Making burgers

[tina122321]

We have started eating burgers about once a week in our home. My husband has taken over cooking the patties once they are made. My son who is nine is learning how to make the meat mixture. He adds the eggs, spices etc. and mixes it all together so it is ready for dad to cook when he gets home from work. I would love it if in a year or so he was the one making the burgers all by his self. How old were your kids when they started making burgers or other meals for the family?

 

[beasleym1989]

Sorry Tina, this is slightly off topic. Do you use the same recipe every week since your son is doing most of the prep or do you experiment a bit? Once he's got it down I think it would be fun for him to learn that there's so many different flavors you can add to burgers. Our favorite is a burger with spinach, feta (or mozzarella), and half a packet of French onion soup mix. So much flavor!

 

[sidevalve]

Not sure about other peoples kids but I was quite young when I started making things. Besides if he's making the burger he's already doing the hard part, if he can reach the stove etc let him get on with it.

 

[winterybella]

My son will be 25 shortly and I am still waiting for him to start making anything to really speak of. I know it's not going to be burgers because since he had an immune issue he's only been eating fish or chicken. I think he started cooking ramen when he was in his teens.

 

[L_B]

My kids never really did a whole lot of cooking when they were home but once they were out on their own they became great cooks. I have eaten at both of their places on a number of occasions and the meals have always been very impressive. I am very proud of the cooks that they turned out to be. When they were home they showed little interest in cooking because they had mom to do it for them.

 

[kgord]

MY son never did much cooking at home, but he did like to barbecue from time to time. He cooks for himself now though, an enjoys it. He cooks things with his girflfriend or makes chicken for himself. I wouldn't say he is a master chef but he does OK. I am still waiting for a dinner invite though! Usually when I see him we go out!

 

[Elawin]

I was never really allowed to cook anything until I was in my teens and mainly learnt the hard way when I went to live abroad, but my daughter used to help me and learnt to cook some more exotic foods (if, for instance, apple pie can be called exotic) when she was at Girl Guides. She's never looked back.

 

[Chef00]

Your son could absolutely make those burgers now! also little trick if hubs will listen to you. 1 put a thumb print dimple into each burger patty that way they will not shrink as much. number 2 Don't by any means smash them! I know they like to watch them Flair the flames. and think it sears and cooks it better. but you will come out with a tough DRY burger. NO SMASHING! let it cook like a steak! also you can put a teaspoon of butter in the center of the patty to moisten it. (lots of fat but good flavor) also there is a blue cheese butter you could add to the center. just push a teaspoon or what ever amount you want into the center and cover with burger. (no smashing or the butter will be in the grill and not the burger)

Blue cheese butter by Emeril Lagassi. ( I don't even like blue cheese but this stuff compliments beef so well. it's really good)

http://www.copymethat.com/r/Q50iPYm/blue-cheese-butter-emeril-lagassi/

 

[Corzhens]

This is funny but I have difficulty in whipping up a good burger. My usual ingredients are ground beef, egg, crushed garlic, spring onions, corn starch, black pepper powder. After mixing, it is ready to cook. Although the taste is quite good to me, it is not that saleable to people in our house. And the texture is sometimes too tough but when exclude the corn starch in the ingredients, the burger becomes soggy. Do you have any other ingredient to add in order to make my burger more appealable?

 

[Bakemehappy]

This is funny but I have difficulty in whipping up a good burger. My usual ingredients are ground beef, egg, crushed garlic, spring onions, corn starch, black pepper powder. After mixing, it is ready to cook. Although the taste is quite good to me, it is not that saleable to people in our house. And the texture is sometimes too tough but when exclude the corn starch in the ingredients, the burger becomes soggy. Do you have any other ingredient to add in order to make my burger more appealable?

Are you in favor of pork? Sometimes I prepare one batch of burgers with an equal portion of ground pork and beef. I love the taste because it somehow tastes like a sausage. Have you used panko bread crumbs as an extender instead of the corn starch?

 

[Chef00]

This is funny but I have difficulty in whipping up a good burger. My usual ingredients are ground beef, egg, crushed garlic, spring onions, corn starch, black pepper powder. After mixing, it is ready to cook. Although the taste is quite good to me, it is not that saleable to people in our house. And the texture is sometimes too tough but when exclude the corn starch in the ingredients, the burger becomes soggy. Do you have any other ingredient to add in order to make my burger more appealable?

don't put egg in my burger. also you want a burger that has a little more fat content then 90% lean. you want either 70% or 80% lean. that way it will be more juicy. you could use a little Parmesan cheese or bread crumbs as a binder if you want to keep the egg. Don't smash your burgers, let them plump. also putting a dimple in the center will keep them from Shriveling up so badly.

 

[Chef00]

Oh hey, you could also use different cuts of meat and grind them yourself. like rib meat, and sirloin together. I have seen that before too,

 

[Corzhens]

don't put egg in my burger. also you want a burger that has a little more fat content then 90% lean. you want either 70% or 80% lean. that way it will be more juicy. you could use a little Parmesan cheese or bread crumbs as a binder if you want to keep the egg. Don't smash your burgers, let them plump. also putting a dimple in the center will keep them from Shriveling up so badly.

Oh yes, we love pork. I actually have heard of that burger with a mix of beef and pork but I haven't tried it yet. We buy the lean ground beef or pork always even if it is more expensive because I am also health conscious. That binder is my problem because one time I used corn starch and maybe it was over than the required. The burgers were like chocolate chips, huh. I want to try the burger with vegetable extenders but not the tofu because it ruins the taste. What I'm aiming at is the asparagus and cucumber. But I don't know exactly how to cook it.

 

[Momma9]

My children start 'helping' in the kitchen when they are babies. My 7 and 8 year olds can fry an egg and do other easy kitchen tasks and cooking. By the time mine are teens, they are able to cook from scratch and do the family shopping. Since we have a large family, it just kind of naturally happens since I need help in the kitchen! I don't have any teens at home right now, but when I do, they do a lot of the cooking while I tend the younger children.

Like most people, my children tend to gravitate towards one type of cooking more than another. I have a daughter who loves to bake. A son that is the BBQ/Smoker expert. A daughter that loves to make soups. Etc.

As for burgers, we raise our own beef and I love to grind up nice cuts of meat into ground beef for burgers. Fresh ground sirloin or porterhouse or rib eye makes THE best hamburgers! Grinding it fresh somehow makes it tastier and a nicer texture. Our meat is tasty so I only add salt, pepper and maybe a little chopped onion if I have time.

 

[Pat]

My 16 year old grandson has started grilling outside. He doesn't prepare the food but he does watch over it as it grills.