Classic Hamburger Recipe and Tips
Whether you love a “classic” hamburger or prefer a vegan option, turkey burger, bison burger, or grilled chicken “burger”, these recipe basics will provide some excellent cooking tips and ingredient options for your tastiest burger ideas yet.
While visiting my parents in south Florida recently, I ran across a cookbook classic in my mom’s cupboard, The Joy of Cooking. One of the most highly sought-after cookbooks ever published, The Joy of Cooking was first published in 1931. Written by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker, here is what they had to say about hamburgers. Then, enjoy their version of a Classic Skillet Hamburger:
About Ground Meats and Hamburger:
- Influenced by culinary merchants in Hamburg, Germany, the hamburger – as it so became named – was first introduced in the United States at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904. [ Side note, the most recent World’s Fair – now known as World Expo – held in the USA was in New Orleans in 1984. ]
- Federal regulations at that time required that ground beef sold as hamburger must contain no more than 30% fat with the leanest and most expensive grade containing 15% fat.
- Interesting fact: Federal statutes prohibit the use of sodium sulfite additives that keeps the meat rosy in color. The authors recommend if you feel the color of the ground beef too rosy red, expose a sample of it to bright sunlight. The untreated meat will darken.
- Do not store any uncooked ground meat longer than 24 hours.
- Good quality ground beef needs only light shaping.
- The authors suggest never compacting the beef patty by pressing down on it with a spatula.
Ingredient Recommendations:
- Per one pound of ground meat (beef, turkey, bison), add:
- 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
- OR, 1/2 cup finely grated raw carrots or potatoes or chopped raw mushrooms or bean sprouts
- OR, 1/4 cup ground nuts, dry cereals, wheat germ, ground sunflower seeds, presoaked cracked bulgur, or textured vegetable protein moistened with 2 tablespoons beef stock, tomato paste or lemon juice
- To flavor, about a 1/2 hour before cooking, add:
- 2 teaspoons chili sauce with 1 teaspoon ground anchovy or anchovy paste with 3 tablespoons sauteed mushrooms and 1 tablespoon finely diced stuffed olives or 1 teaspoon capers
- Or flavor with a combination of 1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, 1 clove garlic, pressed, and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Another flavor option is 2 tablespoons each chopped fresh parsley and chives
- Or, lastly, 1/4 cup roquefort cheese or cultured sour cream with 2 tablespoons freshly chopped chives or green onion tops, a sprinkling of hot pepper sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
- Want cheese? Gently mash cheddar cheese, goat cheese, or gruyere cheese gently into the meat mixture or layer cheese on top after turning once to melt
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