Easy and simple hamburger recipes

This easy and simple hamburger recipes page shows you why a hamburger is simple to put together.

It is a beef patty sandwiched within a soft bread bun. A hot sandwich. Simple right?

Hamburgers are relatively inexpensive easy fast food for the masses. This explains why it is one of American's greatest culinary export to the world.

Althought is is easy and simple, it doesn't mean that it is boring. The bread-meat-bread platform lends itself to infinite changes and innovation.

There is an easy hamburger recipe at the end of this page, but before you dash off to it, do read the following:

1. Fresh ingredients

Find fresh ground beef to make the patties. You can get the cheaper cuts to grind but do not buy ground beef that are near expiry or have expired, no matter how cheap it is. Avoid pre-seasoned ground beef unless you know the butcher or the shop people quite well and trust that they are not trying to extend the shelf-life of their stale meat products by seasoning them beforehand.

Buy fresh buns, especially those that are baked on the day itself. If you are up to it, you can bake your own.

Lettuce and any other vegetables should also be fresh. Even pickles or preserved ingredients should be current, not stale or have expired.

2. Experiment a little at a time with new ingredients

How boring to just slap a piece of pattie onto a buttered roll and stop there. It is not difficult to add tomato slices, lettuce leaves or cheese and bacon.

Once you have stepped up with common toppings and condiments, move along a little and try adding some sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, cooked cabbage, pickled relish, grilled vegetables like sliced eggplant and bell pepper.

Or introduce some ethnic flavors by adding blue cheese, using bolognaise or pasta sauce, or you can add curry powder, wasabi, soy sauce or teriyaki sauce to season the patties.

3. Try different cooking methods

Pan frying isn't the only hamburger cooking technique. I believe most people prefer an outdoor grill. However, not everyone has a backyard or an outdoor grill. Indoor grills, griddle pans or the oven can be used to cook hamburgers. Some people even use the microwave oven, although I don't think it does the beef any justice.

Some people use the oven top grill to melt the cheese that they have placed on top of the patties. This really imparts some smoky goodness to the cheese instead of just depending on the heat of the patty to soften the cheese.

4. Follow some basic cooking rules

Read the tips at How to cook a hamburger page to ensure success and maximum satisfaction for your cooking effort and time.

Let's cook a basic hamburger!

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A basic hamburger recipe

As mentioned, a hamburger is basically ground beef shaped into a round disc of about 0.5 inch thick and as big as the soft bun that goes with it.

This basic hamburger can be cooked using a frying pan or skillet.

Ingredients
1 pound of ground lean beef
1 egg
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 soft hamburger buns
Some lettuce leaves and 4 big tomato slices

1. Store the ground beef in the refrigerator (not the freezer) to ensure that it is chilled. Bring it out just before mixing
2. Place the beef in a mixing bowl
3. Add the egg, salt, pepper and bread crumbs
4. Use your hands to mix the beef and other ingredients well
5. Do not over-do the mixing, just enough to mix all the ingredients
6. Separate the beef mixture into 4 equal portions or 6 portions if you want a smaller pattie
7. Roll into a ball and place it in the middle of a small flat plate
8. Use your palm to press down on the meatball and shape the sides of the pattie while rotating the plate
9. Try to get a nice straight edge and even thickness to help cook it evenly
10. If this is turning out to be difficult for you, use a hamburger press or patty maker
11. Heat up a little oil in a frying pan using medium high heat. Place the patties on to the pan and let it cook for about 5 minutes
12. Do not press down hard on the patties
13. After 5 minutes, check the cooking side to see if there is browning, if yes, flip the pattie over with a spatula. You can use a fork or spoon to flip the pattie over gently instead of flicking and causing oil splatter
14. Cook the other side for 5 minutes
15. If you have a cooking thermometer, you might want to insert the point into the middle of the pattie to check whether the temperature has reached 160 degree F.
16. If yes, remove and serve on the bun. You can add lettuce leaves or tomato slices if you wish

Recipe link: A basic hamburger recipe

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