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- Verified Buyer
I want to mention that this is the first time I have used this product, so I can't really say much about how durable it will be over time (I will definitely update this review if it falls apart in the next several of months). It is made of plastic, but so is the Big Green Egg version that I also own that actually cost me more money than the Stufz.Before I got started, I popped it into the dishwasher. Once I had cleaned Stufz, I shredded some swiss cheese and watched a Youtube video for a demonstration. I did not even bother reading the instructions, but I had used the Big Green Egg version, so I had a pretty good idea how to use it.My main issue with stuffing a burger myself and using the BGE burger press was that I rarely got a proper seal on the burger. BGE makes a separate basket you can cook the burgers in that probably helps hold them together (that I don't own), but I mainly try to seal them together by crimping the sides of the burgers since they would not hold together on their own. I still had cheese dripping out the sides and occasionally the burgers would split in half when I was cooking them on the grill.For me, the Stufz was actually less messy than the BGE press. The BGE press requires you to turn over the side that pushes in the bottom half of the burger and then use the other side as the press for pushing them together. The Stufz, on the other hand, uses one side for pressing in the bottom and for adding the top without the need of flipping it over and using the messy side for a press. For me, this was a lot less messy.Personally, I am willing to make a small mess at the sacrifice of good food, so that wasn't why I tried the Stufz. I bought it because my stuffed burgers were splitting apart at the seam. I made my first three burgers today with the Stufz and they all remained intact.One burger is very large (they are large with the BGE press, too) so that should be kept in mind. However, for me, the product did exactly what I needed. That is why I gave it five stars...no, I don't work for this company.I never buy these things from the ads on TV. When I see one that intrigues me, I wait until it shows up on the drug store shelf, or on Amazon. that way, I know that I'm only going to get one, and only pay for one. You miss out on the extra whiz bangs, but they aren't usually worth anything anyway. As far as this product goes, I've only used it once, so far, but it worked just fine. I followed the directions, using very cold meat, spraying the stuffer with no stick spray, etc. I stuffed the first burger (my husband's) with mac and cheese, really as seen on TV. I stuffed mine with fat free cheddar, some chopped onion, and some pickled garlic cloves. Oh, and I was using 93% lean beef, so I was prepared for the burgers to come apart.It was a bit awkward, but I managed to get both burgers stuffed and sealed. The second one was easier, so I'm guessing that there is a learning curve. :) I used a very good hard anodized non stick grill pan, with no added oil/spray. I don't think that I'd want to try these on a pan that had a chance of sticking. Also, as my husband is a well-done kind of guy, and I prefer medium rare, I cooked these separately, since I'd not done them before, and was prepared for them to fall apart.My husband's turned out perfectly…Turned once, and then one more time at the end. The seal started to give way, just a tad on that 2nd turn. The only other note on that one was that the mac and cheese burger really is a knife and fork item….but that's due to the nature of the stuffing.My burger was also perfect….a few cracks on the top after turning, but that was a bit skimpy to start with because I used a bit too much on my husband's.Yesterday, I bought some ground turkey so that we can try round two.With the prices they charge at burger places these days my meager Social Security check forces me to make my own hamburgers. The drawback is the mess my burgers wind up being. Even with the aid of toothpicks my hamburger contents wind up wandering all over the place.Then along came STUFZ. When I first saw the ad I knew this was exactly what I needed to keep my burgers in their place, providing the device worked as advertised. I turned to the Amazon reviews to see what results other people obtained with the STUFZ Hamburger Stuffer and found mostly negative reviews. There were so many negative reviews that I almost was afaid to order one. And then I remembered that old saying, "One man's meat is another man's poison!" You will find opposing reviews on every product so you have to go on your gut feelings sometimes.I ordered the little red device and first time out I got what I paid for. The negative reviews made me very cautious so I read and reread the instructions and carefully analyzed the procedure involved. Adding to that my own common sense, I successfully produced a perfectly stuffed hamburger on my first try. I must admit there is more work involved than I normally would like to take on, but the result is worth it.If you can afford to eat out then I would suggest you take that route. But if you gotta watch those pennies, then go STUFZ it.I have made burgers with this for a few times now and once you use the press you have to push the sides down in order for it all to be a flat burger as it only seems to press the inside down leaving about a cm around the edge. Either that or I am using it wrong.
