When forming burgers, I use a hamburger press. I would then flatten the burgers with my hands to make them thinner. This way when cooked on the grill, they don't get too thick. If the burgers are formed thin, they will be almost like the fast food restaurant burgers, depending on the type of ground beef that is used. If someone likes a thicker burger, they can put two burgers on their bun.
Using my hands to flatten the burgers took a lot of time and a bit messy. I now put the formed burgers on a wax paper lined jelly-roll pan, leaving space between each one. I cover the burgers with wax paper and take another jelly-roll pan and press all the burgers at once. This is so much faster than pressing them out individually. I use a wide pancake turner to move them. Any leftover burger patties, I cover the burgers with plastic wrap or foil and leave in the freezer for a few hours until they harden. If they don't all fit in one layer, use wax paper or plastic wrap in between the burgers to form layers. I remove them and place in a freezer bag.
Another idea that I haven't tried is to put separate mounds of ground beef on the pans and then press. This would eliminate the need to using the burger press altogether.
By it's.only.me from PA
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My son showed me how to keep my ground beef patties from swelling up like pillows. I am really old and didn't know this.
First, cut small squares out of wax paper to set you hamburger patties on. Then form patties, no more than one inch thick and set them on a piece of wax paper and place them on a cookie sheet.
When making meatloaf or hamburger patties, add chopped vegetables and oatmeal or bran for fiber! If you make your own veggie juices at home as I do, use the leftover pulp.
When forming hamburger patties, leave the middle thinner or even put a hole in the middle (like a donut). When they cook, the middle will fill in and the thickness will be the same all around.
Adding a tablespoon of mayonnaise to your ground beef before patting out hamburgers keeps them juicy on the grill. This prevents them from drying out.
Use the thin plastic that bacon comes on, wash it with hot soapy water to clean it up good. Cut it in half and use to pat hamburger patties on and then freeze.
A favorite of my sister in-law. If you like the strong flavor of sauerkraut, you'll love these burgers!
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Can we all share tips/shortcuts/techniques for shaping patties (of any kind)?
I grease a plastic bottle lid, shape the patty with it on a parchment paper.
Lakshmi from NJ
Editor's Note: Post your own tips here!
When I worked at a IceCream parlor/diner. we shaped hamburger patties by rolling hamburger out to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness, then we took a butter bowl lid and cut out patties with it. We called them barge burgers.
I roughly roll into balls, then squash and use the back of a spatula or a dough scraper to make them into circles, pushing down on the edges to hold them together. This works on ground meat, meat and rice, and salmon and bread crumbs.
I've used the 1/2 c. measuring cup out of the standard Tupperware set. Pack the cup tight with raw meat, turn over onto waxed paper, and then flatten by hand or with something flat. This makes quarter pounders. If you want a bigger patty, use a bigger measuring cup!
Then lay the patties out one by one onto a cookie sheet lined w/ waxed paper, add a second layer if needed, and pop into the freezer to solidify the meat. Can also freeze for later use after this step.
I learned once by watching 30 minute meals with Rachael Ray to make an indentation in the middle of the burger. This allows for shrinkage and keeps the burgers relatively flat! It looks strange to cook, but it works like a charm!
I have managed large restaurants and been a cook in AK for 60 gold miners. I used to mix things in the meat, making them like mini meatloafs.
Up in AK, we used everything till it was used up. The coffee cans gave me insulation, stacked well, were already on hand, and resisted freezer burn.
If you can modify something that is the perfect size, you are ahead of the game.
NOTE: For mommies and daddies, sometimes a hamburger is too much for little ones. I used to make my daughter a little pattie, and used a cookie cutter to make two circles out of a bread heel. It was just right for her little hands.
I have a saucer about 1/2" deep I put a piece of plastic wrap on it and flatten a hamburger ball then wrap the plastic wrap around the hamburger patty and put in a freezer bag/ You can do 5 or 6 pounds of hamburger patties in about 20 minutes.
Hi just saw this, a couple of months late, but I'll share anyway. I use pampered chefs Ice cream sandwich maker to make my hamburger patties, and then I layer between wax paper and wrap in freezer paper.
Lately my hamburger patties fall apart and are very dry. I'm supposing the fat content has something to do with it but how can I keep them from falling apart?
I am making large patties kind of like a hamburger steak. Thanks for any help.- Add a teaspoon of icewater to the meat.
- Don't salt the patty until it's shaped.
- Avoid handling the patty too much, and don't flatten it before or during cooking.
My father was a meat cutter from age 17 until after I was born- so close to twenty years in total. He, naturally, is where I got most of my meat related info throughout my life! My dad always used a ground beef for burgers that had 80/20 percentage of fat content. Of course this was when he bought prepackaged meat at the supermarket. I do recall him having a grinder and making his own blends of sausage and ground chuck/beef at times as well. At any rate yes, The fat content is the place to start to adjust Id say. Additionally you can use a little weight or even a heavy coffee mug plop it onto the burger toss a little butter or a squirt of water around it and cover it with whatever you have that would be heat resistant and easy to remove. So In a pinch, even a non plastic mixing bowl will do you just have to be careful removing it obviously. The trick here is to just not move the patty once you lay it down, until you need to either remove or flip it if you must. Best of luck going forward!
Another option is adding a vegan egg (2 tbsps ground flaxseed with 1 tbsp water, stir and set aside for ~15 minutes before using. I find it a good binding agent with the added benefit of omega-3s (brain food).
Let us know how you make out with all the suggestions / recommendations you decide to try?
Dry hamburgers can be a problem but it is difficult trying to answer your question as we have no idea how you are presently preparing your burgers or what type of meat you're using.
You say you're trying to make a larger burger - like a hamburger steak so that can be a little different.
Are you using a pan or grill?
I'm assuming pan..
Some pointers:
Add seasonings for flavor.
Do not overwork your meat.
The more it is handled/over-mixed, the tougher the burger.
Keep burgers cold until you are ready to cook them.
Flip only once.
Cook ground beef at a moderate temperature rather than high heat. Do not overcook.
Are you using a recipe or just your own 'way'?
There are so many good 'tried' recipes online that it makes you hungry just doing a little searching.
It would be difficult to recommend recipes as we do not know if you're just making a plain Hamburger Steak or if you're trying one with mushroom gravy, or onions/peppers, brown gravy, or adding sausage to your patties.
All recipes stress less handling time, keeping meat cold, using lower heat, as well as several other good points.
Some people have habits they have acquired over the years that may not be the best ways to prepare hamburger meat.
Try looking at some recipes online and maybe you might see something you're doing that could be causing your burgers to be dry.
www.thekitchn.com/
I think you they are overcooked.
Do not do any more mixing of your burger meat than necessary.
Do not cook patties straight out of fridge or the freezer.
Take them off just before you think they're finished, they continue to cook after they're removed from the heat.
Does anybody know of a good hamburger seasoning? I raise beef cattle for a living and haven't found a good seasoning to mix in when I make my ground beef patties. Help is really appreciated! Thanks.
By Jeremiah Finnestad from Minooka, IL
I love just using "Jane's mixed up crazy salt" on my ground beef. It is a seasonal with different herbs and spices. I always use this on baked chicken too! YUM-O! You cant get it everywhere but I do find it in the larger supermarkets.
I use dry soup mixes to season beef patties. The onion is really good for hamburgers, and the garden vegetable is really good if you serve the patties as a meat dish with potatoes, gravy, and vegetables. Just mix them right in with your raw ground meat.
Try adding a package of powdered ranch dressing mix. It is wonderful!
I use a mix of paprika, ancho chile powder, garlic powder, salt and red pepper flakes. Look in a cookbook or on Google to see what other people do. I like mine. It took a while. I'd suggest start out with 1# beef, add spices (write down how much of each), fry it up and see how you like it. Next time or next #, change spices or amounts, fry it up and see how you like that, and so on. I don't include mustard powder because I'd rather add it myself, but that, rosemary, different spices can all be tried. I use a combination of dollar store and Penzey's spices (cause dollar store are cheaper but I like my single chili powders. If you live where you can, try the tortilla factories or Mexican food stores.
Lipton onion powder in the dry mix.
Sometimes I mix in some Cajun or Creole seasoning.
I didn't know there were so many things to add to hamburger! I've always used what my mother used: Lawery's Seasoned Salt. Now I chop up (very finely) an onion and cook it in the patty because even though I like onions I can't eat them raw. It's good!
I grew up an a cattle farm. We just used salt and pepper, but the meat was dry aged. It had a great flavor on its own. There are not many places that will kill and age meat any more. I use the dry onion mix with bland stuff I buy at the store today with a few dashes of steak sauce. 1 pact per 3 pounds of meat, mix the day before you need to make patties (the patties freeze well) (no salt needed but a little pepper is good).
In Florida we get a brand of seasoning mixes called "encore" that used to be 2 for $1.00 and recently went up to $1.00 each but still well worth the price. The best one for ALL meats and poultry is called "French Fry Seasoning" which is a blend. I always put it on my hamburger patties.
For 1.5 pounds ground beef:
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp pepper
Tracey in Jacksonville FL
Store-bought seasonings can have a lot of salt so I tend to avoid them. Oregano and thyme, mustard powder, and a dash of salt & pepper makes a fantastic blend for ground beef. For a meat loaf I use about 1/2 tsp each of the herbs and 1 tsp mustard. You can't really taste the mustard but it gives a bit of bite, and the herbs work great with beef.
I just use a little garlic (powder or fresh) with a little pepper. Could use "Italian seasonings" as well.
I use McCormick's Grill Mates. The one I like best is Roasted Garlic & Herb. I use it on any kind of meat except fish. I love it!
For my meatloaf and burgers I use a package of stove top stuffing mixed in with one egg. One pkg per pound of ground meat. It might not be thrifty but it's delicious.
Sandy/Pittsburgh
5 Tbsp. & 1 tsp. each of:-
dried green & red peppers
thyme, Savory, onion salt, garlic salt,
crushed onion flakes, crushed garlic flakes [or granules]
1 Tbsp., crushed mustard seeds,
2 Tbsp. & 1 tsp. each of :-
celary seeds, oregano, dillweed, cilantro.
Mix well and keep in air tight container.
[add aprox' 2 Tbsp. to 1 pound of ground beef]
My own recipe.
Many years ago my mother-in-law turned me on to "Nature's Seasons" by Morton. It's very good and easy as you don't have to worry if you have used too much or too little. It's also "really good" on beef roast and steaks. Try it, I think you will like it a lot. Tip: The lid on Nature's Seasons spice container is a bright true blue. Nature's Seasoning is the most versatile spice I have ever used. I don't know what I would do without it, as I love the stuff. Enjoy!
I use the whole single pack of Lipton Onion Soup in 1) burgers; 2) meatloaf and 3) my version of pot roast, which I will now post on the recipe site. It's soooo easy and soooo yummy!
In Cricket's recipe hint she mentioned making hamburgers in a press; what is this like? I do enjoy Thrifty fun. It helps to show that we sometimes do things differently, but basically we are the same the world over.
Kind regards.
By Jean Heasley from Maffra Gippsland, Australia
One way to shape your homemade beef patties is to place the seasoned meat in a ziplock bag and press and shape. They won't stick and it is definitely a less messy method.
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When making hamburger patties at home, try adding some chopped bell pepper and onion with a tablespoon or two of milk. Mix altogether and fry or BBQ. Makes a tasty juicy burger.
Instead of buying the ready made hamburger patties at the store which are more expensive than bulk ground beef and have no seasonings, I have started making my own.
