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@OvalEpicure

They are definitely sloppier and looser than normal ground meat before cooking, but don't worry! They should hold together.

@enndott

Thanks for the feedback. You're probably right about the grill - I didn't even really consider that, but come spring and grilling weather, I'll make sure to do a couple posts on the differences between what makes a good grilling burger and a good griddling burger (personally, I almost always prefer the latter).

On that putting on fat for the winter thing... I'm trying to lose weight too, and I've got a crazy idea to try to help it along.

I'm trying to stay slightly uncomfortably cold most of the time. Given that a warm-blooded creature like me uses a substantial percentage of caloric energy on maintaining a constant body temperature, I'm trying to make it so I'm just a wee bit chilly most of the time. This may also put a dent in heating bills. If I feel too cold, I could always hop on the exercise bike or go for a walk to get my blood pumping.

Or maybe it won't make any difference at all. *shrug* And yes, I'm doing other things too.

Anyway, two pounds is not a big deal. You can lose that in a week or two.

Made a few adjustments. I started with grocery store pre-ground turkey, which I find to be too readily available and affordable to ignore. Next, I cubed and microwaved the eggplant with just a drizzle of olive oil, substituted miso paste for the marmite (I had miso on hand from earlier experiments to make ground turkey palatable), and backed off a bit on the soy sauce. I was afraid the 1-2 punch of both miso and soy sauce would give too strong a soy flavor. Fried the burger with a little oil in a non-stick skillet to an internal temperature of 180F.

No soy, eggplant, or anchovy was detectible - just juicy and well flavored turkey.

It was delicious!

Thanks for the research. Eggplant and anchovy! Who knew?

The Burger Joint, a small new chain in the D.C. area, is featuring the Thanksgiving Burger as the burger of the month.
While their regular burgers look to be significantly better than Five Guys Burgers and Fries, this sandwich should be called something other than a burger, I think. Gravy, stuffing and cranberries do not a hamburger make.
My article here.

@SkinnyFatty

Yep - roast it whole in the skin, kinda like you'd do when making baba ganouj. The idea is that you want to retain some of the moisture in there. Modern eggplants are not bitter at all - especially the small one called for in this recipe, so you don't have to worry about salting and pressing them. If I wanted to give them a denser, meatier texture, then I'd do what you do: slice them, salt them, wash them, press them, then cook them.

That said - I didn't actually try it the second way. Perhaps it would work as well. If you give it a go, let me know!

Kenji

Anyone ever tried a "Fatburger" turkey burger? Really quite good! The chain is 50% owned by Magic Johnson and puts out some pretty good burgers.

i find a little applesauce in the mix gives a turkey or chicken burger a touch of sweetness and some moisture and lightness without adding too much extra fat or oil...

Even with all the amendments, I'd still rather have beef. Turkey has never been my favorite food.

I love turkey burgers, and my secret to making them tasty is...loads of carmelized onions. Lots of salt and pepper, some worchestershire sauce, some mustard, and heaps of carmelized onions. Mmm.

Great article. I've never been tempted to make a turkey burger (tough, bland, dry), but you have tempted me!

Wouldn't all this apply to lean ground beef?

gluten is also found in rye and barley

Hard to choose. I started out in food blog land with I Was Just Hungry.