Summer is here and the stalwart of seasonal cuisine is the hamburger. Whether you are a barbequing king or a cuisine creating queen, the hamburger is the ultimate recipe to conquer. We give you the best tips for making the most memorable hamburgers of all time.
Donut your patties
Well, not exactly donut, but place a raw patty in the palm of your hand. Press it in the middle so that the middle is considerably thinner than the edges. This will even out as you press the burger onto the cooking surface during frying. What this means is that your burger patty cooks evenly and the outer edges don’t get dried out before the center is cooked.
Get a meat thermometer
Go ahead, get one! If you attempt to ascertain the burger’s ‘doneness’ by poking it, by color or (gasp!) by cutting it, then you really need to step up your game. Sure it’s possible for you to get lucky, but if you want gourmet burger status, you must be able to play to the crowd. That means cooking each patty to the consumer’s taste. Here is a quick temperature guide:
- 120°F and below for rare
- 130°F for medium-rare
- 140°F for medium
- 150°F for medium-well
- 160°F and above for well done
Get Great Buns
Really, this is a very important tip. You can get a six pack of mass produced buns from your local supermarket, or you can do the right thing and find a good baker near you. Opt for buns that are chewy rather than crispy as this will make the burger easier to handle and they will sop up all that yummy sauce.
Keep your hands off the goods
Handling the meat will change the way the proteins are bonded and this makes for a denser, less juicy burger patty. Try to keep the meat as cold as possible by not handling it too much. When you handle meat, it heats up and the fats melt and stick to your hands, the table top and any other surface your patty comes into contact with.
Whatever your technique, secret herbs and spices or family barbecue sauce, may your burgers be blissful this summer.
