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Random post about hamburgers
I'm making homemade hamburgers. The buns are rising now, and shortly they will be baked. The recipe for the buns and the burger comes from Marion Cunningham's The Supper Book. I really like her stuff and she hasn't steered me wrong yet, but this is going to be a tall order. Of the hamburger buns, she says, "This recipe makes the world's best hamburger buns..." so really, if they aren't out of this world, they've fallen short. And then the burger itself is called "The Perfect California Hamburger." When you call anything perfect, again, it better be insanely good. It's a challenge from the start, because I have specific preferences when it comes to hamburgers (and hamburger condiments), and her recipe doesn't meet them. (And ![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
jade_okelani would never touch this burger.) However, I will make at least 1 burger the way she prescribes, so that I can know for sure if it's something I won't like, rather than dismissing her version out of hand. It should also be noted that her recipe is really that of Bob Wian, the originator of Bob's Big Boy -- she says that's where her hamburger credentials come from. She wrote a whole little thingy about it.
The Perfect Hamburger
My hamburger credentials come from the home of the one and only authentic hamburger, which was deveoped in Glendale, California, in August of 1936. The originator of this perfect hamburger is Bob Wian, the man who turned one rickety hamburger stand into a chain of 1,136 Bob's Big Boy restaurants across the country.
In order to make this hamburger you must have the following ingredients. You cannot allow yourself any creative license.
1. One sturdy, fresh, tender bun. It must have good, sound construction to keep the hamburger intact. See my recipe on page 144.
2. Lots of mayonnaise. (A dry hamburger is not acceptable.)
3. If onion is desired, it must be chopped and stirred into the mayonnaise so it doesn't slide around and become unevenly distributed.
4. Freshly ground beef. It must come from a cut that has enough fat (at least one third) to make a moist patty. Form the patty very gently so that the meat just holds together. (When ground meat is pressed firmly the hamburger becomes dry and rather tough.) The patty must be salted well before cooking.
5. Clean, crisp, fresh iceberg lettuce, thinly shredded so that it can be evenly distributed.
6. A liberal spread of relish. (Bob made his own.)
7. If you must have cheese on this hamburger, only mild Cheddar, please.
I guarantee that if you make this hamburger once, you will never fall back into making or eating those gourmet beef sandwiches called hamburgers.
Well, the problem here is that I don't much like mayonnaise, and I REALLY don't usually like it on my burgers. I like just plain mustard, with lots of toppings like tomatoes, bacon, mushrooms, etc. Or if there are no toppings other than cheese, then maybe some ketchup along with the mustard. Also I usually like my onions grilled, though if they're thin or chopped up, raw is fine. So we shall see! I actually just made fresh mayo the other day, so that should help -- homemade mayo is way better than other kinds.
Partly what brought this on is that I had a hankering for a cheeseburger yesterday, and went to Burgermaster for the first time. It's a local fast food place (drive-in style like Sonic), and this is the first time I've ever gone -- in the 10 years I've been here. It actually has decent reviews on Yelp, one person even saying that they prefer BM's burgers over In-N-Out! Which of course, meant that I absolutely HAD to try it, as I love In-N-Out burgers. It was good (not fantastic), but pricey. Nearly $10 for a cheeseburger (tomatoes cost extra!), fries, and a shake (which was so-so). However, that's because they use grass-fed, local, hormone-free beef, which is not too shabby for a fast-food place.
Anyway, it didn't actually satisfy my craving, so now I'm trying to see if a homemade version will. :D I'm trying to keep an open mind about her version of the perfect burger, but I don't know. What do you like on your hamburger?
jade_okelani would never touch this burger.) However, I will make at least 1 burger the way she prescribes, so that I can know for sure if it's something I won't like, rather than dismissing her version out of hand. It should also be noted that her recipe is really that of Bob Wian, the originator of Bob's Big Boy -- she says that's where her hamburger credentials come from. She wrote a whole little thingy about it.The Perfect Hamburger
My hamburger credentials come from the home of the one and only authentic hamburger, which was deveoped in Glendale, California, in August of 1936. The originator of this perfect hamburger is Bob Wian, the man who turned one rickety hamburger stand into a chain of 1,136 Bob's Big Boy restaurants across the country.
In order to make this hamburger you must have the following ingredients. You cannot allow yourself any creative license.
1. One sturdy, fresh, tender bun. It must have good, sound construction to keep the hamburger intact. See my recipe on page 144.
2. Lots of mayonnaise. (A dry hamburger is not acceptable.)
3. If onion is desired, it must be chopped and stirred into the mayonnaise so it doesn't slide around and become unevenly distributed.
4. Freshly ground beef. It must come from a cut that has enough fat (at least one third) to make a moist patty. Form the patty very gently so that the meat just holds together. (When ground meat is pressed firmly the hamburger becomes dry and rather tough.) The patty must be salted well before cooking.
5. Clean, crisp, fresh iceberg lettuce, thinly shredded so that it can be evenly distributed.
6. A liberal spread of relish. (Bob made his own.)
7. If you must have cheese on this hamburger, only mild Cheddar, please.
I guarantee that if you make this hamburger once, you will never fall back into making or eating those gourmet beef sandwiches called hamburgers.
Well, the problem here is that I don't much like mayonnaise, and I REALLY don't usually like it on my burgers. I like just plain mustard, with lots of toppings like tomatoes, bacon, mushrooms, etc. Or if there are no toppings other than cheese, then maybe some ketchup along with the mustard. Also I usually like my onions grilled, though if they're thin or chopped up, raw is fine. So we shall see! I actually just made fresh mayo the other day, so that should help -- homemade mayo is way better than other kinds.
Partly what brought this on is that I had a hankering for a cheeseburger yesterday, and went to Burgermaster for the first time. It's a local fast food place (drive-in style like Sonic), and this is the first time I've ever gone -- in the 10 years I've been here. It actually has decent reviews on Yelp, one person even saying that they prefer BM's burgers over In-N-Out! Which of course, meant that I absolutely HAD to try it, as I love In-N-Out burgers. It was good (not fantastic), but pricey. Nearly $10 for a cheeseburger (tomatoes cost extra!), fries, and a shake (which was so-so). However, that's because they use grass-fed, local, hormone-free beef, which is not too shabby for a fast-food place.
Anyway, it didn't actually satisfy my craving, so now I'm trying to see if a homemade version will. :D I'm trying to keep an open mind about her version of the perfect burger, but I don't know. What do you like on your hamburger?