Hamburgers are one of the great American staples. They're quick and easy to make and a good way to sneak more vegetables -- lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion -- into your diet. If you're counting calories, make your hamburgers with ground round, which also has less fat. However, you get juicier burgers from fattier meat, such as ground chuck or ground sirloin. Medium burgers are the midway point of the spectrum from "still mooing" to "hockey puck." It can be hard to know just when your patties have reached your ideal doneness.
Step 1
Heat your grill or your skillet to medium heat. This will give you more control over the doneness of your burgers and prevent you from overcooking them.
Step 2
Form the beef into patties with your hands. Don't pack the beef densely, or it will shrink too much. Give each patty an even thickness, so it cooks evenly. And make a little dent in the middle of the patties with your thumb to keep them from puffing up as they cook.
Step 3
Place the patties on the grill or in the skillet. Season them if you wish, using salt, pepper, seasoned salt or other spices to your taste.
Step 4
Turn the patties with a spatula after 3 to 4 minutes, and cook the other side about the same. Watch to see when to take them off the heat. Medium-cooked meat have a little give to them when touched with a spatula, and the red juices start to seep out the top of the patty. Clear juices mean medium-well burgers.
Tips and Warnings
- To keep the beef from sticking to your hands as you form the patties, wet your hands or coat them with a light layer of olive oil. Don't touch the patties until you're ready to flip them. Mashing them with the spatula just squeezes out the juices. Exact cooking times vary depending on the heat and the size and the patties.
- Wash your hands and equipment with hot water and soap before and after working with raw meat. Bacteria such as E. coli can thrive in uncooked meat, and the pink center of your medium burger is uncooked. The safest way to enjoy medium burgers is to grind your own cuts of beef at home using strict safe-food precautions.
Things You'll Need
- Ground beef
- Seasoning to your taste, optional
- Spatula
References
- Epicurious; Burger Recipes and Tips; Sarah Kagan
- "Bon Appetit": How to Shape a Hamburger Patty
- "The Washington Post"; A Perfect Burger, Top to Bottom; Tony Rosenfeld; May 2007
- SlashFood; Want a Better Burger? Put a Dent in It; Adeena Sussman; February 2010
- Start Cooking; Recipe: How to Make a Hamburger; Kathy Maister
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