Burger Season Is Here

By: Heather Ramsdell
Classic Burger Recipe

Simply put, I love burgers. The promise of a grilled burger compels me to accept invitations to the cookouts of friends who live in distant, inconvenient locations. I check out the burgers on menus wherever I go.  My devotion springs mostly from an attraction to their basic deliciousness, but I also appreciate how much a burger says about the person who made it. They’re adaptable and agreeable, inviting anyone who wants to engage with them to dress them up. Burger season is a celebration of individual taste.

So, when the season approached, I invited food people Ian Knauer (recipe developer) and Sarah Copeland (photographer) to the kitchen. We set out to make ten great burgers. We were not searching for perfection, but instead were seeking the characteristics that make a burger something to love. We wanted to press the boundaries of what a good burger could be. In the process, we stumbled on a few tenets of burger deliciousness over and over. These helped us better understand the obsession in order to tailor it, expand it, refine it, or okay, sometimes to perfect it.

Here is what we kept talking about:
Juiciness

Burgers need to be juicy. If the patty itself is not juicy, it needs juicy friends such as pickles, slaw, or a nice amount of sauce.

San Gennaro Sausage-and-Peppers Burger
Architecture

A good burger should stay together when you bite into it. Drips are good, but severe condiment slides are bad. Ignore the structure and you risk impinging on enjoyment.

Texture

Have something juicy, something crisp, something moist, something soft, and maybe something gooey. The choice of bun provides a special opportunity to offset the peculiar tendencies of your specific burger. For example hearty Texas toast is a good counterpoint to a soft crab cake, and a hefty brisket burger and soft brioche bun make a nice team.

Secrets to Perfect Burgers

Heather Ramsdell is a Food Person at Cooking Channel.

Top Grilling Recipes from Cooking Channel:

Next Up

Happy Father's Day!

Get the best Father's Day recipes from Cooking Channel, including summer party appetizers, best burger recipes, 15 ways to grill steak, summer desserts and more.

Food Fight -- Magic Mike vs. Juicy Lucy

Magic Mike's Channing Tatum takes on Cooking Channel's Juicy Lucy Burger Recipe. Get the burger recipes and tips to handle the heat.

Here is a $400 White Castle Burger Just Because

Nick from Dude Foods spends a whole lot of money to make a fancy and strange White Castle slider.

Enter to Win the Bob's Burgers Burger Book

Enter to win one of five copies of the new Bob's Burgers Burger Book. Plus, watch the exclusive new music video.

On TV

So Much Pretty Food Here