Cook Perfect Turkey Burgers With This Tip From Chef Richard Blais
As an accomplished chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author, Richard Blais is definitely a gastronomic force to be reckoned with. Blais also has the distinction of being the very first winner of "Top Chef All-Stars," which offered the perfect showcase for the chef's culinary skills and bubbly personality. His prowess on TV eventually led to many exciting opportunities, including a hosting stint with none other than world-class chef Gordon Ramsay.
The duo currently hosts "Next Level Chef" alongside fellow "Top Chef" alum Nyesha Arrington. The goal of the show is to provide emerging chefs with the tools and techniques that will allow them to shine. The show also features kitchen challenges that both test the mettle of contestants and hone their skills even further. In addition to their official hosting duties, Blais and Ramsay also join forces on a popular YouTube show where they offer helpful cooking tips and hacks. During a recent episode, Blais made a healthy beef burger alternative that definitely doesn't skimp on taste.
How to infuse lean turkey with big, bold flavors
On an episode of Next Level Kitchen, Richard Blais faces off against Gordon Ramsay in a burger battle for the ages. While Ramsay opts to make his patented smash burgers, complete with a fried egg and melty cheese, Blais goes the healthier route by making a lean and mean turkey burger. As compared to Ramsay's ground beef, which has a fat content of 20%, Blais' ground turkey has just 1% fat. While decidedly healthier, Blais explains that a lower fat percentage makes cooking ground turkey a little more challenging. The meat is also likely to shrink while cooking, so Blais likes to make the patty wider than the bun to accommodate the shrinkage.
A lack of fat can also mean less flavor, but Blais has the perfect fix. He recommends seasoning turkey burgers before cooking, and he chooses ingredients with an Asian flair. His recipe calls for scallions, grapeseed oil, black pepper, kosher salt, fish sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger root, and butter to infuse the meat with tons of flavor. Blais also tops his turkey burger with a healthy yet tasty slaw consisting of red and napa cabbages, green apple, mayonnaise, sriracha sauce, and lime. As for the end result, take it from Ramsay, who proclaims that he enjoyed an "exceptional" turkey burger the last time he visited Blais' restaurant. Blais also offers lots of other great tips to take your home cooking to the next level.
Blais' hacks for tastier (and healthier) home-cooked meals
In an exclusive interview with Eat This, Not That, Richard Blais shares a few cooking tips that emphasize simplicity. For instance, the chef is a big fan of adding some sort of acid to dishes to perk them up. Take vinegar, a constant culinary companion in Blais' kitchen. By adding a splash of vinegar to pasta sauce, the recipe achieves a brightness that would otherwise be lacking. Additionally, the chef encourages home cooks to think outside the box when it comes to vinegar flavors by using something like strawberry vinegar instead of white or red wine, which pairs well with salads.
Blais also strives to help home chefs create healthier meals using ingredient swaps, something he also shared with Today. When a recipe calls for milk, he recommends using yogurt or coconut milk to cut back on some of the fat and calories. To reduce sugar intake, he favors using natural ingredients to make up for the sweetness of sugar. Using vanilla with a reduced serving of sugar ensures baked goods are deliciously sweet without going overboard when it comes to calories. Vanilla is also a more complex flavor, which means it can elevate recipes in a surprising way. Blais' kitchen insights show that simple, healthy, and flavorful foods are the perfect ingredients for a gorgeous meal.