The Unique Ingredient Anne Burrell Adds To Her Turkey Burgers

When it comes to cooking the perfect burger, it's all about the patty. Yes, the toppings matter, as does a fresh bun, but having the right flavor and texture in the meat itself will carry the whole meal. Celebrity chef Anne Burrell, known for her appearances on Food Network, has a secret for getting just the right crunch in her turkey burger: water chestnuts.

Turkey burgers are delicate. Turkey is a lean poultry, meaning it doesn't have the same juicy, rich flavor and feel that a fatty beef burger has. As a result, it's important to cook them well and get creative with the add-ons to help build as palatable of a sandwich as possible. Burrell's turkey burgers are not like the average burger. She calls them her "killer turkey burgers" likely because she uses vibrant ingredients like ginger and cilantro, which impart flavor that most turkey burgers don't have. The best part about Burrell's burger is that it was an accidental creation.

Water chestnuts are not to be confused with regular chestnuts. They're not actually nuts — they're an aquatic vegetable native to a number of places globally, including Southeast Asia, Australia, and parts of Africa. Water chestnuts are usually sold peeled and packaged in a can, but they can also come whole or sliced.

Burrell said she had the idea to include water chestnuts in her turkey burger when she was visiting her sister, who wanted turkey burgers for dinner; Burrell had little to work with. "She had a can of water chestnuts hanging out in there, so I decided to put a crunchy little twist on dinner," Burrell told Fox News Digital. "I added some soy, sautéed onion, ginger, garlic and cilantro to the mix — and voilà! The killer turkey burger was born."

The additional ingredients help to bring more flavor to this otherwise mild meat. When cooking turkey burgers, keep an eye on them to ensure they don't overcook. Take them off the heat as soon as they reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit; otherwise, they risk getting too dry.