6 frequently asked questions about hamburgers (+ the very useful answers)
It’s no secret that we love eating hamburgers (or really delicious veggie burgers). We’re also big fans of advice from true experts in the field: we’re more than happy to ask Jord Althuizen for his input, and he gives excellent burger tips. And chef Robert Verweij also knows how to make your hamburger even better…
Because grilling burgers yourself is one of the most fun things there is to do in summer, right? Enjoying the outdoors, putting on some music, having a beer… I’m already looking forward to it. And flipping burgers indoors is perfectly fine too! If you have one of the questions below about hamburgers, Robert Verweij has the answer. On Vlees.nl, he gives the following advice on frequently asked questions about hamburgers:
When is a hamburger done?
With a meat thermometer, you can see exactly when the center has reached 65 degrees Celsius, which means you’re 100% safe. Your hamburger will continue cooking for a little while afterward, and that’s fine too. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, you can look at the side. If it’s completely cooked, the inside of a thin burger usually is too.
You can leave thicker ones on the heat for a little longer. And what can’t hurt, in my personal opinion? Make a test burger that you don’t mind cutting open to check whether the inside is no longer pink. If it isn’t, you’ve got an extra-tasty chef’s bite. And otherwise, you will soon enough 😉
Should I press down on my hamburger while cooking it?
If you want to make a smashburger, yes, but only do this on a griddle or in a pan, of course – on a BBQ it will make a mess. They cook quickly, but if you want to cook a regular burger, pressing it down serves no purpose. It may cook a little faster, but it will also have a drier texture.
What kind of bun should I use for a hamburger?
As our former colleague Emma once described: definitely not a ciabatta bun or another hard bun. You have to press those down so hard that everything inside shoots out the sides, and it’s not a pleasant mouthfeel at all when you also have to chew through a thick burger (or at least, that’s how it feels).
Any other soft bun is preferable, as it makes it much easier to bite into the meat and toppings. A burger also shrinks a little in diameter while cooking, so you can choose the bun size accordingly.
What can you put on a hamburger?
Whatever you want! It’s your party! According to Verweij, the sky is more or less the limit: mushrooms, truffle mayo, or sauerkraut and crispy bacon, go for cheese, mustard, crinkle-cut chips… whatever makes you happy. He does offer a few useful tips within this freedom of choice, such as doing some mise en place and keeping toppings in a sieve or colander so they can drain a little, and not piling ice-cold toppings onto your warm burger. Jord Althuizen also gives great tips for burger toppings here!
What’s the best way to build a hamburger?
Verweij divides toppings into the (rather amusingly named) categories of sliders and foundations. The first kind makes everything slide around when you bite into the burger: wet, slippery things such as thick slices of tomato or too much sauce. Foundations hold everything together because they’re absorbent or have a coarser texture. Raw onion rings, for example, as well as melted cheese, which makes the layers above and below stick together a little.
According to Verweij, the trick is to make sure the burger stays together for at least the first few bites. That’s why you put foundations underneath the burger (except for cheese, which always goes directly on top of the meat) and sliders on top. This way, you press down on the sliders with the top half of the bun, which is exactly what you want. It may sound logical, but it’s still nice to see it explained so thoroughly for once!
Well, we think you’re all set for a delicious summer of grilling! And if you’d like to read the full hamburger article from Vlees.nl, click here.
Also read:
- Jord Althuizen’s barbecue do’s and don’ts
- Beep beep: this gas station sells the best hamburger in the Netherlands
- 24 places to get the best burgers in the Netherlands
Source: Vlees.nl
