Cooking Tip

Best Burger Cooking Tips

To create great burgers, follow these tips to achieve success.

• Cook on a grill for the best charred flavor. A grill pan will work nicely, too, but produces a more subtle char.
• Heat the grill with the rack off. Clean and coat the rack with cooking spray away from the fire so the spray doesn't cause a flare-up. Carefully place the rack on the grill shortly before adding the burgers.
• The best tools for making burgers are your hands. Be careful not to compact the meat when shaping the patties. Work ingredeints evenly and lightly into the meat; overworking compacts the meat and creates tough bugers.
• Avoid moving burgers on the grill before turning them so the outside develops a good char.
• Use a spatula large enough to pick up the entire burger.
• Do not press the patties with the spatula as they cook; doing so squeezes out flavorful juices.
• Use a meat thermometer to test for doneness (and wash it between tests). Follow the USDA's guidelines: 160 degrees for ground beef, veal, lamb and pork; 165 degrees for ground poultry.
• To ensure the meat cooks evenly, make a thumbprint indentation into the middle of the patty before it goes over the heat.
• Burgers, like steaks, should rest five minutes after they come off the heat to allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat.