An apparatus and method for preparing with one hand meat or meatless burgers or patties for cooking. The apparatus has a handle, base plate, and retainer ring. The handle allows the user to hold the apparatus while preparing a patty and placing the patty directly on a cooking surface. The base plate provides a surface for holding the patty during shaping and before placing the patty on the cooking surface. The retainer ring determines the shape of the patty. In use, meat or meat substitute is placed on the base plate and pressed against the sides of the retainer ring. The apparatus holding the formed patty is then placed over a cooking surface and flipped over so that the patty falls out onto a cooking surface for cooking.