there's nothing like a medium rare
tender and juicy burger but getting it
just right is harder than you might
think
so we made 14 hamburgers to find out how
every common mistake
substitution and alteration affects a
burger
the ideal burger begins with a quarter
pound of room temperature 80
lean 20 fat ground beef that is lightly
mixed before being pressed into a round
patty
it's seasoned generously with salt and
pepper before being placed on a hot cast
iron skillet for two and a half minutes
then flipped and cooked for an
additional two while cooking the patty
loses 16 grams of weight
or half an ounce leaving it at three and
a half inches in diameter
the exterior forms a crispy dark brown
crust that isn't very greasy leaving
little residue on the top bun
the burger is tender and easily cuts
with a knife
toppings are cool and all but what about
putting all that flavor
directly into the patty like adding an
extra ounce of a go-to condiment like
cheese or salsa right into the meat
on the grill the salsa begins to bubble
and boil while the cheese oozes out and
fries to crispy perfection
the salsa burger's weight net's negative
boiling out 32 grams
or over an ounce in moisture with the
cheese patty not far behind it
with the cheese the top of the burger is
browned and crispy with burnt cheese
painting the surface
but because of all the water and salsa
this burger was barely able to achieve
the mallard reaction which is what gives
you that coveted golden browning and
caramelization
however the additions didn't prevent the
burgers from cooking to medium rare
with both staying juicy and tender with
the salsa giving the burger a smoky
zesty flavor and the cheese making it
well cheesy
not all pans are created equal perhaps a
non-stick or a stainless steel is all
you've got to work with
in a non-stick the burger shrinks over 4
grams more than in both a cast iron and
a stainless steel
and both burgers struggle to get even
browning while neither pan prevented the
burger from cooking to a solid medium
rare
the nonstick did result in a drier
burger
feeling a bit indulgent adding extra fat
like an egg or an ounce of sour cream to
your burger mix is one way to pack in
flavor
on the grill the sour cream forms a dark
crust on the burger whereas the moisture
in the eggs immediately begins to sizzle
with the addition of the egg the burger
loses about the same amount of weight as
the original
and leaves the patty with an even crust
around the edges
whereas the sour cream leaves it looking
but not tasting burnt
when left to cook for two minutes on
each side both burgers overcook slightly
and are on the drier side with the egg
adding a meatier texture
closer to meatloaf the extra fat in the
sour cream however really pulls its
weight
leaving the burger rich and decadent
with a slight tang
smash burger's more your jam take the
same recipe but smoosh it
the thin patty loses about twice the
weight as the original
and while it got nice and browned across
the surface
it was so thin that in those short four
minutes of cook time
it overcooked slightly resulting in a
still delicious yet slightly less tender
bite
we all know the cardinal rule of a good
burger don't touch it
until it's time to flip it early on the
patty begins to break apart
losing bits and pieces to the pan
since it's never able to properly seal
the top of the burger turns an
unappealing
splotchy brown with flakes of burger
seasoning the top bun
while the inside is rare it's filled
with spider webs of stringy fat and
crumbles with just a little bit of
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pressure
in the same vein pressing on a burger
walk cooks is usually advised as a hard
no pressing down forces out the liquid
you need for a perfectly juicy patty
leading it to lose more weight than any
other burger in the lot
while pressing down did have the added
benefit of a darker or more caramelized
crust
inside the burger was overcooked tough
to chew and super dry
there are plenty of tricks of the trade
to tell if a burger is done but for
those of us who find most
or all of them confusing it's tempting
to just cut the thing open and take a
peek
when it's cut on the pan all the savory
juices pull out and evaporate
leaving the burger almost 20 grams
lighter than the original the burger is
left looking
less than appealing but aesthetics aside
inside the burger is unevenly cooked and
slightly over
while also being tender in some parts
chewy in others and all around dry
believe it or not ground beef is pretty
finicky a light mix is all it needs
keep going and raw meat loses any
definition and turns an
unappealing grayish pink on the skillet
the patty begins to shrink quickly
resulting in the tallest patty of the
lot complete with a visible dome
inside the meat is gray with fatty
strings that look like string cheese
it's dry leaving the meat so tough and
rubbery it's like munching on a rubber
band
if you're looking for a healthier burger
you can trade the 80 20 ground beef for
something with a lower fat content
with less fat to render out while
cooking there's far less moisture to
help form that coveted golden crust on
the surface
and without it the burger spills the
remaining liquid from all sides
after cooking for two minutes on each
side the burger is pink and rare inside
but without the extra fat it's dry like
overcooked steak
much chewier than its counterpart and
while it is still tasty
there's just far less flavor overall
you seasoned your patties and then you
got distracted for a while
no big deal right when the salt hits the
meat it begins to draw moisture to the
surface
which hits your hot pan becomes steam
and is reabsorbed back into the patty
when the burger is seasoned too early a
pool of juices form on the surface
evaporating the hot pan before the
burger has time to absorb them
releasing all that flavor into the ether
because of the added liquid on the pan
a crust never properly forms inside the
burger is juicy
but far less so than the original and
without that extra moisture and browning
the meat is tasteless in comparison
ideally you let your meat hit room
temperature before cooking
but you forgot to take out of the fridge
and you're hungry now
the patty drops over 20 grams more
weight than the original
though in diameter remains almost a full
centimeter larger
inside the meat is a bit tough with
strings of unrendered fat throughout and
while the patty is technically rare the
coloring throughout is much less
consistent
it's super dry and falls apart easily
with the slightest pressure
so if you're trying to experiment your
way into the ideal hamburger there's a
lot you could screw up along the way
but with some happy mistakes alterations
or substitutions you might just find
your perfect patty