Two words: BURGER PRESS. Restaurants always use burger presses, and for good reason. It's all about the 3 keys to a good burger: size, shape, and compression. And a burger press controls all three keys.

So what's the big deal about the size, shape, and compression of a burger patty? The big deal is uniformity. When a patty is the right size and shape (same thickness), all the burgers on your grill will cook uniformly. You won't come up with burgers that are burnt on the edges and rare on the inside. And all your burgers will cook in the same amount of time, so serving a crowd is much easier. They'll also come out juicier without falling apart.

A burger press is an important tool to have on hand when grilling, for sure. But which burger press is right for you? There are so many styles to choose from. And you can spend anywhere from $35 to $7. For about $35 you can get a mini press and slider pan. For around $20 you can get a deluxe burger press. For approximately $10 you can get a stuffed burger press. Or you can find a simple Burger Buddy for about $7.

Just for reference, a good burger press should be nonstick and turn out at least a 4-inch patty (to allow for shrinkage during grilling).

I was reading about burger presses on one of my favorite sites, Prepared Pantry (www.preparedpantry.com) and found this advice from super chef and store owner, Dennis Weaver: "Of all the choices on the market, the best buy is the stuffed burger press. It's a dual purpose tool. You can make both regular and stuffed burgers with this one tool. (It comes with an insert for stuffed burgers.)"

Dennis says the Burger Buddy works fine (pictured) -they've used one for years-but the stuffed press does everything that the Burger Buddy does and it's sturdier, nicer.

This stuffed burger press retails on amazon.com for about $10; Dennis has it on his site for $10 and he throws in a free set of salt and pepper shakers with the offer.

I've used the Norpro stuffed burger press and it's easy and fun to make a burger this way. I got it on amazon.com for about $9 plus shipping. Mine came with very clear directions-the photo shows the steps. While you can certainly make your own second patty to encase your stuffings without using the insert that's shown with this particular burger press, I prefer using this little tool for the above-mentioned reasons (uniform size, shape, and compression).

I love surprising everyone with a variety of stuffings and folks enjoy having a personalized burger-everyone gets what they want. I've tried beef, turkey, and chicken burgers stuffed with veggies, sauce, and cheese. I haven't been disappointed yet. It all works.

Finally, if you've never made stuffed burgers before, just look at how creative you can get. First, there's always the obvious, stuffing with cheese. But there's so much more you can do. How about:

• Swiss and Mushroom Burgers . It's a Swiss cheese-stuffed burger but with sautéed mushrooms.
• Tex-Mex Burgers . Mix your ground meat with diced green chilies and then stuff with chopped cilantro and shredded Monterey jack cheese.
• Herb Burgers . Stuff with your favorite fresh herbs. Finely chopped bell peppers are a good stuffing for this burger version.
• Buttery Onion Burgers . Freeze a cube of butter then grate it as you would cheese. Mix the grated butter, a chopped sweet onion, and your choice of spices into your ground meat before forming the patties. Then stuff with a very thin slice of onion and smoked Gouda cheese. (To keep the butter hard during shredding, place the grater and a plate or cutting board in the freezer before use. Make sure that the meat is ice cold.)
• Blue Cheese and Bacon Burgers . Mix crumbled blue cheese into the ground meat. Then stuff the burgers with more blue cheese and lots of cooked and crumbled bacon.
• Italian Burgers . Mix one part ground meat with one part ground Italian sausage. Form patties. Season with additional oregano and basil or mix some in a little Italian dressing. Stuff with mozzarella cheese and chopped fresh basil.
• Chuck Wagon Bacon Burgers . Microwave bacon until it is partly done. With kitchen shears, snip the bacon into bits. Mix the bacon bits into your ground meat along with your favorite seasoning. Stuff with cheese and about 2 tablespoons crispy fried hash-browns. Don't over mix the meat.
• Asian Burgers . Mix your favorite Asian sauce into your ground meat. Because it's interspersed through the meat with flavoring in every bite, it won't take a lot. Stuff with bean sprouts and finely chopped water chestnuts.