeated the same, it takes a little time to complete. Cutlets are the same size, usually about 10-12 cm in diameter. Such blanks are designed for use in hamburgers. On sale recently appeared molds with a variable size.

See how to use the form for the preparation of cutlets in the video below.