Homemade cheeseburger
Sometimes when no one is looking, I will go into the kitchen and make something. I really enjoy cooking for myself because it allows me to pack lunch for the work week and also if it completely sucks, then only I have to eat it. And yes, it completely sucks about half of the time. Last week I decided to make some hamburgers because nothing else appealed to me, and hamburgers are fast and easy to make. Now, if I can only figure out HOW to make a GOOD hamburger, then this would be awesome.
I started off with half a pound of sirloin that I chopped up and put into the food processor. They were in there for in two batches, for maybe 20 seconds at most, and then shaped into patties. The patties were loosely packed, and you can see from the picture that the one in the back started to fall apart after it was flipped over. Perhaps they should be packed and shaped slightly better. I tried to not over-cook these burgers but they totally cooked through on the griddle. Perhaps 'high' was too much?
Hamburger buns were not on sale, therefore I used English Muffins instead. The thing to do is to put butter on the muffin, and then use the broil option on a toster oven. It is the same effect as toasting a bun where the outside of the bun is soft and the inside part is crispy. My muffins were not as toasted as the ones at Prune, but maybe next time I will toast it for a longer period of time.
In the end, the burgers were enjoyable, just not super amazing. I need to figure out how to get a char out the outside of the patty, while not overcooking the burger. Maybe 4oz patties are just too small, and they should be 8oz patties. More on this later this week hopefully, unless I get side-tracked but sugar-filled goodies.
Well your pictures make 'em look juicy and delicious! I hear the worcestershire sauce is the secret to tasty burgers. At least that's what Rachel Ray tells me....
Aubrey
May 28, 2008 7:52 am
Yes, they do look delicious. At least you can cook meat. Every time I've tried it's been a complete and utter failure.
Blondie
May 28, 2008 9:22 am
What kind of cheese is that? Cheddar? Inquiring minds want to know.
Adam
May 28, 2008 12:08 pm
Aubrey,
Worcestershire sauce, eh? Hmmm.. I might try a little bit of that next time. Do you happen to know the ratio of meat to sauce?
Blondie,
Haha, you are too kind. What kinds of food have you tried cooking?
Adam,
You are right, it is cheddar. I understand there is a large contingent that favors American cheese, but I already had some cheese in the fridge and it was cheddar.
Danny
May 28, 2008 1:37 pm
Cheddar makes everything taste better!
Cow
May 28, 2008 8:52 pm
Eat more beef.
Chicken
May 28, 2008 10:23 pm
yesterday after reading your post, i saw an ad in US weekly (stop laughing) for the worcestershire-to-beef ratio: 1/4 cup sauce to 1 lb of beef.
i am also a fan of english muffins over buns/bread - holds up better.
nice pics!
barb
May 29, 2008 11:59 am
Danny,
The English muffin cheeseburger was the only item I could make when I discovered I was on my own in the world. It is the apotheosis of food you can make in a NYC apartment. Enjoy it. Really, you've hit on it.
Richard
May 29, 2008 10:16 pm
The last time I tried cooking meat, the burgers resembled hockey pucks. The last time I tried cooking chicken, it just came out dry and bland. My new rationale is "There are so many good burgers in this city, why sit home?" That appears to be working quite well for me.
Blondie
May 30, 2008 9:13 am
Richard,
Thank you. What did you discover after the English Muffin cheeseburger?
Blondie,
Really?! But you and Brownie are wizards at making cupcakes! I suspect there are inner skills that are just dormant.
Danny
June 1, 2008 10:03 am
Did you put anything besides meat in the patties? I usually put in some soaked bread, an egg, some sauted onions and a bit of worchestire and ketchup in my burgers... maybe that helps them stick together?
Robin
June 3, 2008 1:38 pm
Robin,
Oh, that is a good idea. Actually in the pattie, all I had was beef. I wonder about whether eggs and soaked bread would make it a meatloaf? BTW, what do you soak the bread with? Water?
Danny
June 3, 2008 3:14 pm