PrintProper burger cooking technique: Do you flatten the patty while it's cooking?
If you watch some video of people cooking burgers (over grills or on griddles), you'll often see them flatten the patty with the spatula. Wouldn't this squeeze out all the yummy juices and make the burger thinner, thereby prone to cooking faster and getting dried out? Or does it drain the burger in some special way, and get it to cook more evenly? What's the proper technique?
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10 Comments:
Never ever squeeze the burgers! My best burger trick is to make the patties thinner in the middle, so they cook more evenly. Also quells the urge to flatten!
FKC at 2:39PM on 12/07/06
I hand form my patties, fairly thick, then create a dimple in the middle using my thumb and index finger (like i'm pinching a big roll of fat :) )
It helps them to cook evenly, and they automatically flatten out a bit as they cook.
daryn at 2:55PM on 12/07/06
Always make them about the size of the bun you are using, thickness is totally depended upon your tastes or cooking technique. If you are broiling it thicker is better, no bigger than 3/4 of an inch though. Griddle can go either way but in my opinion thinner is better. Oh Yeah the question, NEVER flatten your patties!
nelson5757 at 3:10PM on 12/07/06
NEVER!!
to make the best burgers you should GENTLY form a patty the thickness you desire,do not compact the meat as it make the burger hard,put salt and pepper on both sides and grill one side then flip.
You never flip a burger more than once.Let it rest a couple minutes and you are ready to eat.
chameleonz at 5:18PM on 12/07/06
OK. I'm going to go against conventional wisdom here and talk about something truly CRAZY...
When we did the Gothamist-AHT Water Taxi Beach QBQ this summer, the cooks there did something a little different -- they started with a four-ounce freshly ground ball of hamburger, dropped it on an ultrahot griddle, let it cook for a bit and then smashed it down with the spatula. This way, it took on a nice crunchy crust in the middle, and upon smashing, developed irregular crumbly edges with a similar crispness. They then flipped it and cooked it a bit on the reverse side.
Though it flies in the face of everything I'd heard before, and what people are saying here, the burgers at WTB are some of the best I've had. (But for the fact that they could be just a little bigger -- a double there would be heaven.)
I also observed this technique at The Cozy Inn in Salina, Kansas, where they make some tasty little sliders.
Adam Kuban at 5:44PM on 12/07/06
Hey, for being new here, and my first post, I'm glad to have gotten some agreement. I won't be so shy next time!
FKC at 12:28AM on 12/08/06
FKC, don't be shy! :) This is a welcoming place, and we're happy to have your participation.
megnut at 9:37AM on 12/08/06
FKC: I usually use your trick (making the patties thinner in the middle), too. That's my typical M.O. I think I'm going to try the typical nonsmash vs. smash and take notes.
Adam Kuban at 9:42AM on 12/08/06
I like mine kind of loosely-packed and roundish in shape. I do flatten out the raw patty's bottom so that it rests on the pan, rather than roll, but my philosophy in shaping is to bind it just enough to keep it in one piece. I follow conventional wisdom on this and hang a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the pan's lid for the first four minutes of cooking (one minute per quarter ounce, so yeah, I'm contemplatin' frying up a big 'un), then flip it, add the cheese slice, and continue frying for about 2-3 more minutes, still leaving the meat alone. Once the cheese starts to melt and meld with the patty, I take the pan off the heat and let the whole thing sit there, in the pan, for about 5 minutes. I've found that this technique gets me to a preferred very rare burger, with a cheesy flavor but with the cheese effectively melted into the burger. Long story short, patting down the patty with a spatula is a short-order technique of speeding the cooking process, which really shouldn't be an issue in your own home. Adaom does mention a crisping effect that's achieved by pressing down, but it just goes against what I know.
Sandro at 2:19PM on 12/08/06
wanna know the trick for rediculous burgers? I have been known to on occasion take lean or extra lean beef, make patties, mold them around a small chunk of salted, herbed butter, and delicately flatten the patties.
These work great on the grill, as the excess butter moistens and cooks the meat from the inside. Much of the butter drips out into the grill, leaving a hollow space filled with herbs in the middle of the drippingly juicy buger.
(These dont work so well on the griddle....and by don't work so well I mean they become deep-fried burgers; which are in a whole different ballpark.)
More import to me, however, is the bread.
How do you take your burger bread?
Gentleman Gourmand at 3:08PM on 12/08/06