Get Perfectly Shaped Burger Patties From One Simple Household Item
Across America, many of us glorified food lovers all have our own specific set of non-negotiables when it comes to hand-crafting the perfect cheeseburger. Maybe you're someone who firmly believes burgers should be made with a ratio of 80% meat to 20% fat, or alternatively, believe the best burgers are ones sitting atop homemade potato buns. Whichever step in the burger-making process you fixate on, most of us would probably agree that burger size matters. After all, if you're whipping up 10 to 12 homemade burgers for a family event, you're probably aiming to achieve evenly proportioned patties. So, what is the best way to create that signature round shape in a uniform fashion across your entire serving platter?
While you can always divide your ground chuck into equal portions and form patties with your own two hands, having a designated shape cutter or template would help with the process. Luckily, you don't have to purchase any special kitchen tools since the best way to streamline your burger-forming process is to use a metal lid or any malleable lid from a plastic container. Serving as a guide or cookie cutter type tool, using the same-sized lid across the board to measure and form the right thickness of your burgers will give them an evenly-shaped appeal. Before we delve into why a basic lid might be the ideal tool for shaping burgers, we should first explore some crucial tips to keep in mind when using this method.
Lid size matters
Now that you know how to craft evenly-sized beef patties, can you use any lid you have available to form your burgers? If you're used to making your own patties by hand, you know to first divide your beef and use a portion size similar to the inside of your own palm. However, you need your metal condiment or plastic lid to be wide enough to accommodate the amount of meat you're using. A lid that is too small might yield burgers that, once cooked, resemble wonky golf balls. As a matter of fact, the USDA claims all meat will shrink to a certain degree in the cooking process, so be mindful of how small you're forming those uncooked patties.
Once you've found a lid of sufficient size, you can simply line it with parchment paper and shape each meat portion along its inner edge. Even if you feel the lid you're using is the right size, you may need an extra tip to form the best burger patties. Simply form patties and press your finger down in the middle of each portion. Doing so should prevent the center of your burgers from rising too high in the cooking process. Now that you know the benefits of using enough meat and a large enough lid, how is the lid-shaping technique superior to hand-formed patties?
Burger patties shaped with a lid are handled less
Diving into the art of crafting the best burger recipes this summer involves more than just high-quality beef and precise adherence to instructions. You may not have known that overhandling beef may cause the fat content of your burgers to break down slightly before cooking, which can ultimately affect the end result. Of course, you can use gloves, but disposable lids or metal ones lined with parchment paper seem to be the easiest way to form patties without compromising the texture of your final product.
When forming beef patties by hand, there is a risk of overmixing, meaning that you could wind up with a rigid and dry burger on your dinner plate. In order to minimize handling, you may even want to leave your raw-formed patties in the refrigerator until it's time to grill. By doing so, you're able to maintain the structure of your burger patties and eliminate any potential risk of bringing down the temperature of the fat, which can alter the overall texture of cooked burgers. Not only do lids provide the most streamlined method for forming beef patties, but they can also guarantee the enjoyment of a perfectly tender and juicy burger.