24 June 2013

How to make perfectly shaped burgers

I love homemade burgers but making the patties so that they are shaped well and cook evenly can be tricky. Here's the way I do it. I've demonstrated with a veggie burger mix, but obviously this works just as well with meat burgers.

First you'll need some parchment paper (or I guess you could use foil or greaseproof paper.)

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You'll also need a circular form. I have this nifty set of circle cookie cutters and use the largest one.

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Place the cutter on the paper.

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Then scoop in your mixture. I like to use a large scoop to keep each burger the same size.

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Press down on the mixture with the back of a spoon. Get it nice and compact in there so your burger holds together well.

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Remove the cutter and voila! A nice, neat burger patty.

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Because it's pretty much the same thickness throughout it will cook evenly. You can obviously make them as thick or thin as you like.

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Just flip the patty over onto a hot pan ...

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... and peel off the paper.

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My pan holds 3 patties, so while the first 3 are cooking I go ahead and form the next 3, using the same papers from the first batch.

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One more tip: when forming meat patties, use the end of the spoon to make a tiny hole in the centre.

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Your patty won't shrink!

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Another tip: your patties can be frozen on the wax paper, ready to fry at a moment's notice. Just stack them in an airtight container and peel one off when you want it. Cook from frozen.

Now go forth and make some yummy burgers.


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