Why this burger pre earns its place
A smash press does one job and the whole style of burger depends on it. A loose ball of mince goes onto a hot plate and gets pressed flat and held for a few seconds, so the entire underside is in contact with steel instead of sitting proud and steaming. That contact is what browns the meat and builds the crust, and a patty thinned out that far is cooked through in a fraction of the time a formed one takes — which is why a smash operation can cook to order at counter pace rather than holding burgers in a well.
The square face spreads the meat into corners rather than a circle, so a patty fills a square footprint with more crusted edge along it, and the same flat face works for pressing rashers of bacon or holding a sandwich down on the plate. Stainless steel is the right build for it: it takes flat-top heat, shrugs off the salt and acid of meat, washes down without needing to be seasoned or kept dry like cast iron, and is stiff enough to be leaned on with real weight. In use, a sheet of greaseproof between the press and the meat stops the patty lifting away with it, and one firm press early beats several later — press a burger once it has set and you squeeze the juice out rather than shaping it.
