Smash burgers are made by smashing a ball of ground beef onto a hot griddle, creating a thin, crispy, caramelized patty with an excellent crust and intense beefy flavor. While this process is easy, the raw beef patties can stick to your smashing tool, resulting in burgers with a messy appearance — unless you try this simple trick.

By topping your ball of ground beef with a small piece of parchment paper, you can press the patty down onto the cooking surface without the meat sticking to the utensil, whether you use a spatula, burger press, or something else. The non-stick surface of the parchment paper also allows the patty to keep its shape without tearing.

Another benefit that makes parchment paper so convenient is that it's disposable, so you can simply throw it away after you've finished cooking your burger. While you can use the same piece of parchment paper for more than one patty, you'll want to replace it with a fresh sheet every so often if you're making burgers for a crowd.