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3. Making round
patties, without
a divot on either side.
This isn’t a huge mistake,
unless you’re planning to add
toppings to your burgers that
you want to stay on as you eat
(so, every burger). When burger
meat cooks, it expands, which
pushes the edges out, making
your burger rounded. If, when
forming your patties, you gently
press your thumb into the top
and bottom of the burger,
creating small divots, the burger
will expand to a perfectly flat,
toppings-holding machine.
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4. Being afraid of heat.
No matter your cooking method
— be it a grill, grill pan, cast iron
skillet or broiler — it has to be
hot. Really hot. Instant sizzle
hot. Because you want to sear
your meat, not steam it (steamed
cheeseburgers can be great,
but that is another article, guys).
As long as you get your cooking surface hot enough that your
burger really sizzles when you
set it down, you’re doing a great
job. Is it burning? Turn it down!
It will all work out.
5. Smashing your
burger down as it cooks.
We understand the urge to smash
a burger down with a spatula: It
makes it sizzle, it feels satisfying and it makes you think you’re
speeding up the cooking process.
What you are speeding up is the
emergency evacuation of all your
burger’s juiciness. Don’t do this.
The more juice stays inside the
burger, the better it tastes. The
only excuse for smashing your
burger down onto the grill is an
Oklahoma onion burger, which is
again, a different article.
PRO TIP
#5: Resist
the urge
to squash
your burger
to death.