Biggest Mistakes Made When Cooking Burgers
Image via: Mashed
Do you love to cook your burgers at home? If yes, are you sure you’re cooking them the right way? Consider reading this whole article to prevent yourself from mishaps in the process of making them from start to finish. We only want our patties to be the best-tasting, juicy and cheesy burgers! Let this save you from making tough and chewy ones again. You might even be shocked that you’ve been doing it wrong for the longest time. Find out the biggest mistakes everyone makes when cooking burgers according to Mashed. Watch the video below for the whole context.
1. Defrosting meat at room temperature
How do you defrost your meat? Do you just place it on the counter and leave it there until you need to cook them? Now is the time to stop your old habits. The safest way to defrost meat is either by putting it in the refrigerator or running it under cold water, according to the food safety guidelines from the US department of agriculture and food safety inspection service. Why? This will prevent it from reaching a temperature where bacteria can grow and thrive. But if you are really in a hurry, you can throw your meat in the microwave.
2. Using the wrong meat
For ground beef, choose those with 20-30 percent fat to keep your burgers moist and healthy, according to Food and Wine burgers.
For the burger patties: if you knead the meat too much the burgers will be tough. Do not pack the meat too tightly when forming them. This will give the fat to meld during the cooking process. Try to make a consistent size, shape, and density for your patties for even cooking. According to Delish, a thumbprint on the middle of a patty will prevent the center from swelling too much when cooking.
3. Seasoning
Don’t go overboard with the seasonings and mix-ins. When adding salt, The Kitchn suggests it’s best to add it right before putting them on the grill.
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4. Not checking your propane
You don’t want to run out of gas while cooking your burgers. Some grills have built-in weight sensors that will indicate the remaining amount of propane on the tank. If it doesn’t have, weigh the tank or use the hot water method to check.
5. Forgetting to preheat your grill
Preheating your grill to high-temperature sears the burgers that create the brown crust packed with flavors and keep juices inside.
6. Using a dirty grill
Thoroughly clean your cooking surface before grilling.
7. Turning your back on the patties
According to The Kitchn, most grills have hot spots. These are areas that are hotter than others.
8. Putting cheese at the wrong time
Put the slice of cheese just before or after you remove the burgers from the grill. Or you can place it on the bottom bun and put the cooked burger patty on top suggested by Southern Living.
9. Wrong way of checking doneness
With ground beef, you can use the pink color to check your burger’s doneness. But for the other meats, it won’t work. Consider investing in a meat thermometer to check.
For ground beef, cook burgers to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F, as recommended by USDA.
10. Improper sanitation
Clean the plates, pans, utensils, and counter after you finish cooking. The USDA recommends a solution made with 1 tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water.
