5 Tips That Can Help You Make Better Burgers

When it comes to making burgers, there are no hard and fast rules that work in all circumstances. However, the tips you will be reading about in the next few paragraphs can apply to all hamburgers regardless of style.

1.Freshly ground beef is essential

Store-bought ground beef is not the best option for burgers. This is because one can never be sure of when it was processed, what part of the cow it was made from or if it was taken from only a single cow.

There is also a big risk of running into things like unhealthy microbes including E.coli. If that does not show up, there could be freshness problems and tight shrink-wrap packaging that lead to leaden patties.

When you shop for fresh ground beef, request meat with at least a 20% fat content otherwise it is best to manually grind your own beef.  You can use a food processor to do this but ensure the meat is well-diced and spread.

2.Avoid heat at all costs

Before your burgers are fully formed, heat is something to avoid. Warm fat is soft and usually sticky. It can easily make a mess and reduce the entire fat content in the burger. If you wish to grind your meat yourself, ensure the grinders are cold to prevent fat smearing. An easy way to do this is to put the grinder in a freezer so it's ready when you need it.

3.Don’t mess around with the meat

Contrary to popular opinion, ground meat is not totally dead. It changes with every action carried out on it. Working the meat unduly causes proteins to cross-link with each other and this makes your finished burgers denser and tighter than they need to be.

For tender burgers, use freshly ground meat and ensure the patties are formed as tenderly as possible. For griddled patties that have nooks and crannies for cheese-catching, it is better to grind the meat directly onto a sheet tray and then gently coax it into patties, without picking it up until just before I cook it.

4.Don’t salt the beef until patties are formed

Salt dissolves muscle proteins and after they get dissolved, they cross-link, transforming your burger into a sausage-like and springy disaster. It is more advisable to season your burger within minutes of the time they’ll hit the grill.

5.The form matters

It is best to weigh your meat as it is divided and measure the patties as they are formed. This will ensure that all the burgers will be uniform in shape and size which in turn means they will all cook at the same rate. All you’ll need is a digital scale and a good eye.

Good luck!