/ck/ - Food & Cooking

[Anonymous No.11130379]

general tips on making really good burgers?

t. learning how to cook

[Anonymous No.11130410]

no less than 80:20 ground, I use 70:30
make sure the mince is at room temp
dont mix anything into it
medium high heat, watch the edges to see the heat travel up the side of the burger when it gets half way flip
salt and pepper the cooked side, watch the edges again, when the heat creeps and meets in the middle with the cooked side its done
but you can give it a few more minutes depending on how you like your burger and you have to season the other side so flip it again and season and give it a couple flips with the heat off and the residual heat in the pan until its as pink or as grey as you like

[Anonymous No.11130422]

>>11130379
Real American burgers look like this.

>>11130272

[Anonymous No.11130697]

make the burger gently, don't mash it hard.

[Anonymous No.11130698]

look up 'burgerlab'

[Anonymous No.11130717]

EXPERIMENT!

Really, no one way will ever satisfy you. Experiment with burger patty consistency. Experiment with sauces and seasoning, experiment with buns/bread, sauce, cheese, toppings etc.

My only suggestion would be to hand make all your patties. Get into the habit and you’ll find you always have a quick and easy skill to bust out whenever you’re going to a bbq.

[Anonymous No.11130719]

>>11130410
>dont mix anything into it
I like to put a bit of diced bacon and garlic powder into mine

[Anonymous No.11130725]

>>11130719
I personally like mixing in a single egg to the mince, form the patties and then put a slice of wasabi cheese in the centre of each.

[Anonymous No.11130741]

Whats the best way to form the patties? How do I get the most solid form.

[Anonymous No.11130742]

>>11130725
>a single egg
Does this help bind the meat or something else? I'm new to cooking

[Anonymous No.11130755]

>>11130725
That's meatloaf. RRREEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

[Anonymous No.11130758]

>>11130742
Meat binds to itself just fine, all egg is, is filler

[Anonymous No.11130762]

>>11130742
I just find it makes it juicier and yea holds shape better when cooking.
>>11130755
No, it’s round and on a bun. Therefore burger

[Anonymous No.11130765]

>>11130755
There's no breadcrumbs though.

[Anonymous No.11130777]

Post burger sauce recipes

>Spoon of ketchup
>Spoon of mayo
>Diced onion
>Diced gherkin
>A splash of white vinegar
>Half a teaspoon of maple syrup

[Anonymous No.11130795]

I'll drop this.

[Anonymous No.11130817]

>make meatball
>shape into burger
>serve
???
>every guests I've ever entertained like it

[Anonymous No.11130824]

>>11130719
>>11130410
I mix spices and shred cheese into the mince but I've heard people not spicing until its in the pan. Whats the advatange of that as opposed to mixing it right it?

[Anonymous No.11130852]

make a thin patty.
all that matters is the sear. people who bitch about burgers being above medium rare are idiots. the flavour and texture of the crust are paramount. the evenly distributed fat in a burger makes it extremely juicy unless you go full retard and make a lean, thick burger like the fucking cunts in pubs who make venison burgers the size of a goldfish bowl.

do not put salad on the bottom. you can put cooked mushrooms or onions or bacon or whatever on the bottom if you want it to blend with the flavour of the meat. otherwise the only things you want on the bottom are sauce, potentially cheese, and the patty itself. no fucking giant slab of raw tomato. fuck off.

american cheese is god tier. the melting properties and mild flavour make for best burger. if you insist on using real cheese, use a small amount of it and either crumble or grate it. no big slices of mature cheddar or whatever. and NO FUCKING BRIE OR CAMEMBERT. i do like a bit of blue sometimes.

take the advice to not mix stuff into the patty with a pinch of salt. it doesn't fuck up the texture if you control the moisture content and don't overwork the burger. egg and breadcrumbs are pointless, though, and make for a denser texture. a patty should have an open texture that can be dragged apart easily with your teeth. bound burgers are too elastic and they soak up the fat so it doesn't coat your tongue and give the sensation of juiciness. i like to finely mince onions, potentially sweat them, and then squeeze out a lot of the moisture before adding them. i also like a bit of tarragon in the patty along with worcestershire or soy sauce. salt is also fine if the burger is freshly made.

toast your buns.

[Anonymous No.11130859]

>>11130852
>toast your buns
Lewd

[Anonymous No.11130864]

>>11130852
>people who bitch about fucking ground meat being above medium rare are idiots
sure bud

[Anonymous No.11130882]

>>11130379
I apply a bit of traditional Korean style soy sauce when preparing the hamburger patty mix before making the patties by hand.

[Anonymous No.11130892]

>>11130852
>american cheese is God tier.
Is it fuck.

[Anonymous No.11130902]

>>11130852
Good post, but are you american? What's 'real cheese'? Are you assuming that all actual cheeses have strong tastes that'd influence the dish negatively? I can forgive this if you're american and you don't have actual cheese.

>american cheese is god tier. the melting properties and mild flavour make for best burger. if you insist on using real cheese, use a small amount of it and either crumble or grate it.

[Anonymous No.11130912]

>>11130852
>american cheese is god tier
The only time I've made a burger with American cheese I genuinely felt sick afterwards

[Anonymous No.11130919]

>>11130852
>people who bitch about burgers being above medium rare are idiots

Can you explain what's the deal with how the hamburger's done to a beginner? From what I gather you should do it well because the ground beef might have bacteria on it, but idk it seems all over the fucking place.

[Anonymous No.11130936]

>>11130852
>American cheese

No thanks my dude. Go for an American cheese that's actually cheese, like Colby-Jack. A slice is fine, no need to grate.

[Anonymous No.11130965]

>>11130902
real cheese is just cheese that hasn't been processed and adulterated to the extent that american is. the issue really is just that people tend to swap out the american cheese for a similar quantity of 'real cheese' and most of the time it's a stronger cheese, which overpowers the burger. they also don't take the time to melt it properly.
>>11130919
>From what I gather you should do it well because the ground beef might have bacteria on it, but idk it seems all over the fucking place.
generally, the bacteria which cause food-borne illnesses don't actually penetrate into the centre of a piece of meat, they just thrive on the surface when the meat is handled carelessly. this is why most people find it acceptable to eat steaks which are not cooked uniformly - the surface is exposed to such high temperatures that it is effectively sterilised. if a piece of meat is contaminated and then run through a meat grinder, all that surface gets distributed throughout the final product which means you can't apply the same procedure as you would with a steak without an increase in risk.

however, my point wasn't really about germs - i just think pink burgers aren't as nice to eat as everyone says they are and i'd infinitely rather have a super crusty patty that is on the brown side than a big flabby pink and grey flattened meatball like you get in trendy burger chains and pubs here in the UK. i eat raw ground meat all the time.

[Anonymous No.11130972]

>>11130965
Yeah I don't understand this inch thick patty trend in pubs, just stack two thin ones

[Anonymous No.11130983]

>>11130965

I'm >>11130919, just popping in to say thanks for the explanation.

[Anonymous No.11131013]

>>11130983
another point is that ground meat is usually made from multiple different pieces of meat, which quite often aren't even the same cut. if only one piece of meat has been contaminated it will contaminate the whole batch. on an industrial scale this could mean hundreds or thousands of contaminated patties.

i want to reiterate that food-borne illnesses are relatively rare and most people who claim to have had food poisoning probably haven't. and meat is not the only potential source of food poisoning. you can get e.coli from a fruit cup. there are so many trusted food products out there which run the same risks as ground beef does. be aware of the risks but don't be squeamish. if your rare burger was made by careful people, chances are you'll be fine.

[Anonymous No.11131050]

>>11130765
>shepherd's sliders
>instead of just ground beef
you do know what a shepherd is, right?

[Anonymous No.11131055]

>>11131050
Someone who raises sheep for wool so that they can sell it in order to afford beef.

[Anonymous No.11131098]

No my view, there is no such thing as a "good burger" that is not juicy and dripping with fat. And in my experience, it's hard if not impossible to achieve this with a flat patty as it cannot trap enough of the juice inside. That's the biggest thing, to me, about burger-making.

[Anonymous No.11131112]

In my view, there is no such thing as a "good burger" that is not juicy and dripping with fat. And in my experience, it's hard if not impossible to achieve this with a flat patty as it cannot trap enough of the juice inside. That's the biggest thing, to me, about burger-making.

[Anonymous No.11131165]

>>11130379
Take out of can and warm in microwave.

[Anonymous No.11131200]

>>11131112
The fat rendering out is more a product of time than temperature for the short cooktimes a burger has, a higher temperature for a shorter time gets better results with less fat loss.

[Anonymous No.11131222]

>>11131112
I really love crispy ground hamburger.
my steaks i'll eat pieces of raw, but ground burger has to be cooked thoroughly

[Anonymous No.11131235]

>>11130777
>Post burger sauce recipes

>>Diced gherkin
>>Half a teaspoon of maple syrup
wut

[Anonymous No.11131262]

>>11131235
Little bit of tang, little bit of sweetness

[Anonymous No.11131295]

>>11131262
>Little bit of tang, little bit of sweetness
Pickles and brown sugar. Gherkins taste like shit, and maple syrup is expensive and the wrong sweetness.
Why don't you just use BBQ sauce?

[Anonymous No.11131298]

>>11131295
>Pickles
Pleb
>brown sugar
Gritty
>maple syrup is expensive
If you're on the poverty line yeah it is
>the wrong sweetness
Nigga what does that even mean 'wrong sweetness' s m h
>Why don't you just use BBQ sauce?
The Jews put soy in it

[Anonymous No.11131304]

>>11131298
If you don't like pickles you don't like burgers

[Anonymous No.11131313]

>>11131304
Gherkins are a type of pickle

[Anonymous No.11131317]

>>11131298
>>Pickles
>Pleb
>>brown sugar
>Gritty
>>maple syrup is expensive
>If you're on the poverty line yeah it is
>>the wrong sweetness
>Nigga what does that even mean 'wrong sweetness' s m h
>>Why don't you just use BBQ sauce?
>The Jews put soy in it

Gherkins are pleb. Shit's always on sale because nobody buys that trash. Brown sugar disolves fast as fuck. Real Maple Syrup is expensive. I ain't wasting that shit on a fucking cheese burger, it ain't a fucking pancake, faggot. You want a sauce that's sweet and tangy, you want BBQ sauce nigger.

[Anonymous No.11131321]

>>11131313
Do you also think meatloaf is a type of burger?

[Anonymous No.11131322]

>>11131317
t. Nigga on the poverty line

[Anonymous No.11131326]

>>11131321
No I don't

[Anonymous No.11131332]

>>11131313
>Gherkins are a type of pickle
No they're not you dumb ass. Just because you pickle something, doesn't mean it's a 'pickle'. Pickled cucumbers are considered 'pickles'. A Gherkin is a beaner gourd that tastes like shit. Would you pickle a bitter melon and call it a 'pickle'? Same family. It would equally taste like shit pickled, so we would call them 'Pickled Bitter Melon' just as we should call Gherkins 'Pickled Beaner Gourd'

[Anonymous No.11131335]

>>11131322
>Nigga
>on the poverty line
Pick one.

[Anonymous No.11131338]

>>11131332
Yeahhhhh shan't be reading this post

[Anonymous No.11131373]

>>11130379
Make sure them buns are toasted
Try to avoid using frozen patties, fresh is the best, and even better if you use some good fatty mince, or grounded cuts of steak though it has to have a good amount of fat in it.
Grill your burgers on coal if you can, it's on a whole different level than frying it in the pan.
Use real cheese, like english cheddar or something, or just anything else than kraft singles really.
Tomatoes go well with beef, as do onions, lettuce (I like iceberg) for texture and looks.
As for sauce, I like barbecue sauce if I have fried onions on it, other than that a good mayo works as well, heinz also sells something called "burger sauce" or american sauce or whatever, which is basically big mac sauce in a squeeze bottle, it's pretty alright, but it might only be sold in Europe I think.

Just a simple burger, I'm by no means an expert, but this is how I make them at least.

[Anonymous No.11131463]

>>11131304
I prefer pickled jalapeños

[Anonymous No.11131837]

>>11131338
>I got called out for being wrong and had no comebacks so I'm just gonna act like I didn't care the whole time despite the fact that I'm embarrassed and probably hiding the thread now so I don't have to be reminded of how I made a fool of myself: the post

[Anonymous No.11131885]

>>11130902
You nerds don't seem to realize you can get food from around the world relatively easy in the US. My wegmens has like five aisles of imported cheese, including entire wheels.
But American cheese is objectively the best for burgers and grilled cheesed, as long as it isn't trash like kraft singles. Any other application, there is a better cheese for the job.

[Anonymous No.11131889]

>>11131885
Also, US makes better cheddar than anyone else.

[Anonymous No.11131892]

>>11131050
Yeah, should be cottage pie if it uses beef.

[Anonymous No.11131906]

>I got called out for being wrong and had no comebacks so I'm just gonna act like I didn't care the whole time despite the fact that I'm embarrassed and probably hiding the thread now so I don't have to be reminded of how I made a fool of myself: the post

[Anonymous No.11131930]

>>11131889
Kek no.

[Anonymous No.11131951]

>>11131889
>American ‘cheddar’
*pasteurized cheese product

[Anonymous No.11132018]

>>11131889
Said no one, ever.

[Anonymous No.11132173]

>>11131885
What's the definition of american cheese?
Is it the single packed ones that look like plastic, you know, the ones not legally allowed to be called cheese?
Or is it just orange cheddar?

[Anonymous No.11132182]

>>11132173
It makes no difference.
All cheese produced in the USA is objectively fucking shit.
All that varies is the shittiness of the ingredients.

[Anonymous No.11132188]

>>11130379
Two words: Cheese Sauce

Portions variable

[Anonymous No.11132197]

This is how we do

[Anonymous No.11132204]

>>11130824
Seasoning the meat and then mixing give great flavor throughout, but you run the risk over over seasoning and clumps of seasoning.

Seasoning the faces before allows greater control but less flavor in my experience.

[Anonymous No.11132209]

>>11132197
What's the purpose of the bread in the middle of the big mac? Out of all things extra you can have, tasteless white bread..
I'd at least drop it if I were to make one myself.

[Anonymous No.11132221]

>>11132209
To separate the two patties and add volume

[Anonymous No.11132228]

>>11132221
Why do they need to be separated?

[Anonymous No.11132232]

>>11132228
I dunno, ask Mcdonalds

[Anonymous No.11132290]

>>11132204
To clarify on this a bit, most tests show that salt throughout the meat results in a crappy texture for a burger. Cooks should feel free to mix pepper and/or other spices into the meat before shaping them into patties. This will give better flavor throughout and protect delicate spices from burning, but only salt the exterior of the patty (and salt it well) before cooking.

[Anonymous No.11132417]

>>11130379
Recognise that the Advent of the burger is a response to what to do with meat that is not good enough to do anything else with. That is to say the ceiling is low for this dish and you'd get better returns making a higher quality meal.

In other words enjoy a burger for what it is and save yourself the vain pursuit of the "perfect" burger. The perfect burger is fast and convenient, not a life-changing plate.

[Anonymous No.11132426]

>>11130379
Those pickles look like raw, non-pickled cucumbers.

[Anonymous No.11132659]

>>11130379
Get really good ingredients. Beefsteak tomato instead of the cheap shitty water flavored ones and some real tasty cheese instead of yellow plastic.

[Anonymous No.11132715]

>>11130379
Mix in egg, salt, pepper, Wosterchire, and a little bit of hot sauce onions if you like em diced up. It's not that hard experiment till you find something you like

[Anonymous No.11132765]

Brainlet here. Just starting cooking. When I put sea salt on steaks or burgers or whatever sometimes I'll eat the burger and I'll still have the little grains of sea salt on it and I'll bite into one and it's gross. How do you get it to, like, blend with the food?

[Anonymous No.11132770]

>>11132765
Salt the meat a while before cooking: 10-15 minutes for burgers and up to 30-45 minutes for steaks. This draws out moisture from the meat which in turn dissolves the salt.

[Anonymous No.11132782]

>>11132770
Oh, right. I've been putting the salt on literally right before cooking it. Thanks, anon.

[Anonymous No.11133550]

>>11132197
you salt and pepper the grilled side after the flip over, otherwise you get burned pepper taste which sucks

[Anonymous No.11134401]

>>11130741
slam em down on a cutting board with a dusting of flour

[Anonymous No.11134406]

Use 1 tbsp ice water per patty. I know it sounds too simple to do anything but it makes it juicier

[Anonymous No.11134428]

>>11130824
Salt is the greatest danger. Salting ground meat before forming it will result in a meatloaf texture. This is why hamburger patties are almost always only seasoned on their exteriors.

[Anonymous No.11134517]

>>11132173
There are several different definitions of American cheese which can get very long and detailed; pasteurized processed cheese, which is what you'd usually see in a restaurant, is a mixture of cheese with an emulsifying agent at the most basic.

[Anonymous No.11134591]

>>11130379
1/4-1/3lb 80:20 beef, black pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Toss your meat (hurr) with your fingers to mix in the seasonings instead of squeezing it all into a paste. Form into a ball, season outside with salt and place in a smoking hot skillet. Press flat with a spatula, using the end of a rolling pin for pressure if necessary. Let it fry until it naturally releases from the pan, don't scrape it loose, it'll come off when it's good and ready. Flip, place cheese on top, cover skillet with foil until cheese is melted. Place on toasted bun and top with whatever the fuck you want.

[Anonymous No.11134920]

>>11132232
That looks seriously rank

[Anonymous No.11135747]

>>11134517
Is kraft singles american cheese?
If so, i wouldn't recommend it for burgers, that stuff is dreadful.

[Anonymous No.11135766]

>>11135747
>Is kraft singles american cheese?
No. Kraft Singles are "pasteurized process cheese product". They aren't real cheese.

"American cheese" is a genuine cheese, sort of like a mild cheddar.

[Anonymous No.11135771]

>>11135766

[Anonymous No.11135780]

>>11130379
Make Steak

[Anonymous No.11135782]

>>11130852
>no salad
>no tomato
>american cheese is god tier

[Anonymous No.11135789]

>>11135782
no salad or tomato on the bottom*

[Anonymous No.11135841]

>>11135782
I feel tomatoes are a real must, it goes great with the meat, also memes aside, Gordon Ramsay's method with putting salt and pepper right on the tomato actually works great, makes it even better.