Why are my hamburgers tough?
Chef's answer
Handling your meat incorrectly when cooking burgers If you knead or work the meat with your hands too much, you'll end up with tough, chewy burgers, and nobody wants that. You should loosely mix in any seasonings, form your patties, and call it a day.
Frequently asked Questions 🎓
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The more undercooked it is, and the sooner you want to eat it, the thinner you'll want to slice it. Place the meat in an oiled roasting pan or Dutch oven.
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As burgers cook, the protein in the meat contracts, forcing out moisture. To maintain juiciness, handle burgers as little as possible during grilling. Every turn or prod forces out more juice, which is why you should never press a cooking burger with the back of a spatula in an attempt to speed up the grilling time..
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Key Steps for Juicy Burger PattiesUse cold butter and grate it. The most important part about adding butter to your burgers is making sure it's a similar shape and temperature to the ground beef. ... Be gentle when mixing and shaping. ... Salt the burgers after shaping.
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According to the Food Standards Agency 's website, burgers which are served rare or undercooked may contain harmful bacteria which could make you very poorly. ... "When meat is minced to produce burgers, any harmful bacteria from the surface of the raw meat spread throughout the burger.
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When your burgers hit the hot griddle, the proteins break down into smaller compounds. And this causes browned, charred, and toasty flavor - it makes meat taste like a proper diner burger! ... And when you smash burgers, they get flatter - which means more contact area for tastier - Maillard Reaction - meals.
A few more cooking questions 📍