Reasons Why Your Burgers Fall Apart and How to Fix Them
Burgers are one of the easiest and most popular meals you can make at home. The combination of juicy meat, fresh vegetables, and soft buns is almost impossible to resist.
The trouble is that as soon as you add any kind of condiments or toppings to your burger patty, things start to fall apart.
We’re talking about soggy buns, loose lettuce leaves, and a falling-apart burger patty. If you’ve ever made burgers at home, you might have struggled with the same issues.
Luckily for you, we have some tips on why your burgers fall apart and how to fix them so that your next batch comes out perfectly every time.
Don’t press your burgers when cooking.
There are few things more annoying than having your burgers turn out flat and dried out. Unfortunately, this is a very common issue among home cooks who are making burgers for the first time. The reason for this is that when you press a burger patty with a spatula, you are forcing out all of the fat and juices.
This results in a dry, tasteless patty that will fall apart in your hands. Rather than pressing the patty down with a spatula, simply use your hands to gently shape it into a patty. You will still be able to form it into a nice round shape, but you won’t be pressing out all of the fat and juices.
Use a non-stick skillet to cook your burgers.
If you’ve ever tried to cook burgers in a skillet before, you might have noticed that they tend to stick to the bottom of the pan.
This is incredibly frustrating, especially when you’ve got a hungry family waiting on their dinner. The best way to prevent this is to use a non-stick skillet.
Most people use regular old cast iron or stainless steel skillets to cook their burgers, but this can be incredibly problematic.
Burgers have a tendency to stick to the bottom of the pan and these types of skillets will make it almost impossible to get them off again.
A non-stick skillet, on the other hand, will ensure that your burgers slide right off and onto your bun as soon as they’re ready.
Use a hamburger press.
If you’ve ever made burgers with traditional ground beef, you will have noticed that the patties naturally fall apart when you try to flip them over. If you’ve ever wondered how restaurants manage to get their burgers to stay together, the answer is simple.
Hamburger presses are the secret to keeping your burgers intact so that they don’t end up as a giant mess on your pan. Hamburger presses are incredibly easy to use and will keep your burgers together while they cook.
They’re made of two halves that fit together like a sandwich press. Simply place your burger patty at the bottom, place the top on, and lightly press down. When you remove it, your patty will be perfectly round and tightly packed together. No more soggy buns!
Add an egg to your burger patty mixture.
If you’ve ever noticed that your burgers have a tendency to fall apart, it’s probably because they are too loose. This happens when there isn’t enough fat in the meat to help keep the patty together. If you’ve made burgers with ground beef, you might have noticed that they fall apart very easily or don’t stay together in the pan.
The reason for this is that ground beef is mostly made up of protein. Protein is very water-soluble and will result in burgers that are too loose and fall apart easily.
The best way to combat this is by adding an egg to your patty mixture. The protein in the egg is far less water-soluble than the protein in the burger, which means it will help to hold everything together and prevent your burgers from falling apart.
Conclusion
Keeping your burgers intact is all about getting your ratios right and selecting the right ingredients. If your burgers are falling apart, it’s probably because they’re too loose.
To combat this, try adding an egg to your patty mixture. Another option is to use ground turkey breast instead of ground beef.
Ground turkey breast is made up of mostly protein, which is great for holding burgers together. You can also try adding a little bit of breadcrumbs to your patty mixture.
The starch in the breadcrumbs will help to tighten things up. And lastly, you can try mixing a little bit of vegetable oil into your patty mixture. The fat in the vegetable oil will help to keep the burgers together while they’re cooking.