Big, juicy burgers at a restaurant are delicious, but they do come with a few problems. Dining out is expensive, and even if you can afford it, restaurant-style burgers often have more fat and calories than you'd like. Not to worry. With a few basic ingredients and a little cooking knowledge, you can turn readily available, lean ground beef into healthy, delicious restaurant-style hamburgers at home.
Step 1
Cut the crusts off your sandwich bread and tear the bread into 1-inch pieces. Place the pieces in a small bowl, add the milk, then mash with a fork until the texture is uniform. A bread-milk mix, also known as a panade, is a classic Italian trick for making meatballs, and helps keep burgers moist so that they taste like burgers served in a restaurant.
Step 2
Place the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, dried onion, pepper and bread mixture into a large bowl. Press the garlic clove through a garlic press or mince it as fine as you can and add to the meat. Using your hands, gently mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Do not squeeze on the meat, or it will lose too much juice during cooking.
Step 3
Divide the meat into four equal portions and gently pat each portion into patty shapes about 1 inch thick. Using your thumb, create an indentation in the center of each patty, about ½ inch deep and 1 inch in diameter. This trick, recommended by "Cook's Illustrated" Magazine, keeps burgers from plumping up too much during cooking, which can give them an unappealing lens shape.
Step 4
Turn on your electric griddle and set the temperature dial to 450 degrees. Spray the griddle with nonstick spray and allow to heat until the "Ready" light turns off. Place all four burgers, indentation side up, on one side of the griddle and cook for four minutes, or until well browned.
Step 5
Flip the burgers and place the buns on the other side of the griddle. Continue to cook the burgers and buns until the buns are nicely toasted and the burgers register 160 degrees at the deepest part of the burgers, the USDA minimum safe temperature for ground meat.
Step 6
Remove the buns from the griddle, transfer the burgers to a serving platter and cover loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil. Brush the buns with low-fat, trans-fat-free margarine. Toasted and buttered buns are a restaurant trick, while allowing the burgers to rest for a few minutes before serving helps keep them juicy. Place the burgers on the buns, top with your favorite condiments, and serve.
Tips and Warnings
- You can also make burgers using a heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking.
Things You'll Need
- 1 slice high-quality white sandwich bread
- 2 tbsp. low-fat milk
- 1 lb. 94-percent lean ground beef
- 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp. dried onion
- ¾ tsp. fresh-ground black pepper
- 1 medium clove garlic
- garlic press (optional)
- Electric griddle
- 4 whole-grain hamburger buns
- Meat thermometer
- Low-fat, trans-fat-free margarine
References
- "Cooks Illustrated"; Well-Done Burgers Done Well; January 2007
- Epicurious Food Dictionary: Panade
- USDA: Ground Beef and Food Safety
- "Kitchen Confidential"; Anthony Bordain; 2000
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