Burgers in a pan

Hello!  I am looking for advice on making great juicy burgers in a pan.  I have several questions regarding cooking method?  Do I use a grill pan or regular frying/saute pan?  Should I use cast iron or aluminum?  For beef burgers, do I need to use oil, or is there enough fat that I can throw it straight in a hot pan?  How hot?  Medium High?  Is non-stick the way to go, and if so, do you still use a little oil?  I heard a Bobby Flay trick about putting a thumb imprint in the burger so it puffs to "normal" size, not a football.  What is the perfect size burger to start with - 1/3lb?  Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

  It depends  how big you like the burger a very thick burger will do so well in a pan due to burning the outside to get the inside cooked.  I go with a 6-7 oz
 burger try not to overwork the meat while making the
 burger i take the 6-7 oz beef and push down onto
 wax paper one time.. round it out a little than put the thumb into the center.. I heat a cast iron flat pan to medium heat use a little cooking spray add the burgers to the pan and try to leave them alone and do not press down on them that lets all the moisture out the beef makes for a dry burger.. i do them about 5-6 mins only turning only once... I do make a medium burger at home.. if you want it more rare 3-4 mins well done 7-8 mins a side hope this helps.

Frying in a hot pan will give a good crust, the kind of pan isn't all that important,IMHO, a non stick, Calphalon, makes cleanup easy, no need for oil, need for salt pepper, granulated garlic, 80/20 blend!

I Use a Cast Iron Pan With Medium Heat. 80/20 Chop Meat and Sprinkle  Lawry's Season Salt on the First Side Down
For A 6 to 7 oz Burger I cook it 3min each Side for Rare.

Cast iron pan, red hot -----no grease or oil-----sprinkle salt on bottom and add burgers ---when you think they are browned perfectly flip them and stick  in oven at 400o for as long as you like----3 minutes for rare---4 for not so rare----5 for medium and longer you killed 'em.

In the meantime have some beef stock heated, add some red wine and whatever else you like---fryed up onions and mushrooms are good----

Remove the meat and add the sauce---Voila !!!!!

I agree...cast iron, rocket hot.  No oil needed in a well-seasoned pan.  Great crust without overcooking the inside.  Use a splatter guard because there will be sizzle.  And I've never stuck my thumb into a raw burger and I've never eated a football shaped burger. 

When cooking burgers in a pan, I add butter and then Worcestershire sauce.

The suggestions above should get you on the right track. Just be ready to open a window if using a cast iron pan. It should get a little smoky. Instead of pressing an indentation into the burger, I make my patties very thin but quite a bit larger than the bun (to allow for shrinkage). Also, don't attempt to flip your burger until a crust has formed. The meat will release from the pan easily once this has happened.

doug_ua


Hello!  I am looking for advice on making great juicy burgers in a pan.  I have several questions regarding cooking method?  Do I use a grill pan or regular frying/saute pan?  Should I use cast iron or aluminum?  For beef burgers, do I need to use oil, or is there enough fat that I can throw it straight in a hot pan?  How hot?  Medium High?  Is non-stick the way to go, and if so, do you still use a little oil?  I heard a Bobby Flay trick about putting a thumb imprint in the burger so it puffs to "normal" size, not a football.  What is the perfect size burger to start with - 1/3lb?  Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

After forming my burgers I put a hole in the center with the end of a wooden spoon for shrinkage issues.

acer2x


When cooking burgers in a pan, I add butter and then Worcestershire sauce.

acer2x, that is called a "Sizzle Burger". Lea & Perrins advertised it when I was a kid. I haven't made one in years. Thanks for the reminder! They are so good!

agnesrob

acer2x


When cooking burgers in a pan, I add butter and then Worcestershire sauce.

acer2x, that is called a "Sizzle Burger". Lea & Perrins advertised it when I was a kid. I haven't made one in years. Thanks for the reminder! They are so good!

I thought it was introduced by French's but I could be wrong!

Rusty246

agnesrob

acer2x


When cooking burgers in a pan, I add butter and then Worcestershire sauce.

acer2x, that is called a "Sizzle Burger". Lea & Perrins advertised it when I was a kid. I haven't made one in years. Thanks for the reminder! They are so good!

I thought it was introduced by French's but I could be wrong!

It could have been French's that advertised it. Too long ago for me to remember accurately. We used only Lea & Perrins at home. Either way, delicious!

I haven't tried it myself, but I have heard that some people have had good results with a cast iron griddle in an oven.

The best part of frying hamburgers in a pan is using the hamburger grease to fry up bread.
 
After removing the hamburgers, pour off all but 4-5 T of grease, set pan on medium heat for 2-3 minutes, place 2-3 slices of bread in grease for 10-15 seconds, flip & fry until bread is crispy on bottom, flip & fry until other side is crispy also.  I also lightly salt the bread.
 
My mom would fix this for us when ever we would have hamburgers.  
 
Not something you would want to eat every day or even once a month, but ,boy, every once in a while I have to have some hamburger fried bread!!!

I don't exactly put a thumb in the middle, but when I gently pat them into shape, I make them a slight trifle thinner in the center than at the edges. I also try to make them a bit bigger than the bun, as they will shrink. I mix dashes of salt and garlic powder and an Indonesian sweet soy sauce called ketcap manis into mine. We all love them.
 
If I'm making more than one, I usually use the big non-stick with a dash of olive oil. But if I'm only doing one, I use cast iron.

20% fat will make a good burger.  30% fat will make an outstanding burger.  I would never go leaner than 20%, however, or you could end up with a dry product.  Whatever you do, don't overwork the meat and resist the urge to press down on the patty with the spatula while cooking.  Unless you like dense, dry burgers.

  I use only fresh ground chuck that I have my butcher grind to order. If he / she won't do this for you, go somewhere else that will. I prefer a 25 / 75 % lean mix as the flavor is in the fat. I use the largest cast iron pan that I have and use medium high heat. This takes about 8 minutes to get the pan good and evenly hot. I swipe the pan with a well oiled paper towel.
  When patting the meat out I usually make the center a little thinner than the perimeter so that it doesn't swell during the cooking process. This also helps with shrinkage.  A little salt and fresh ground pepper is the only seasoning that I use.
  I NEVER press the burger as it will tend to lose most of it's natural juice. I don't put any liquid in the pan before or after I cook the burger as it will make clean up that much harder. Cast iron skillets do not take well to acidic ingredients as this will strip the seasoning ( patina ) from the surface that you tried so hard to achieve over the course of several years. I have the cast iron pans that my Mom gave to me 25 years ago and I have never had to immerse them in water to clean them. Just a light scrub with a plastic scrubbie and then a light coat of oil while still warm.

JMHO

David O.

If you cook them in a hot pan on rthe stove, you better have a good venting hood or else be prepared for the Smoke Alarm to go off!