Whether you love to fire up the barbecue on a weekly basis or prefer the simplicity of cooking indoors, you will want to read these tips on making the perfect burger every time.
Buy the right beef
Always choose free range beef for your burgers. Opt for organic, grass-fed cows and check for credentials or accreditation from animal welfare charities, including the RSPCA.
Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) explains that free range meat is always better, as buying from farmers whose animals are treated humanely is the more ethical approach; in addition, the meat will taste better.
Use tried and tested recipes
There are countless beef online recipes for burgers available from resources such as http://food-tales.com/food-recipes/beef/; however, don’t get into the habit of choosing the first one you come across. Check reviews of the recipe and see whether anyone has added any tips or suggestions to help improve the original recipe. If you are not an experienced cook, learning from others – even strangers online – is a great way to progress.
Season properly
Don’t forget to season the burger, both as you create the mixture and once it has been formed into a patty. Lots of people season the mixture, or season the patty, but not many people season at both points.
Chill your burgers before cooking
When you have made your burgers, return them to the fridge until it is time to cook them. Cooking straight from the fridge while they are nice and chilled means the fat they contain will be firm. This means pockets of fat will remain when you cook the burgers and you will get more flavour than if you cooked them from room temperature.
Only flip your burgers once while cooking
It might be tempting to flip them over and over to see how they are cooking and because you think this will help them to cook evenly; however, you should only flip your burgers once while they cook. Wait until one side is seared and cooked, then flip it over and cook the other side to the same level of perfection. If you flip, you will halt the searing process and it will have to start all over again on the other side. You will also lose more juices – and therefore more flavour – if you keep flipping.
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