How Does a Sausage Press Work?
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Sausage presses are kitchen utensils that are rarely found in a modern kitchen. With the ability to purchase sausage patties from a grocery store, housewives found they no longer needed to grind and press their own sausage. However, many avid big-game hunters have a sausage press for making fresh sausage from the deer or elk meat they harvest.
What They Do
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Once the meat for sausage is ground and the spices added, a small amount of meat is placed in the press. The two sides of the press are then pressed together to create a patty (usually around 1/4 inch thick). All patties come out of the press a uniform size.
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How They Work
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Older sausage presses resemble a large pair of scissors, but have two flat plates on one end. The meat is placed between the plates, and the scissor-like handles are squeezed to press the meat into patties. These presses are made of steel, stainless steel or cast iron. Newer sausage presses are round PVC cylinders with a pusher. The meat is placed in the cylinder and the pusher flattens and forms the patty.
Other Uses
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A sausage press can also be used to create uniformly sized hamburger or other ground-meat patties. This allows the consumer to take advantage of ground-meat sales and premake hamburger patties ready to be grilled (or for another cooking method). Once the patties are formed, they can be stored in the freezer until you are ready to use them.
Where to Find One
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Sausage presses can be found at most restaurant-supply houses or stores that specialize in kitchen utensils and supplies. During hunting season, they can often be found at retail outlets that sell hunting supplies. Old-fashioned presses can be found at flea markets and farm auctions, often for very little money.
Sausage Stuffers
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Many people confuse a sausage press with a sausage stuffer. A stuffer allows the cook to make sausage links, and requires the use of casings. Sausage stuffers are generally an additional accessory to the meat grinder, and often have to be purchased separately.
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