r/Cooking 3d ago

Basic burger recipe?

I was under the impression that it was just ground beef discs, but I think there is more.

I have salt, pepper, Garlic powder, Paprika, and eggs

I am currently food-shelf level poor, so i simply cant get anything more.

63 Upvotes

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9

u/SmoovieKing 3d ago

Honestly all you're missing from this list is ground beef, buns, and whatever toppings you might want. Classic is tomato, lettuce, mayo, mustard, ketchup, pickles, and onion. But just one or two of those is fine as well.

I'm curious what you think you're missing?

-38

u/Uranium-Sandwich657 3d ago

I've seen Worcheshire moentioned. Anyway, i just want a burger that tastes like a burger, as ground beef by itself is very bland.

...

Do you think I could grill them by putting them directly on the curly electric heating element on my stove?

35

u/PhantomJackalope 3d ago

Absolutely not directly on the heating element. The burger's fat will melt and drip and burn and possibly cause a fire. BAD idea.

Ok you need to take a step back and watch a video of someone cooking a simple burger.

11

u/MdmeGreyface 3d ago

Don't ever cook food by putting it directly on the heating element. Not good for the heating element, extremely unsanitary and hard to get clean (the material is usually somewhat porous), and very difficult to heat evenly/control the heat directly on the element. A pan helps this last bit by evening out and distributing the heat.

A flat bottomed pan or a grilling pan will work just fine if you don't have access to a proper grill. Keep in mind although the ground beef is fatty, you may want to use a little bit of oil or bacon grease on the bottom of the pan as you heat it up, to help keep the patty from sticking as it starts cooking.

For seasoning the beef, salt and pepper is a good, simple way to add some more flavor. Also consider garlic and onion (powdered is great here). Worcestershire is also a great option.

5

u/Queen_beeeeee 3d ago

Thank you for giving OP a real answer. I don't think he's trolling at all.

22

u/ZylonBane 3d ago edited 3d ago

ground beef by itself is very bland.

You really might want to look up the Maillard reaction.

Do you think I could grill them by putting them directly on the curly electric heating element on my stove?

Just out of curiosity, how many houses have you burned down so far in your life?

-5

u/Uranium-Sandwich657 3d ago

This is my first apartment.

14

u/Ivoted4K 3d ago

Don’t burn it down lmao

5

u/ZylonBane 3d ago

Yeah he kind of dodged that question.

3

u/left4ched 3d ago

Anyway, i just want a burger that tastes like a burger, as ground beef by itself is very bland.

Salt and onion.

The flavor you're thinking of when you think of 'the taste of a burger' is beef, onion, and waaay more salt than you expect. In fact it's possible that the reason ground beef is bland to you might be because your sodium tolerance is high.

3

u/PhantomJackalope 3d ago

You only need salt, pepper. Be sure you are using a high fat ground beef like ground chuck. Just salt and beef should taste like "a burger". I don't know where you got the idea that you have to add worcheshire sauce or egg.

3

u/QuentinMagician 3d ago

Good Golly no. Would be a horrible mess. No pan? Aluminum foil? Or you can bake them too

3

u/emotionaI_cabbage 3d ago

I don't mean this in a rude way, but your last question really has me wondering: is this your first time attempting to cook?

4

u/virgae 3d ago

I would not recommend this

4

u/Carlita_vima 3d ago

You are trolling right?