Tips for cooking a good burger

[Spooniest]

So I decided I'm going to try to master the cooking of burgers...

Any tips for a beginner? I've already cooked a few with satisfactory results, but I'm hungry (pun intended) for more knowledge.

So fire away!

[Sephex]

1.) To to parent's house.
2.) Ask dad to make you a burger.
3.) No, I am not doing the overplayed question mark/profit thing.

It really depends on how you monitor the burger, and how you want it cooked. No matter how you are grilling it or simply using a pan, just make sure you let both sides cook evenly until you get the taste you want. It's pretty hard to completely screw up making a burger, but it takes a few tries to get one that is suited exactly to your taste.

My person preference is a good old fashioned charcoal grill. That's how I was raised and that's how I like most meats. Heh.

[Quindiana Jones]

Grated sweet potato and onion. Typically use around two eggs for binding per 500g of meat. Use cold water when forming the patties. Grilling, frying, it doesn't really matter how you cook 'em. Grilling will help keep them from falling apart, though.

[Mo-Nercy]

When you're doing the patties, don't overwork the meat. Just roll it together, slap it down firmly once and cook.

Other than that, it's hard to get it wrong. Bun to meat ratio is important though.

[MissH]

If you're using beef- don't overcook it! Should be nice and juicy and pink on the inside!

Beef and chicken burgers go well with pancetta,mozarella,tomato slices, lettuce and mayo!!

Mmmm!!!!

[blackmage_nuke]

Personal preference: stick cheese on the meat after the last flip so it melts on the top, no vegetables.

[Shorty]

Season it up, dude. Throw seasoning on both sides of it. General season salt (Johnny's) is best, or you can use garlic salt/powder and onion powder. Always make your uncooked patty larger than how big you want your burger to actually be because it will shrink a bit in cooking.

I make my own burgers with mayo, ketchup, cheese, avocado, tomato, sauteed onions and bacon. :love:

[Slothy]

Here's the secret to a good burger:

1) buy ground beef
2) if not already, make it patty shaped
3) cook it. Fire is optional, but preferred
4) put it on a bun
5) add ketchup. Or dont. I don't care.

[Araciel]

0 (optional) find a person or service to actually make a burger for you
1 use ground chuck, not ground beef
2 be a man and use a grill.
3 baste the top with bbq sawss
4 serve with cheese and bacon

extra good = toast your buns

[noxious.sunshine]

When the patties are formed, take your thumb and make an indentation in the middle of one side. This keeps the burger flat while cooking.

Don't overwork the beef, like someone else said.

Medium is the best temperature.

Ketchup, mustard, pickles, onion are the better topping choice. With a good "deli style" cheddar.

But if you insist on using mayo... Lettuce and tomato. or sauteed onions. Really good with Swiss cheese or white American.



I saw this on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives- some place actually adds chopped butter to their burgers to make a "butter burger". It looked really yummy.

Use eggs and breadcrumbs in the mix if you're low on dough, form slightly thinner but bigger in terms of circumference patties and make patty melts with buttery toasted Texas toast (from an actual loaf of bread, not that frozen shit that has cheese on it), top with pepper jack cheese and well caramelized onions and/or sauteed mushrooms and put mayo on the bread.

Lamb burgers are yummy. Esp with like Mediterranean flavors. Rachel Ray has done a couple or three and I'm sure every other celebrity chef has as well. Google them.

[Jess]

Grill instead of pan frying = a winner. :jess:

[Colonel Angus]

Never, EVER, undercook a burger. Burger is NOT a steak. Undercooked burgers will give you the trouts like you wouldn't believe. Well-done or GTFO.

[noxious.sunshine]

Contraire, Angus. Freshly ground beef in a burger is best at medium.

[Pumpkin]

Step 1: Procure funds
Step 2: Go to restaurant
Step 3: Ask waitress for a "burger" (for optimal enjoyment, make sure to airquotes burger)
Step 4: Consume

[Quindiana Jones]

If you wanna be extra funky, put a cube of cheese inside the patty before cooking. It gets all melty and wonderful. :drool:

[Shiny]

If it's on the grill it must be overcooked. I want it well done and nearly burnt. I love the burnt charcoal taste.

[Aulayna]

1) Get burgers, fresh from a butchers
2) pre-heat grill to a medium temperature
3) place burgers on the grill
4) wait for a sizlling noise (5-10 mins or so)
5) take burgers out, cut them slightly in the middle, squeeze them to bring some juices to the top
6) flip
7) put burgers back under the grill
8) 5 mins, check
9) when the edges are going a nice golden brown, remove from the grill, check the middle is cooked
10) throw buns under the grill for 30-40 seconds
11) place bottom half of bun > some lightly fried onions > burger > slice of cheese > ketchup or other sauce of choice > leaf of small romaine lettuce > top half of bun
12) give it a light press down
13) Enjoy!

[Ergroilnin]

1) Get burgers, fresh from a butchers
2) pre-heat grill to a medium temperature
3) place burgers on the grill
4) wait for a sizlling noise (5-10 mins or so)
5) take burgers out, cut them slightly in the middle, squeeze them to bring some juices to the top
6) flip
7) put burgers back under the grill
8) 5 mins, check
9) when the edges are going a nice golden brown, remove from the grill, check the middle is cooked
10) throw buns under the grill for 30-40 seconds
11) place bottom half of bun > some lightly fried onions > burger > slice of cheese > ketchup or other sauce of choice > leaf of small romaine lettuce > top half of bun
12) give it a light press down
13) Enjoy!

Uhh WAY too complicated.

[Rantz]

Others have given good tips for cooking, but here's a tip for taste: add taco seasoning to the meat before you shape the patties. You can add other things too. A bit of butter or an egg can make it a bit juicier. Although there's nothing wrong with a plain ground meat burger as long as you cook it right, it's worth trying out some nice variations too.

[DMKA]

Ask these guys...

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