Tips for the perfect burger

A burger that’s well constructed, tasty, juicy, doesn’t fall apart on you and offers a delicious combo of tastes and textures should be celebrated for National Hamburger Month! So, what’s the secret to the perfect burger? Whether you’re eating out, getting office catering delivered from one of our quality corporate caterers, or making them at home, here are our top tips for the ultimate burger.

The meat patty

The 80:20 rule is the perfect ratio for a truly great hamburger patty. That’s 80% lean and 20% fat content.

When creating and grilling your meat patties:

• Make them bigger than the bun – they will shrink when they cook
• Use your thumb or the back of a spoon to make an indentation in the middle of the patty. As the meat cooks and contracts, it will balloon up and bulge in the middle and the depression will help prevent this. It will also stop the burger from shrinking up
• Salt both sides of the burger patty before it hits the pan or before you start grilling. It’s best not mix salt into the meat as this will change its texture
• Don’t press down on the patty while they’re cooking, as you’re literally pressing all the delicious and natural juices out. And this is why your burgers are dry. Stop it.
• Once you remove it from the pan, let it rest for at least 5 minutes. You won’t regret it when you take that first bite.

Photo credit: Super Combo

Cheese

You can use any cheese you want, but it should meet these 3 key requirements:

1. It should taste good on a burger and go with all your other ingredients and toppings
2. It should melt
3. It should melt correctly. It should melt just right and be gooey, but not turn oily and too liquid that it slides out of your burger

The best cheese (and our favourites) include:

• Cheddar – gives it a nice sharp and bold flavour
• Swiss – melts perfectly, stays melted and has a great nutty taste. It goes well with bacon or sautéed mushrooms
• Blue cheese – add some decadence and funk to your burger with blue cheese. We recommend Stilton – anything moist and crumbly will just melt into a green, milky mess
• Brie – the gooey, creamy Brie will take your burger to the next level
• Gruyere – it’s one of the key ingredients used in cheese fondues, so you know it’s designed for melting

The bun

Whether it’s a brioche roll, seeded burger bun, potato roll or milk bun, it should always be buttered and lightly toasted on the grill.

Avoid anything that’s overly chewy or has a tough crust – you want to get everything in that one bite, not just a mouthful of bread.

Lettuce and tomato

The lettuce should always be underneath the patty to catch the juices and stop it from seeping through the bun. If you like tomato on your burger, it should always go on top of the meat patty.

Too many cafes and restaurants put too many ingredients in their burger that it becomes a chore to eat. We’re a stickler for tradition and we like to keep our burgers simple with classic toppings and salad like pickles, lettuce, onion, sweet tomato and sauce. You don’t need to get too fancy with anything else – for us, it’s all about that juicy meat patty!

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Order burgers now for your next working lunch with EatFirst

Hungry for some burgers for your working lunch or staff lunch? Order corporate catering now with EatFirst with our extensive catering menu range. Some of our Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane corporate caterers that specialise in delicious burgers include:

Burger Project

Burger Project: Using only fresh local ingredients, Burger Project delivers to  Sydney CBD.

That Burger Joint

That Burger Joint: Using Australian Wagyu beef, their burgers will rock your world! Delivering to the South Melbourne and St Kilda area.

Super Combo

Super Combo: Bringing flavoursome burgers from all over the world to Fortitude Valley businesses. Check out their burger catering menu to learn more.

Lord of the Fries

Lord of the Fries: We can’t forget about the vegetarians out there! Lord of the Fries serve up 100% vegetarian burgers around Melbourne CBD including undefined Swanston St, Melbourne Central.

We’re salivating just thinking about these delicious burgers! Check out their corporate catering menus to order for your next business lunch, or give our office catering experts a call on 1300 851 900 and we’ll recommend or provide the perfect burger catering menu for your next working lunch or corporate event. Whether you're after mini burgers for a party or a delicious burger package to feed your staff, we've got a corporate catering menu to suit your needs.