Mosaic Food Press - DIY Kitchen Equipment + Steak and Smashed Potato Dinner

This DIY food press is a very useful tool in any kitchen. Used to press down on food during or after cooking.

The presser prevents foods like like burger patties and other pieces of meat from curling up, allowing them to cook flat and more evenly. Also useful with grilled cheese sandwich or vegetables and flatbreads.

It's made out of plaster and stones and decorated with mosaic glass. The bottom of the presser, the bit that comes in contact with food, is made of a single, glazed, flat, non-porous, ceramic tile, therefore it's safe to use with food and easy to clean up.

FOOD PRESSER:

1. 100x200mm ceramic tile (you can purchase individual sample tiles in most DIY stores)
2. handle- recycled or purchased door handle
3. large piece of cardboard
4. tape, super glue
5. mosaic pieces - glass or ceramic
6. plaster of Paris, cement or jesmonite mix
7. stones, pebbles, small rocks
8. sanding paper
9. water based, transparent varnish
10. glue gun- optional

STEAK DINNER:

1. seasoned steak of your choosing
2. small potatoes
3. eggs
4. vegetables of your choosing
5. herbs and seasoning
6. frying pan and oven

Download, print out and cut out the digital file provided.

Transfer to a sheet of sturdy cardboard and trace out before cutting the shape out.

Fold along the marked edges and assemble with glue or tape. This is your mold.

Make hole(s) on top of the mold to fit the handle through. Secure the handle to the cardboard with hot glue.

Gather a few handfuls of small, glass or ceramic mosaic tiles, decide the colors and/or patterns.

Pick up each piece of glass, add a small drop of superglue to the surface and glue to the inside of the cardboard mold. Repeat until the entire inside of the mold is covered in mosaic pieces.

It's not as tedious and time consuming as it sounds, you just need some good tools- get yourself some curved tweezers or diamond painting pens with wax tips. The best method and cheapest is to stick a small ball of blutack to a pencil and use that tackiness to pick up the mosaic pieces.

Mix a small amount of plaster and apply a layer to the inside of the mold, just enough to cover the tiles. Try to press the mixture into the walls. Let it set for 1 hour.

Mix some more plaster (about a cup) and pour into the mold, press some stones into the mold and cover with plaster.

Repeat that until your mold is filled with stones and plaster.

At the very end, take care to level the plaster flat, you can't have the stones protruding.

Leave to set for several days.

Peel the cardboard off, it should be easy after few days, the cardboard will probably be wet at this point.

Smooth the sides with some gentle (not coarse) sanding paper, it will help get rid of the glue residue.

Paint the whole thing with a transparent varnish (2-3 layers), but leave the bottom of the presser raw.

Afterwards, the last step is to adhere the 100x200mm ceramic tile to the bottom of the food presser. Use special tile grout/adhesive or a small amount of plaster to glue these two parts together.

This recipe is absolutely wonderful, but potatoes tend to disappear before it's time to plate the dish. They are THAT addictive. If possible, make more than you think you will need.

Wash small potatoes and scrub with a brush. Boil in water for 20-25min, until they are soft inside.

Drain and leave in a strainer for a few minutes to cool down and dry out.

Place the potatoes on an oiled baking tray, leave large spaces between spuds.

Cover the whole tray with a layer of cling film, grab the food presser and flatten the potatoes to about 6-8mm thickness.

Spray or brush each potato with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt, pepper and spices/herbs (onion and garlic granules, paprika, oregano and so on...).

Bake for 20-30 min at 200°C (180°C fan) until golden and crispy at the edges.

Take the steak out of the fridge for 15-30 min before cooking.

Season to your liking. I like to go simple and just cover the surface with coarse salt and leave it out for 10-20 min for the salt to dissolve.

Heat up the frying pan as high as possible, add a few spoons of neutral oil (sunflower for example) and put the steak in. Immediately, place the food presser on top of the meat and leave it be for the duration of cooking. Don't press the meat or try to flatten it. Cook for 3-5 min on each side, depending on the thickness of the steak and your preference. Flip the meat and place the food presser on top and leave it there until it's finished cooking.

Take the meat out of the pan, transfer onto a plate and leave to rest for a few minutes before serving.

To make chimichurri (enough for 2 servings), use a food processor or a pestle and mortar to blend/bash all ingredients together and season to taste:

1. 1 packed cup of parsley leaves
2. 2-4 garlic cloves
3. small onion, diced
4. 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
5. lime juice from 1/2 lime
6. small, fresh chilli, diced
7. salt and pepper

Plate the steak and potatoes with chimichurri, fried egg and your choice of veggies.