Food School - DAYTONABURGER.COM

Burger, or hamburger, is the name given to a grilled beef patty that is served in a bun, along with condiments like ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, etc. A burger is usually accompanied with lots of French fries. With time, other ingredients, like potato, vegetables, fish and chicken, have started replacing the beef in the patty. Burger is a very popular fast-food of almost all the kids as well as college-goers. However, very few have every thought about the history and origin of the delicious patty. To get some interesting information on background of burger, read on.

History of Burger

The origin of hamburger is a bit hazy and unclear. This is because there is no proper documentation to give us an idea about how the fast food came into being. Still, many people have claimed that the hamburger 'patty' was first noticed in the medieval times. Tartars (a band of Mongolian and Turkish warriors) used to place pieces of beef under their saddles. Under the weight of the rider and the saddle, the pieces used to turn tender enough to be eaten raw. Thus was born the initial beef ‘patty’.

A food item resembling the present-day burger, to some an extent, reached America around the 19th century. The dish, called Hamburg style beef, was brought to Hamburg (Germany) from Russia in the 14th century and when the German immigrants arrived in America, they brought it along with them. With time, the raw, chopped piece of beef evolved into the ‘patty sandwiched in a bun’. Thus, it can be said that America had a major role in giving the world the hamburger, as we know of it today.
 

Preparing:

Wash hands thoroughly with warm soapy water before and after handling any raw meat.
Thaw frozen meat in the refrigerator. If you must thaw food quickly, keep the food in its original wrapping and place in a container of cold water. Change the water every half hour to ensure the water remains cold. If raw meat comes in contact with sinks and kitchen surfaces, remember to wash them immediately.

You can also thaw meat in the microwave by using the "defrost" setting if the food is to be cooked immediately.
Marinate meat in the refrigerator, not on the counter. Discard the marinade after use because it contains raw juices, which may harbour bacteria. If you want to use the marinade as a dip or sauce, reserve a portion of it before adding it to the raw meat.
Do not allow cooked food to come in contact with raw meat. Use separate cutting boards and utensils or wash items thoroughly between uses.

Cooking:

Ground beef must be cooked to an internal temperature of 71° C (160° F). Using an instant-read food thermometer is crucial. In fact, research results indicate that some ground beef may prematurely brown before a safe internal temperature has been reached. The colour of meat alone is not considered a reliable indicator of ground beef safety. If eating out, order your hamburger cooked well done.

Serving:

Keep hot foods hot at 60° C (140° F) or higher and cold foods cold at 4° C (40° F) or lower.
Do not keep cooked food unrefrigerated or unfrozen for more than two hours.

Grilling perfect burgers is easy if you follow these simple tips:

• Use beef with the right amount of fat. I recommend 80% to 85% lean ground beef. The fat is what makes your burgers juicy.
• If your ground beef is frozen, thaw completely in the refrigerator before using. Do not try to cook beef from a frozen state.
• To see if your burgers are done, check using an instant-read thermometer. Insert it in the side of the burger through to the middle. Burgers should be cooked to 160 degrees F.
• Color is not an indicator of whether or not your burgers are cooked thoroughly. Burgers that are brown inside may not be cooked to 160 degrees F, and burgers that are cooked through may still be pink inside.
• Handle the beef as little as possible while shaping the burgers. Overhandling results in toughness.
• Form patties that about 3/4-inch thick. Press your thumb in the middle of each patty to prevent it from bulging during cooking.
• Refrigerate your burgers while preparing the grill. Preheat the grill long enough to get it nice and hot, about 15 minutes should do it.
• Season the burgers with salt and pepper on the outside, just before grilling. This will prevent the salt from drawing moisture out of the burgers. And the salt, which enhances the meat's flavor, will hit your mouth first.
• Place the burgers on the grill, and leave them there. Do not press down on the burgers during cooking.
• Flip once, after 5-6 minutes.
• Let your burgers rest at least 5 minutes before serving.