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A spatula bends the moment you lean on it, so the patty ends up thick in the middle and burnt at the edges. A flat cast iron press holds the whole surface down for the ten seconds that actually build the crust.

Smash burgers need a surface that stays hot when cold meat hits it. Carbon steel recovers heat faster than nonstick and weighs less than the equivalent cast iron, which matters when you are moving it on and off the heat between batches.

The one tool that gets under a smash patty without tearing off the crust you just spent two minutes making. The bevelled edge slides between the meat and the pan; a thick spatula scrapes the crust off instead.

Thick pub-style patties and stuffed burgers are guesswork without one — the outside looks done long before the middle is. Anything that reads in under three seconds is enough; the expensive models are not meaningfully more accurate.

Used here mostly for breakfast burgers, where a loose fried egg slides straight out of the bun. Rings also keep tall stuffed patties from spreading while the cheese inside melts.

Freeze portioned patties with a square between each one and they separate straight from the freezer instead of coming out as a single block. Also what you use to wrap the finished burger so the bun steams for a minute before serving.