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Why Hamburgers are so Wonderfully Unique and American
The whole world loves hamburgers but they are especially dear to American hearts. There are so many ways to make a hamburger and so many variations. The great thing about making homemade hamburgers is that you have total control over the ingredients so you can use herbs or spices to give you the very best hamburger flavor.
Different Types of Hamburgers
Everybody has his or her own favorite hamburger recipe and his or her own ideas about how to make hamburgers. Whether you use round, sirloin or chuck steak makes a difference in the flavor. You can even make lamb burgers or ground pork patties. Do not forget chicken burgers, turkey burgers and even tofu burgers.
Cheeseburgers are very popular too and the thought of a hot, juicy hamburger with melted cheese dripping down the sides is enough to make anyone's mouth water with anticipation. The ultimate hamburger is a package deal, with its fabulous combination of a soft or toasted bun, a juicy patty, your favorite type of melted cheese and some mayonnaise, mustard or catsup on top.
The Best Hamburger Recipes
Perhaps your ideal hamburger would also feature crispy bacon, fresh lettuce and tomatoes or some fried onion or mushrooms. Pickles are another option to complement the overall flavor of your hamburger. Other topping options include guacamole or avocado, chili, fried egg, jalapeños, ham and more.
The possibility of being able to create a totally personalized burger is what makes hamburgers so unique. Whether you prefer your hamburger quite plain or garnished with cheese, bacon, salad and more, everybody can enjoy this delicious food however, they prefer.
Tourists to the United States love to eat burgers and fries and enjoy this delicious comfort food as part of their vacation experience. Burgers are associated closely with the United States and the simple concept of a ground beef patty has become one of America's favorite foods.
American Hamburger Variations
Hamburgers are eaten all over the world and some countries have interesting ideas about hamburger toppings. You can even find plenty of variations in hamburger preferences within the United States. In fact, every person you ask will probably have their own idea of the perfect hamburger.
For example, in the Midwest and especially in Wisconsin, hamburgers are often made with a buttered bun. A Carolina-style hamburger might come with mustard, onions, coleslaw, chilies, and cheese. Hamburgers in Hawaii often come with pineapple and teriyaki sauce.
Hamburgers are certainly on the list of America's favorite foods and they are way more than just a comfort food. You can choose the kind of meat, the kind of bun and even the toppings to make your idea of the perfect burger. You can even choose the cooking method, whether you want to fire up the grill or cook your hamburger on the stove.
A lot of people prefer the unique smoky flavor of grilled burgers and what better way to enjoy a hot summer's day than to fire up the grill and make hamburgers - the all-American classic grilled dish. You can toast the burger bun at the same time and make the whole thing outdoors. Hamburgers are part of a get together or a party as well as a filling, tasty, and quintessential American food.
Sometimes nothing but a fat, juicy hamburger will do and that is why gourmet hamburger recipes are so great because you can easily recreate your favorite hamburger at home.
Thanks for visiting,
Christine and everyone here at Best Hamburger Recipes
Featured Best Hamburger Recipe:
The Best Grilled Burgers with Onion and Pineapple
If you like to make grilled burger recipes, you will love this one. The burgers themselves are simple to make and you just have to combine the ingredients with your hands, shape patties, and grill them. Grilling is a healthy way to make burgers because the fat drips away. These are the best-grilled burgers if you like the sharp flavor of cheddar with your burgers because the cheese is actually in the patty recipe, not served on top. This might sound very unusual but the resulting flavor is fantastic.
If you have never thought about adding cheese to the meat instead of layering it on top, give this grilled burgers recipe a try. You will really love the end texture and flavor. The egg helps to bind the beef mixture together and the Worcestershire sauce adds a mouthwatering tang. While the grill is on, you can grill some onion and pineapple to the grill rack for a sweet and succulent topping to these delicious grilled burgers.
Of course, the onion and pineapple is optional but if you want a truly luscious burger recipe we recommend them. Use Vidalia onions for extra sweetness or yellow onion for a stronger flavor. Either canned or fresh pineapple is fine for this extra special hamburger recipe. Out of all the burger recipes we have, this is one of the juiciest and most flavorful. The combination of juicy meat burger with sweet pineapple and mouthwatering onion is amazing and you will love how easy this grilled burger recipe is to prepare.
Fruity Grilled Burgers with Cheddar
Ingredients -
2 lbs ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 egg
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
6 slices pineapple
6 slices onion
6 burger buns
Lettuce, mustard, and mayonnaise to serve
Preparation:
Preheat the grill for direct grilling over a high heat.
Combine the meat, egg, onion, Worcestershire sauce, and cheese using your hands and make 6 patties.
Grill the patties for 5 minutes per side, or until done.
Grill the onion and pineapple until tender and slightly golden brown.
Split the burger buns and toast them.
Top the bottom of each bun with mayonnaise, mustard, lettuce, and a burger, a slice of onion, a slice of pineapple, and finally the bun top.
((Serves 6))
Photo Description:
Pairing a homemade grilled hamburger recipe with fresh salad leaves and juicy onion is something that anybody can do, even cooking novices. Add a slice of grilled sweet pineapple to the hot hamburger and you have added a gourmet touch to your burger with minimum fuss. As you can see from the photo, this really is an appealing burger recipe. You will need both hands to grab this hearty treat. The burger itself contains egg and cheese as well as the succulent ground beef, and even a splash of Worcestershire sauce, to make it satisfying, delicious, and suitable for almost any occasion.
An Introduction to the Hamburger and Cheeseburger
Some people consider hamburgers and cheeseburgers to be nothing but a fast food fix but they are so much more than that. There is a world of difference between a flat looking, bland tasting, and lukewarm hamburger from a fast food joint, and a hot, succulent homemade hamburger. Even if you are not keen on fast food, you are sure to love homemade hamburgers.
A hamburger is basically a meat patty in a bun. It might also contain cheese, bacon, salad, onion, mushrooms, sauce, or other ingredients. There are lots of varieties of hamburgers to choose from. If you have never tasted a homemade hamburger before, you will not know how deliciously rich they are. Homemade burgers taste fresh and juicy and they are so simple to make.
The Rising Popularity of Hamburgers
Hamburgers have been popular for longer than you might realize. In fact, the Mongols used to carry meat patties with them on long horse journeys in the 11th century! The hamburger bun was not created until the start of the 20th century but it is fascinating to know that the burgers themselves have been around for a thousand years.
The type of burgers associated with fast food chains are mass-produced in factories and then frozen. They are thin and often fried. American hamburgers made at home or in conventional restaurants differ in that they are thicker and made fresh from ground beef. They can be grilled, fried, or cooked on the stove.
The Best Hamburger Recipes
Some gourmet hamburger recipes offer a new take on the traditional hamburger idea using upscale ingredients like sirloin steak, blue cheese or gourmet lettuce leaves. There are so many ways to make hamburgers though that it can be fun trying a new hamburger recipe each time.
A good quality hamburger is made from a combination of ground beef and seasonings. Inferior burgers might contain fillers like textured vegetable protein or extra flour. Ground liver was added to some patties in the 1930s because beef was expensive. Binders like breadcrumbs or egg can be added to hamburger recipes.
Flavorful hamburger seasonings can include thousand island dressing, onion soup mix, and soy sauce, onions, parsley, or Worcestershire sauce. There are hamburger recipes for every taste.
A hamburger is not necessarily made from beef and you might have already tasted turkey, chicken, bison, buffalo, venison, deer, fish, or lamb burgers. Veggie burgers are also popular these days and these can be made from textured vegetable protein, tofu, beans, vegetables, or a combination of these.
The Truth About Hamburgers and Health
Nobody is suggesting that eating burgers for every meal is good for you but the great thing about having so many gourmet hamburger recipes is that you can choose a healthier option if you want to. Many people like to tuck into bacon cheeseburgers with fries on the side sometimes and eat more healthily at other times.
If you are watching your weight, do not rule out burgers. You can use lean beef to make a delicious hamburger and top it with healthy salad or grilled vegetables. You can have a baked potato with your hamburger rather than fries, or what about some corn on the cob? Hamburgers can be part of a balanced diet, which is great news because they are just too good to miss out on!
Inside Best Hamburger Recipes
Hamburger Recipes
Hamburger Recipes for All Tastes - Whatever your taste, we have the perfect hamburger recipes for you. Even if you are not a fan of meat, you can make delicious vegetarian or fish burgers with ease. Hamburger recipes include seasonings, sauces and garnishes and there are hundreds of varieties of hamburgers, which means that finding the perfect recipe will be simple.
Cheeseburger Recipes
Cheeseburger Recipes - Satisfying and Tasty - The addition of cheese can transform a plain hamburger into a true feast. Many gourmet hamburger recipes feature cheese and there are lots of types of cheese that you can use in cheeseburger recipes from the mildest cheddar or softest mozzarella to a sharp blue cheese. Cheeseburger recipes are always popular at barbecues.
Simple Hamburger Recipes
Simple Hamburger Recipes Which Taste Great - There are no rules saying that the best hamburger recipes have to be complicated. In fact, some of the most simple hamburger recipes are the best. Simple hamburger recipes can be juicy, delicious and, of course, easy to make. If you are new to making homemade burgers, try some of our more simple hamburger recipes first.
Hamburger Recipes for the Grill
Easy Hamburger Recipes for the Grill - Grilled hamburgers are popular at any barbecue and if the weather is warm why not make some hamburger recipes for the grill? The unmistakable smoky flavor that a grill imparts means that your homemade hamburgers will be extra flavorful and having a barbecue is always great fun for everybody. Grilling burgers is an easy cooking method too.
Non Beef Burgers
Flavorful Non-Beef Burgers - You don't have to use beef to make a delicious, juicy hamburger. What about pork, lamb or even salmon? Veggie burgers are another popular option. There are lots of non-beef burgers recipes you can try and you might even discover a new favorite burger, packed with juiciness and exciting new flavor sensations.
Veggie Burgers
Mouthwateringly Good Veggie Burgers - Veggie burgers are not only for vegetarians. They make a delicious alternative to traditional beef hamburgers and you can use all kinds of herbs and spices to make them exciting and liven them up. Veggie burgers can also be a healthy, low fat alternative to beef hamburgers if you want to lose a few pounds without sacrificing your favorite foods.
Hamburger Bun Recipes
Hamburger Bun Recipes for a Homemade Touch - There are various hamburger buns to choose from and you can even make your own hamburger bun recipes to suit your homemade hamburgers and give a special homemade touch. There are plenty of easy hamburger bun recipes you can make if you want to make these as well as the hamburgers themselves.
Hamburger Articles
The Most Fascinating Hamburger Articles - Do you know about the history of hamburgers or what type of burgers are enjoyed in other countries? Do you know how to grill a hamburger to perfection? If you want to brush up on your burger making knowledge or enhance your grilling skill, our hamburger articles contain all the handy hints you will need as well as juicy hamburger facts.
Five Reasons to Make Your Own Hamburger Recipes
The hamburger has evolved through time, inspiring home cooks to make good homemade hamburgers and to get creative with the ingredients used. Even though you can buy burgers, the homemade hamburger remains popular for various reasons:
1. Homemade Hamburger Recipes are Easy
How difficult can stirring seasoning into ground meat be? The simplicity of homemade hamburger recipes is one reason they are so popular. They are easy to prepare and simple to cook.
2. Homemade Hamburgers are Full of Flavor
You control the flavor in homemade hamburger patties and you can choose from hundreds of hamburger and cheeseburger recipes. If you pick a recipe you like the look of and follow some hamburger grilling tips, your burgers will be juicy and flavorful every time.
3. Homemade Hamburgers and Homemade Cheeseburgers are Versatile
Burgers can be made from all kinds of meat. You might want to try lamb, turkey, veal, fish, pork, or even tofu to make delicious homemade hamburger patties. There are also different types of homemade hamburger buns so you can try different burgers every time you make them.
4. Everybody Loves This Classic American Food
Apart from pizza, we eat burgers more than any other food. The buns vary from hard rolls to pita pockets or even sourdough bread and the burger recipes themselves vary enormously so you can choose your perfect burger.
5. Hamburgers are Economic
Ground meat is not expensive but you can use various seasonings and toppings to turn this economic food into a gourmet treat. The basic burger patty can hold secrets inside and surprise your family or guests with a chili kick, crunchy-diced vegetable pieces, or aromatic herbs.
Hamburgers and cheeseburgers are tasty, economic and there are enough hamburger recipes to allow you to make a different kind of burger every time you fire up the grill. No wonder hamburgers are so popular, not only in the United States but all over the globe.
Some Handy Hamburger Grilling Tips
Hamburgers are easy to make at home and grilling is the ideal cooking method to transform these simple meat patties into delicious, juicy treats. Fresh hamburger patty grilling tips are useful if you have never grilled hamburgers before and here are a few hamburger grilling tips to start you off:
- It is important to use the right meat. Lean ground beef will lead to dry burgers. When you grill, a lot of the fat drips off, which means the burger shrinks during cooking. The 30% fat beef might shrink up to 25%, so bear this in mind when shaping your patties!
- Use coarse ground meat for hamburgers. Fine ground meat can become mushy which means the patties will fall apart on the grill. Whole cloves of garlic or large onion chunks can also make the patty unstable. Mince garlic cloves and finely chop onions and other vegetables.
- Get the grill as hot as possible, then quickly lift the lid and put the patties on the grill. When the raw meat hits the hot grate, it will stick. Trying to flip the burger too early will rip it apart so one of the best hamburger grilling tips is to wait until it releases naturally before flipping it. This happens when the bottom of the patty cooks, creating a non-stick surface when the meat chars, and only takes about a minute.
- When the burgers release themselves from the grill plate, flip them on to an unused part of the cooking plate. When they release again, flip them once more and turn the heat down, then give them another couple of minutes until they are cooked through and browned.
- Let the patties stand for a couple of minutes before serving to keep them ultra juicy.
Try These Delicious Hamburger and Cheeseburger Recipe
Here is just a sampling of our delicious burger recipes you'll find plenty more inside the site.
Recipe for Beef Burgers with Kidney Beans
How to Make Juicy Hamburger Patties
Mini Hamburger Steak Patties in Mini Hamburger Buns
How to Make the Perfect Grilled Hamburger
One of the Tastiest Chicken Burger Recipes
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The History of the Hamburger
You might already know a little about the history of the hamburger, such as where the name came from. The name translates from the German "of Hamburg."
There has always been minced meat available, even though in early days meat had to be minced with a sharp stone or knife rather than with a grinder. Early hamburgers are thought to link back to Eastern Mongolia. Mongolians used to put flat lamb patties under their saddle as they rode. The bouncing of the saddles were said to tenderize the meat by pounding it.
From Steak Tartar to Hamburg Steak
It is also said that the meat was brought to Russia and named steak tartar after the Mongolian Tartar warriors. This might be fact or it might not be, because this is the story that has been passed down the generations. Anyway, steak tartar traveled on to Germany.
Minced beef was a delicacy all over Europe in the 1400s and the Arabs used it to make a minced lamb dish called "kibbeh," which was a kind of precursor to the hamburger, although the Germans used beef and pork rather than lamb.
Hamburg in Germany was a debarking pork for German heading to the United States and it was the Germans who brought the Hamburg steak over with them. The original hamburger was a tenderized piece of meat, which had been pounded with a hammer, rather than being ground or chopped.
Find Out More About the History of the Hamburger in our more in depth look at its history.
Useful Hamburger and Cheeseburger Cooking Tips
Hamburgers and cheeseburgers are easy to make but hamburger and cheeseburger cooking tips can make all the difference to the end result, so here are a few burger cooking tips to help you:
- If you are using ground turkey, you might want to add some dry breadcrumbs to the meat, especially if you are adding applesauce, steak sauce or another liquid. This is because turkey is very soft and can be tricky to work with, even if you have not added liquid to it. Chilling the patty mixture before shaping the patties can also help.
- Use ground chuck steak with about 24% fat for a juicy burger. Extra lean meat will give you a dry burger and a lot of the fat drips out while it cooks anyway.
- Some meats result in dry burgers so you might want to add some broth, extra fat, or wine to keep them juicy.
- Experiment with meats other than beef. Pork, lamb, turkey, and chicken can all be used to make great burgers. Try mixing one part sausage with three parts beef for a very flavorful hamburger.
Tips for the Perfect Cheeseburger
- If you are using crumbled cheese, like feta or stilton, to top your burgers, add the cheese to the warm burgers after they have come off the grill. They will start to melt just from the heat in the meat.
- Don't top your burgers with a cheese slice until they are cooked. If you add the cheese too early, it can go greasy and tough.
Favorite Hamburgers Around the World
The all-American hamburger might be a dish that brings the United States to mind but this dish is actually enjoyed all over the world in different forms.
In New Zealand and Australia, hamburgers are made from ground beef and often come with tomato, lettuce, onion, and beetroot. They might also have pineapple, fried egg, bacon, and cheese. Catsup or BBQ sauce are usually added. Australian and New Zealand burgers tend to be less fatty and oily than the American hamburger and they are likely to contain a full salad. A hamburger in Mexico is made from ham rather than beef and comes with cheese, avocado, and bacon.
Canadians are also fans of the all-American hamburger and sometimes the Albertans enjoy a Kubie burger, which is a burger made with pressed Ukrainian sausage. The Dangerous Dan's Diner in Toronto serves up a 24 oz burger with a quarter pound of bacon, a quarter pound of cheese and a pair of fried eggs on top. This enormous burger is named the Colossal Colon Clogger for obvious reasons!
Asian Style Hamburgers
Burger fans in China can buy pre-made meat sandwiches from the bread shelf. These non-refrigerated snacks are made from very sweet buns stuffed with any type of meat because the Chinese word for hamburger just means a meat sandwich. Chicken sandwiches are especially popular in China.
Japanese hamburgers can be served in a bun or without a bun. They are made with minced onion, beef, pork, egg, spices, and breadcrumbs and are like the American Salisbury steaks. Japanese hamburgers are served with brown sauce and vegetables or a salad.
Rice burgers are popular in some Asian countries, notably South Korea and Taiwan. This refers to the bun being made from rice rather than the burger, which is made with pork, tofu, shrimp, or squid. The Philippines enjoy American style burgers because of the American influence in the Philippines in the early 1900s and McDonalds is very popular there.
Burgers are usually made from vegetables or chicken in India because beef is forbidden in the Hindu culture. A deep fried potato patty dipped in gram flour batter is also popular in India. Minced lamb and lentils are combined to make a Pakistani burger and common toppings include scrambled egg, onion, and catsup.
There are three hundred McDonalds restaurants in Malaysia and fried chicken and eggs are common burger toppings there. You can also get burgers in Malaysia in mobile kiosks.
Popular Burgers in the UK
British burgers are similar to the all-American hamburger. Burger King and McDonalds are both popular in the UK but the portions sizes tend to be smaller than in the United States. You can also buy burgers from mobile kiosks in the UK, especially at outdoor sport events. This kind of burger usually comes with catsup or brown sauce and fried onions.
Gourmet burgers are also becoming popular in the UK (although nowhere near as popular as fast food chain burgers) and these are usually good quality minced steak patties topped with gourmet items like brie, blue cheese, or avocado.
You can also get bison burgers, venison burgers, kangaroo burgers, and ostrich burgers in some British "gastropubs." These might be served with redcurrant sauce, plum sauce, or mint sauce. The word "burger" in the UK refers to the patty rather than the burger and the bun together.
It is true to say that hamburgers are loved all over the world, although each country would have their own opinions on the nicest hamburger meat and toppings.
Hamburgers are a great example of comfort food. Served hot off the grill, they are perfect for those times when you are seriously hungry. Not only is this quintessentially American recipe guaranteed to fill your stomach but also there are so many different varieties that everyone has their own favorite style. That is why making homemade hamburger recipes is so great because you can make any kind of burger you fancy. Whether you want a traditional burger in a bun or a gourmet lamb or turkey burger, the sky is the limit. Burgers are so easy to make and there are various cooking methods for them. If the weather will not allow you to grill the hamburgers, you can fry them or even bake them. At the end of a long day, sinking your teeth into a plump, juicy, homemade hamburger recipe, complete with your chosen relish, condiments, cheese and other garnishes, really is a delight.
Useful and Interesting Hamburger Facts
One broiled beef patty, made from 80% lean meat, gives you about 200 calories and 14 grams of fat, which is not bad. Obviously, if you top the patty with cheese, fried bacon, and mayonnaise or if you have a double or triple burger, this is going to be higher!
People assume that burgers offer no nutritional value and are simply "junk food" but this is just not the case. If you look at hamburger nutritional facts, you will find that beef is rich in iron, the salad is rich in lycopene and vitamins, and the cheese gives you protein.
Burgers can be made from different meats, fish, or vegetables so, when looking at hamburger nutritional facts, a chicken burger or tofu burger is going to be completely different in nutritional value to a beef hamburger. A salmon burger, made from fish, lemon juice and a binding agent, is going to differ again.
The facts for a McDonald’s hamburger might scare you if you are watching your weight or your cholesterol but making a healthy burger at home with lean beef and salad can actually be a nutritious meal.
Hamburger Fun Facts
- Americans eat around 13 billion hamburgers every year. If you lined all those burgers up, they would circle the Earth more than 32 times.
- Americans spend around $134 billion on burgers every year, which is more than they spend on new cars, computers, or college education.
- There were 31,561 McDonald’s restaurants in 119 countries in February 1995 and more than 1.6 million McDonald’s employees in the world.
- Hamburgers and cheeseburgers make up over 71% of beef servings in commercial restaurants.
- The Big Mac cost $0.49 when it was introduced in 1968.
- When McDonalds introduced the Big Mac to France, the translation "Gros Mec" was rather unfortunate, since this translates into "Big Pimp"!
- When looking at interesting facts about the hamburger, it is fascinating to know that the biggest hamburger ever made weighed 8,266 lbs. It was made in 2001 at Wisconsin's Burger Fest. Another big hamburger was made in Rutland, North Dakota, and it weighed 3,591 pounds. It was eaten by 8,000 people.
- The biggest hamburger for sale weighed 6 lbs and was garnished with half a head of lettuce, two whole tomatoes, a cup of bell pepper slices, twelve slices of American cheese, two whole onions and plenty of mustard, mayonnaise, and catsup. Denny's Beer Barrel Pub was responsible for this creation and nobody has ever been able to finish one, which is hardly surprising!
- Burgers make up 40% of all sandwiches sold.
- The first hamburgers to be introduced in America were brown outside and rare inside. This is the way the French prefer their meat.
- The Irish and English were the first to cook their beef patties well done. The English named these Salisbury Steak after Dr James H Salisbury who recommended beef patties as a cure for various ailments including anemia and colitis.
- 65% of burgers are consumed away from home, which is not one of the more surprising hamburger facts, although it is a shame, more people have not tried homemade hamburger recipes!
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Thanks,
Christine and everyone here at Best Hamburger Recipes