HOW TO: make a perfect burger patty

One big common mistake in making burgers, is not knowing how. But I bet your probably thinking, "pssht! of course I know how, you just stick it on the pan, wait till it cooks and then take it off." Well yes, technically you CAN do that, but I'm pretty sure your burgers don't come out as good as you want them to, and now your probably thinking I'm right (yes, I do read minds, its another talent we'll get into later). So I'm not here to give you a recipe to follow, but tips on how to cook your burger to perfection so you can make your OWN recipes (that you must share with the blog)!

Lets get started!

1. TYPE OF MEAT: Ever see that fraction on your ground beef and have no idea what it means? Well, those numbers are the beef to fat ratio, for example 90/10 is 90% beef and 10% fat, this is typically a REALLY lean type of beef that will make your burger turn out dry. What I recommend is 80/20 or 70/30.


2. PRE-COOKING PROCESS: If you have noticed, when you make burgers, the center rises, making your burger into half a sphere, well inorder to fix that so all your condiments don't roll off the burger, try making an indentation into your beef patty before cooking! (ingenius, huh?)

3. COOKING PROCESS:  Do Not Press Down On Your Meat. You will be squishing out allll the juice, the flavor and you will make your burger denser (not good)

• Before putting the burger on the pan, make sure the pan is REALLY hott, you need to hear it sizzle when the meat touches the pan. Leave it on the stove for 2-4 minutes on each side. COOK ON HIGH HEAT!
• Despite what everyone says, you can flip your burger however many times as you want, it doesn't ACTUALLY make a difference, but its your choice!

4. OTHER LITTLE TIPS: 

• The reason big leafy lettuce is placed between the bottom bun and the burger, is to prevent sogginess! 
• Make sure your beef patty is cold before you cook it, DO NOT handle it too much or the fat will melt from the heat of your hand and create dry burgers! So make sure you keep it chilly up until it hits the stove!
• DO NOT add salt to your patties until they are formed! Make your patties (if not store bought) and THEN add salt, if not the salt will dissolve proteins and take out moisture, not good.

Enjoy!

COOL FACT: twist ties

You know those cool little ties that hold the wrapper closed on loaves of bread? Well, those colorful ties, each represent a day of the week, signifying how fresh the bread is. 

Stores receive new, fresh loaves of bread 5 days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday), but that doesn't necessarily mean that they all get sold daily! Most stores follow the same coding system, which is in alphabetical order so it's easier to remember. So next time your at the store, don't forget to look for the freshest bread (you should ask them if they follow this system or if they have created their own, JUST in case)!

Heres the schedule:

Monday = Blue

Tuesday = Green

Thursday = Red

Friday = White

Saturday = Yellow

Enjoy!

INGREDIENT: Miracle Fruit

Ready to hear about the coolest fruit that you probably have never heard of? Are you sure....?

Okay well ready or not, here it is, its called: THE MIRACLE FRUIT, wanna know why, its because this litte bean-like thing:

CHANGES THE TASTE OF SOUR AND MAKES IT SWEET! Yes, you heard right.. imagine drinking vinegar and it tasting like apple juice, or having WARHEADS and it tasting like a jolly rancher. YUP, thats the power of this little bean!

If you wanna buy this cool fruit: http://www.miraclefruitworld.com/

HOW TO: make a roux

A roux (pronounced ROO), like deglazing, is a base for just about anything except it is typically used to thickeners for soups/sauces [for example: mac and cheese, gravy, and any soup]  

it's SIMPLE, all you need to know is: 

EQUAL PARTS OF FAT AND FLOUR

Ok, so the fat: I prefer butter (the most common in roux's) above everything else... pretty much cause I'm biased and dont like using lard or margarine. So, all you need to do is put your fat in first (melt the butter), and once it starts to bubble, slowly add in your flour, whisking until uniform! BUT KEEP COOKING for a few minutes so the taste of the flour is not so apparent... learned this one the hard way..

ALSO: you can keep it on the stove until it reaches the color you desire, for example for a white sauce, dont cook it for so long, but for a gravy, continue cooking until it reaches a darker brown

Enjoy!

COOL FACT: rice

"rice is a staple food for two thirds of the world" 
(thats 4 billion people..)

HOW-TO: deglaze a pan

So, for all of you who don't know what DEGLAZING is, its basically taking that extra bits of flavor at the bottom of a pan/pot after cooking, and making it into a sauce! This process can be used to make gravy, sauces, or even bases for soups!


 Deglazing only works after you have cooked your meat and taken it off the stove (be careful when taking out the meat that you leave as much of those little caramelized bits as you can!) 

Alright, lets get started: 

YOUR PAN SHOULD LOOK LIKE THIS:

 So after you have this, add in any liquid [MUST BE COLD!] to your hot pan. You want the liquid that pairs with the dish you have made [examples: steaks match with red wines/cognacs ; chicken matches with white wine, even beer], dont be afraid to get creative, these are very flexible and make DELICIOUS sauces to top your meals with!!  
Other popular liquids include: stocks, wines, water, beer, vinegars, even fruit juices!! 
OK, so after you pour it in, just keep whisking it in until everything is mixed in well, then keep over meduim [if its too high it will just burn] heat until thickened. You want it to end up with a saucy texture that looks like this:

ENJOY! 

INGREDIENT: Finger Limes

Ok. Forget everything you ever heard about limes! I introduce you to the FINGER LIME. This lime is nothing like any lime you have ever seen in your life, it looks like a cucumber with the skin of a lime,with little lime caviar-looking things inside! I don't know why these aren't more popular because this is the coolest citrus of all time! So check out the "caviar lime" which also comes in yellow, pink, red and clear:

Here are some recipe ideas!

Put it into FRESH salsa instead of juicing a lime

Add it on Ahi Tuna (or any baked white fish) as a beautiful and delicious garnish

Add into salads and vinaigrette dressings

If you would like to buy these awesome limes, check out the SANTA MONICA FARMERS MARKET!

Don't forget to try it and send any recipes you try!