Home-made burgers

Iristxo

How do you make burgers at home from mince? I mean, how do you "bind" the stuff? I just bought burgers from superquinn, they have a bunch of ingredients including sugar and I just realized, they pack an awful lott of calories per 100grms compared to other meats! I wonder is it because they put worse quality meat on them, and more fat? I put a TINY blob of butter in the pan to fry them and when I finished I realized they are SWIMMING in fat! Should I be grilling them instead?

columok

Provided it's grassfed beef then I wouldn't be worrying about the fat!!!

Adapted from an online meatza recipe my burgers now contain:

mince, grated parmesan, caraway seeds, thyme and eggs to bind.

brianthebard

Sometimes people add egg but I usually find they bind ok without egg if you don't add too much dry ingredients. Just a ball of mince, possibly some seasoning should bind into a burger shape easy enough provided it doesn't get too warm. I usually grill them or dry fry. There probably is more fat in the ones you bought all right, my local butcher does 5 or 6 for a fiver but they are noticeably fattier than if I bought round mince and made them myself.

foodaholic

Mine depends on what im in the mood for. I never use eggs or breadcrumbs. I usually put cunim and corrinader in it though. A splash of worchesterchire sauce is tasty in it.

I put grated apples and mustard in my turkey burgers, good low fat alternative

Iristxo

Thanks for those tips, I'll be sure to try them I'll try and see if I can bind them without eggs or breadcrumbs.

Dotcomdolly

If you chill them for a while before cooking that will help them hold together too.

Iristxo

Dotcomdolly wrote: »

If you chill them for a while before cooking that will help them hold together too.

Ah cool. Thanks

Gaz

Try the healthy living mince from tesco's , binds together great on its own and it very low in fat.

El_Dangeroso

Dotcomdolly wrote: »

If you chill them for a while before cooking that will help them hold together too.

This works a treat, I usually pop mine in the freezer for 30 mins to 'set'. They keep their shape perfectly.

Sapsorrow

:eek: Wow I have learnt so much from this little thread! Amazing how much stuff about food I never realised I didn't know, thanks for the tips guys.

eclectichoney

Gaz wrote: »

Try the healthy living mince from tesco's , binds together great on its own and it very low in fat.

I do the exact same - just squash it up / mash it a bit with my hands and shape it - they hold together perfectly, and it has about 4% fat iirc.

rubadub

Gaz wrote: »

Try the healthy living mince from tesco's , binds together great on its own and it very low in fat.

Yes, I think it is only about 3.5% fat which is very low, most would need no oil in the pan as they have loads of fat. I never have trouble with binding so add nothing, just mince. Maybe it is since I only turn them once or twice, I usually fry them in a saucepan, this way it does not spatter everywhere, also you can put the lid on and it sort of steams the top which keeps it juicy and sets the top so it should hold when flipped.

Using lower fat mince means less cleaning up, and bigger burgers! since if it is originally a 1/4lb it will not lose much of this.

And remember a burger bun often has around the same calories as the burger. One thing I do is just fry up mince and add it loose to shredded iceberg lettuce, then put on frenchs mustard, ketchup, onions and eat it with a spoon, it is like burgers without the buns, and very quick to cook. If done with lean mince there is no oil to strain off.

Franks hot sauce goes well with it too. Very nice stuff, it is NOT red hot at all!

dxhound2005

Some more ideas in this thread from Cooking & Recipes

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055881393&highlight=home+made+burgers

Iristxo

Wow, thanks everyone, so much info there, fantastic. Will try those tips

El_Dangeroso

rubadub wrote: »

Using lower fat mince means less cleaning up, and bigger burgers! since if it is originally a 1/4lb it will not lose much of this.

Yep, that's the only time that lean mince is essential, burgers made with fatty mince are just not as nice at all.

Best burgers I've ever had:

1 pack mince
1 pack wafer-thin sliced chorizo, chopped into small pieces
1/2 a red onion, finely chopped
Dessertspoon of Dijon mustard
Handful of grated cheddar
Salt and pepper

Pop everything into a food processor and run on a slow speed to combine nicely (don't go too hard and fast or you'll get beef paste). Divide the mix into 4, shape into burgers and cook for 35 mins at 200c/gas 6. Halfway through the cooking time, drain the liquid from the sheet you're cooking them on to help them brown.

FTGFOP

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

Yep, that's the only time that lean mince is essential, burgers made with fatty mince are just not as nice at all.

Best burgers I've ever had:

1 pack mince
1 pack wafer-thin sliced chorizo, chopped into small pieces
1/2 a red onion, finely chopped
Dessertspoon of Dijon mustard
Handful of grated cheddar
Salt and pepper

*bites fist*
*agrees to disagree*

Iristxo

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

Yep, that's the only time that lean mince is essential, burgers made with fatty mince are just not as nice at all.

Best burgers I've ever had:

That sounds amazing, I am definitely trying that!