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
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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.
I have cut the bottom off of a 1/2 gal plastic milk bottle.flatten out the whole chub of ground beef and make lots of burgers! Freeze in amounts needed. The burgers are square but it makes for great conversation!
My grandpa always flattened burger patties between two plates. I measure out 1/2 cup of hambrger, roll into a ball and flatten between two plates. The plates I use have a rim on the bottom which I use as the guide to tell me when I've reached the right thickness.
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