For most Americans, hamburgers are both dietary staples and guilty pleasures. Luckily, you can enjoy a guilt-free patty when you cook at home in your own oven and ignore the 99 cent, heart attack-in-a-sack varieties. Hamburgers cooked in a convection oven, which cooks food more evenly than a conventional oven, are an easy, quick meal for rainy days or when you simply don't feel like bothering with the grill. If you choose to use ground beef labeled as "hamburger" keep in mind that it may contain up to 30 percent of fat, as allowed by the USDA. For a less fattening patty, you can substitute leaner meats such as ground turkey or ground chicken.
Step 1
Preheat your convection oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 2
Combine the ground beef and seasonings of your choice in a large bowl. Suggested recipe ingredients include Worcestershire sauce, onion soup mix, shredded cheese, chopped onions, chopped shallots, steak sauce, minced garlic and dry herbs. Use your hands to mix the ingredients until they are just combined.
Step 3
Divide the mixture into fourths and create patties. Begin by rolling the portions into balls. Flatten the balls with the palm of your hand until each is about 3/4-inch thick.
Step 4
Press your thumb into the center of each patty to create a shallow indentation. Burgers expand as they cook, and this will help them maintain their flattened, disc shape.
Step 5
Line a metal baking pan with aluminum foil. Place the patties in the pan. Bake the hamburgers for 30 minutes or until they reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.
Step 6
Remove the patties from the foil with a spatula immediately after cooking. There will be meat drippings on the foil; allow the foil to cool before rolling it up and discarding it.
Step 7
Serve burgers on whole-wheat hamburger buns with toppings such as lettuce, tomatoes, onions or avocados.
Tips and Warnings
- According to the USDA, ground beef must be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F; if the patty includes ground poultry, however, it should be cooked to 165 degrees F.
Things You'll Need
- Ground beef
- Seasonings to taste
- Aluminum foil
- Hamburger buns
- Hamburger toppings
Member Comments