The burger is a versatile dish, but doing too much with it can make it messy and difficult to eat. And the more flavours you add, the less opportunity the beef has a chance to shine. These tips will help you keep it simple and make the best burger possible.
Anthony Bourdain, the late, great chef and traveller extraordinaire, ate great burgers Tech Insider YouTube channel, Bourdain shared three tips that make for the perfect burger:
- A classic soft, squishy potato bun.
- A patty made from well-ground, high quality beef.
- An easily meltable – which often means processed – cheese.
And when it comes to adding toppings to a burger, Bourdain says the most important thing is to ask yourself this question:
“Is this thing I’m doing to this perfectly good, classic dish — is it making it better? It might make it more entertaining. It might dazzle people and say ‘Oh look how clever he is.” You might deconstruct it in a way that impresses people, or delights them, or astounds them… but does it make it better?”
So the next time you make some burgers at home, remember, less really can be more.
Comments
5 responses to “Anthony Bourdain’s Tips For Making A Better Burger”
Yeah I tend to agree with this. I usually throw a bit of effort in when I cook, but when I am feeling lazy I just go for a classic home made hamburger, and it is always a great meal. Soft bun, meat, cheese, small bit of bbq sauce, lettuce, caramalised onion and a slice of bacon. Basic but great
Bourdain is so right about the ratio and that when you finish the thing it’s not all over you or you’re left with half a bun. This will also be one of those rare occasions that I would consider processed cheese but not that orange crap that the yanks love.
I’ve had his foie gras burger at Brasserie Les Halles in NYC and it was bloody delicious.
The most important thing I have discovered is a the meat Patty shape. I already make my pattys in between a folded piece of glad wrap. You can compact the meat so it’s very thin, you can tuck in the edges so it’s perfectly round and when removed and placed on a BBQ grill it stays together. Perfect flange grill every time. Don’t forget Salt and pepper and thyme.
Mmmmm… flange grill.
Nice to see non-huge burgers in the illustration. I hate the excessive impossible to eat monsters that often pop up on TV, as though they are a luxury. There are merely grotesque. The trend to mini slider type burgers is most welcome.