Get Cooking: 150 Simple Recipes to Get You Started in the Kitchen (26 page)

How to Build a Burger

It’s no accident that burgers have become the great American default meal. They’re tasty, fast, portable, satisfying, inexpensive, and these days, whether you’re eating out or grocery shopping, you can find a burger form and flavor for every style of eating, from ground beef to turkey to a wider range of meatless options than you might have imagined. If you love burgers and eat them often, over time, you’ll save lots of money by making your own at home.

For the purposes of this chapter, I’m defining burgers as patties or cutlets that are cooked in a skillet and are perfect on a bun with the classic condiments—ketchup, mustard, mayo, pickles, relish, and the like. All of these recipes work well without the bun, too, simply served as an entrée with or without any of the suggested toppings.

TWO TOOLS FOR BURGER SUCCESS

A good heavy skillet is essential for making burgers. Avoid thin, lightweight frying pans, as they’re likely to char the outside of the burger well before the inside is cooked. The perfect choice? A cast-iron skillet: heavy-bottomed, indestructible, and affordable.

A thin-bladed metal spatula will also make life easier (and your burgers better). Whether you go with a long curved-tip one (with a blade about the shape of a large tongue depressor) or a fish spatula (which has slots running up and down the blade),
thin
is the operative word. The narrower the blade, the easier it will be to maneuver the spatula around and under the burgers for checking doneness and flipping, as well as for scraping up the good stuff that sticks to the pan.

THE FIRE DRILL

Think of the heat at which you cook burgers—or any food—as part of the seasoning. It really does affect flavor and texture. So pay close attention to the heat level called for in these recipes, just as you would the amount of any ingredient. Keep an eye on the burgers and the burner, and adjust the heat if it looks like the browning is happening too quickly or too slowly.

For most burgers, it’s a good idea to turn on the fan over the stove if you have one, and/or to open the nearest window, so you don’t set off the smoke alarm.

If you have a gas or charcoal grill, by all means use it to cook the Excellent Homemade Hamburgers, the Turkey Burgers, and the Portobello Faux Burgers. Preheat the grill on high (or build a hot charcoal fire—meaning you can hold your hand a few inches above the grill grate for only 2 or 3 seconds, max), and cook the burgers or mushrooms for 4 to 5 minutes on each side. The rest of the burgers in this chapter are best made in a skillet as directed.

The beauty of burgers is that they’re straightforward, simple, and self-contained. Experiment with seasonings, condiments, and different kinds of buns. You really can’t go wrong. So, with that in mind, let’s get flipping.

excellent homemade hamburgers

Makes 4 burgers

T
hese are generous, juicy burgers. Dress them up right with a good roll and condiments, and you’ll eat way better than you would at most burger joints. Keep some uncooked patties, well wrapped, in the freezer so you’ll always have a fall-back plan for dinner. Look for chuck labeled 80/20 or 20% fat. It makes the juiciest, tastiest burgers. Any leaner and you’ll be compromising the flavor. The onion is added for flavor more than texture and should be minced quite fine so it cooks at the same speed as the meat. Ground beef should be cooked all the way through until no longer pink inside. You can check by cutting into a patty with a sharp knife, or if you want to be absolutely sure, use an instant-read thermometer, slid several inches into the burger from the side (not the top). For beef burgers, it should register 160°F.

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F or preheat the broiler (this is for the buns).

2.
In a large bowl, combine the beef, onion, salt, and about 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Use your hands to mix gently—just enough to combine. (Don’t squeeze the mixture through your fingers. It will toughen the burgers.) Rinse your hands, wet your hands with cold water, and gently form 4 patties, each about ½-inch thick.

3.
Place a large (10-to 12-inch) heavy skillet over medium heat. After about a minute, turn the heat to medium-high, sprinkle a little salt into the pan to make a light, even layer, and add the patties directly on top of the salt. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on the first side, until deeply browned on the bottom (use a metal spatula to peek, disturbing the burgers as little as possible). If the burgers appear to be browning too quickly, reduce the heat to medium.

4.
Use the metal spatula to carefully loosen each burger and flip it over. Cook on the second side for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the meat is no longer pink in the middle and the bottom surfaces are nicely browned.

5.
Meanwhile, split the buns, put them on a baking sheet, cut side up, and heat them in the oven or slide them under the broiler to toast the cut sides. Watch carefully so they don’t burn.

6.
Spread the cut sides of the buns with some of your chosen condiments (the spreadable ones), put a burger patty on each bun bottom, and top with your other selected condiments (the sliced items) and a bun top. Serve right away.

BURGER BASICS

When making burgers, curb your enthusiasm. Handle the meat as little as possible, mixing it just until everything is combined. The more you work it, the tougher it will be. Shape burgers by forming flat disks, rather than making balls and smashing them down.

Resist the temptation to fiddle with burgers as they cook. They’ll form a beautiful crust when simply left alone, so avoid moving them around in the pan. Peek at the undersides as un-invasively and infrequently as possible. And despite what you see short-order cooks doing, never press patties down with a spatula in the pan. That’s a technique used to speed up cooking, but it toughens and compacts the meat, and squeezes out moisture you don’t want to lose.

turkey burgers

Makes 4 burgers

G
round turkey (white meat alone, or a combination of white and dark) is easy to find and very reasonably priced. You can keep it in the freezer until ready to use, so stock up, and you’ll have this great dinner option on hand for when you need something simple and quick. (Defrost the meat thoroughly in the refrigerator, beginning a day ahead of time, before making the burgers.) Ground turkey cooks to a softer, more delicate texture than red meat, so egg is often added to help firm the patties up. Turkey burgers should be cooked all the way through until no longer pink inside. Check for doneness by cutting into a patty with a sharp knife, or if you want to be absolutely sure, use an instant-read thermometer, slid several inches into the burger from the side (not the top). For turkey burgers, it should register 170°F.

These patties freeze and reheat well
after
they’ve been cooked. Once you’ve cooked them, let them cool and then freeze them in a heavyweight resealable plastic bag. Reheat them in the microwave or in a small skillet over low heat.