How to Make a Restaurant Burger at Home
I’m sure you already know how to make a passable burger, but with summer just around the corner, you really need to ask yourself if you can make a restaurant-quality burger. You have months of grilling to perfect it, and it’s actually easier than you think if you follow these tips.
A good burger requires fatty meat
Not surprisingly, the quality of your burger will depend on the quality of the meat you use. For restaurant flavor, you’ll want ground beef that contains at least 80% meat and 20% fat. Some chefs, such as Gordon Ramsey , even increase the 70/30 ratio. The fatter the beef you use, the more caloric it becomes, but you’ll have to put up with that for now if you want your dish to taste restaurant quality. (Besides, it’s a burger. You know what you’re getting into.)
Toast a hamburger bun with fat
Too often people toast their buns the wrong way. If you just toss them on the top shelf of the grill (or in the toaster) for a few minutes, all you get is a toasted, technically “toasted” bun. To get a bun, you need to add some shortening. This will keep the bun from getting scratchy and tough, and instead give it the rich flavor you’re used to at your favorite burger restaurants.
Use cheese with a good melting point.
Not all cheeses are the same. When you’re trying to make a restaurant burger at home, your hard work will be in vain if you choose the wrong cheese. The key factor here is finding a cheese with the correct melting temperature. Generally, Monterey Jack, Swiss and Cheddar are best (although cheddar isn’t too spicy – it won’t melt well and make your burger greasy). Take a step forward and you’ll be in decent shape. If you feel like going crazy, make yourself Juicy Lucy .
Smash your hamburgers
You may already know that you need to pre-smash your burgers , but here’s a reminder in case you forgot. As Lifehacker senior food editor Claire Lower advises: “Gently roll the burger meat into four equal 4-ounce balls and place one ball between two sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper. Place a heavy pan in the center of the ball and press down on it with very firm, even pressure. The resulting patty should be 6 to 7 inches in diameter and about a quarter inch thick.” Do this and you have a great burger crust with maximum flavor. After all , thin burgers are better than thick ones.
Cooking hamburgers in cast iron
If you’re going to smash your burger to get that wonderful charcoal we’ve been talking about, you’ll need to cook it in a cast iron skillet. If you want to try smashing your burger on the grill, go ahead, just don’t come back to me crying when you push your whole burger through the grills. A cast iron skillet allows you to evenly fry the entire surface of the burger. Feel free to cast iron; after all, the best way to take care of it is to use it.
Use enough salt
If you’re going to be making a restaurant-quality burger, the importance of salt cannot be overemphasized. Sprinkle the exposed side of the hamburger generously with salt before cooking, and do the same after flipping the finished burger over to the other side. It is important to season the meat just before cooking so that the salt does not draw out the moisture .
Don’t overload it with toppings
If you’re going through all this trouble to make your restaurant-quality burger, you don’t want to ruin it by overloading it with too much toppings. A good rule of thumb is to include only one topping from each of the following categories: savory and rich (fried eggs, bacon, cheese); creamy and cool (avocado, mayonnaise or aioli); and spicy (dill pickle, pickled onions).
As for vegetables, proceed at your own peril and risk. I enjoy lettuce, tomato and onion in a burger just like any other guy, but if I’ve already loaded it with other goodies, I know that if I’m not careful, it will turn into a slippery mess that will fall apart before I can. I even take a bite of the first bite. When I add an onion to a hamburger, I make sure to dice it McDonald’s style like a genius.