Create The Perfect Homemade Burger

Create The Perfect Homemade Burger, From the choice of meat to selecting the perfect toppings there are a few simple tricks to making a burger. Hellmann’s Recipe Competition, You don’t have to always rely on shop-bought burgers – making your own is easy, often cheaper, and you can also add your favourite flavours and toppings. Follow our tips on how to make great burgers at home.

The meat
One of the most important things to remember when buying meat for your burger is that it must contain some fat. Don’t just reach for the leanest beef mince you can find – fat gives flavour and succulence and a very lean burger will dry out and go crumbly.

Also, look for coarsely-ground mince – avoid anything too mushy. A coarse, meaty texture is essential for a good burger, so use finely diced or coarsely minced chuck steak or a blend of chuck with another cut such as sirloin. You’ll also get great results with a good quality pack of minced beef, too.

The binders
People often add ingredients to the raw meat mixture to help it all stick together while cooking. Some add breadcrumbs – these soak up moisture from the meat, packing in flavour and ‘filling out’ the burger. But you don’t need to keep a supply of fresh breadcrumbs handy for this – in one of his recipes Jamie Oliver uses finely bashed-up cream crackers.

Others use an egg, which when cracked into the bowl along with the beef adds moisture and helps the burger keep its shape.

The seasonings
Burger purists will tell you that you won’t go far wrong with just good quality meat and a little salt and pepper. But if you want to, you can add finely chopped fried onions (fry them, let them cool and then stir into the raw mixture), finely chopped bacon, garlic, curry paste or herbs like parsley, mint or rosemary.

Bring the meat mixture together with your hands until just combined – overworking the mixture can make the burger tough and chewy. And always add the salt just before you cook the burger so it stays moist and juicy.