10 Burger Myths That Fool Almost Everyone

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Nothing says welcome to summer like throwing a savory burger on the grill. Whether you're forming patties from scratch or grabbing a burger at a restaurant, you've probably looked for the secrets to the perfect sandwich. But many of the top tips and tricks don't apply to all situations or styles. Even though some are considered tried-and-true wisdom, the reality is that not all techniques are applicable for every type of burger.

If you're making a tasty burger, you've likely heard one of these myths. But these actually aren't the hacks that you thought and you may be able to skip or avoid them completely. Some myths are true only in certain situations, while others have been disproved across the board.

At the end of the day, your work in the kitchen has to put your own preferences as a top priority, just like celebrity chefs do when they share their favorite way to enjoy a burger. Don't hesitate to try a new hack or kick common myths to the curb, all in the name of the tastiest dish possible. Of course, it often comes down to personal preference, so don't be afraid to experiment a little bit as well. You may find that by debunking one of these myths, you discover your next favorite cookout dinner.

Burgers are often referred to by their weight, especially when you're talking about large quarter-pound or half-pound patties. But don't go weighing your final dish and get disappointed. When you see a quarter pound (or other weight) burger on a restaurant menu or at the grocery store meat counter, it actually refers to the weight before it's cooked.

Don't worry; the difference in weight is pretty minimal in the end. As the burger cooks, the fat starts to melt and doesn't stick around. The drippings that you see in the grill pan or the skillet are actually deposits from the meat. Depending on the blend, quite a bit of fat can come off during the cooking process, so your actual patty will weigh less once it's done. If you get a meat blend with a higher fat percentage, you'll typically end up with less burger in the end.

This doesn't mean that your burger won't still be massive. But technically speaking, it's not a full quarter pound, half pound, or other advertised measurement when it comes out on your plate. Fortunately, the truth behind this myth isn't super noticeable when it's time to bite into your dinner. If you load up with unique condiments or fried toppings, chances are you won't even notice that your patty is an ounce or two lighter than it was when you put it on the grill.

Bigger isn't always better when it comes to burgers. A super thick patty can be tricky to cook to order, especially if you like it on the well-done side. By the time the inside isn't pink, the outside might be too overcooked and tough. Even if you like your meat rare, a thick burger might not be the best option since it can be difficult to judge how well it's done.

A thick burger can also be hard to eat and fall apart easily. Once you stack your favorite toppings on there, the burger will quickly outpace your ability to take a bite. Smaller burgers, especially sliders, may be easier to eat in certain situations. Rather than requiring two hands and a ton of napkins to enjoy, sliders can be eaten as an appetizer or as your main meal. These bite-sized burgers also give you the chance to try out different topping combinations and condiments.

There are benefits to a smaller burger beyond just convenience. Smash burgers are noticeably thinner than other types of patties but have a signature flavorful crust that makes these such a delight. You'll get a super meaty flavor that works well with a variety of toppings and styles. When you consider that your burger will cook down a little bit, especially if it's on the fatty side, you may want to up the size just a little bit to account for the fat melting away.

Most burger aficionados agree that simple salt and pepper is the best seasoning for a burger to bring out the meaty flavor. You can add extras for something different, but that doesn't mean that it will always be better. The simple two-ingredient magic with salt and pepper is Bobby Flay's secret to perfectly seasoned burgers. Even McDonald's uses these two ingredients to flavor its iconic burgers, although the key in this restaurant is the right ratio.

This doesn't mean that added seasonings don't work; they're not always necessary. If you want to create a specific flavor, such as a savory Cajun burger or a rich teriyaki burger, special spices do the trick. In this case, go wild and try out new and interesting combinations. But don't fall for the myth that things have to be complex to be tasty. You may be able to get just as good of an effect by using a marinade and seasoning with good old salt and pepper before grilling.

Like the ingredients used in your seasonings, there are a few different opinions when it comes to when to season beef as well. Some chefs recommend adding seasonings just before cooking since salt can cause the meat to get a little tough if it sits too long. Others opt to sprinkle these on a day in advance to let the flavors meld together. You can experiment with both to see which works best for your taste buds.

Back in the day, burger presses and burger molds helped create uniform, circular patties. The Weston press forms uniform patties that cook evenly, which is important if you're keeping track of a lot on the grill. But as smash burgers have begun to take over the culinary scene, people have embraced the irregular shape and form because it has so much flavor. So don't think that you need to form a perfectly circular patty to get something delicious.

Every chef has their own burger style, but not all of them are perfectly round. Plenty of burgers rely on the presence of cracks and crevices from imperfect patties to get the signature crust that makes them so tasty. A smash burger is formed with loosely packed balls that are smashed into the cooking surface rather than formed into flat shapes before hitting the griddle. To get the right effect, press the burger into the grill slightly to help it spread out as it cooks. The result is a thin burger with irregular edges, where extra charring occurs for top flavor.

You can always use the dimpling technique if you want your burger to keep from falling apart, regardless of the overall shape. This also helps the burger avoid puffing up as it cooks. Adding a little dimple in the center of the patty with your finger keeps the top of the burger flat, which also happens to make it the perfect base for your favorite toppings.

One of the first pieces of wisdom that you'll often get when it comes to making the perfect burger is to not press down on the patty as it grills or cooks in the pan. Pressing into the patty with the back of your spatula causes the juices to leak out, often resulting in a dryer piece of meat. So many people are told that not pressing down is the secret to a juicy, savory dish.

But this commonly-touted tip doesn't apply to every style of burger. While it's true that pressing down on the burger releases juices that are necessary for a moist patty, it's not the only way to ensure you get a flavorful burger. Yes, if you're making a standard burger, pressing it down can release the juices and dry it out. But smash burgers are an exception to this rule. Chefs use a press to actually smash the loosely formed ball onto the griddle, giving it a thinner profile overall.

It's also important to know that different types of burgers have different fat percentages. If you're using ground meat with a higher fat content, you have a little bit more room to play with before you have to worry about the burger drying out. If you're cooking with a plant-based burger or one stuffed with a lot of veggies, you might find that pressing down a little keeps the burger from being too juicy.

If you've made burgers on the grill, chances are you've watched them cook and wondered just when to flip them or take them off the heat. Even though conventional wisdom says to let them sit and that any movement will interfere with the process, this isn't always the best advice.

It is true that to develop a good crust, you want to let your burger sit in the pan or on the grill and avoid excessive flipping. But you can still flip a few times as needed to keep the burger from cooking unevenly. It's important to balance even cooking with avoiding flipping, veering away from the extreme no-flipping method, and messing with the burgers too much.

Letting the burger cook for a long time on one side will develop a nice crust, but not cook the meat all the way through. It also keeps the other side from getting the same tasty treatment. On the flip side, turning your burgers too often will prevent that charring from occurring, and the exterior will be bland.

Instead of following this myth completely, let yourself do a couple of flips to cook the meat just the way you want it. At a minimum, flip it once so that it gets a crust on the other side and has a chance to cook on the interior from both sides. You can flip it again a few times to make sure, especially for a well-done patty.

Traditional American-style burgers are made with ground beef, but you can also use ground turkey or chicken, ground bison, and even a veggie option. In other countries, burgers have chicken and teriyaki or potato and mint. Don't be afraid to embrace unexpected ingredients and combinations, especially when you're getting a bit tired of the same old style.

Don't hesitate to try a blend as well. You can mix in flavorful meats like bacon, although be sure to cut them small enough so that they can be incorporated evenly into the entire Pat. It's best to do this before you form the patties. Tyler Florence shares his secret to the absolute best burger, which is to bring in plenty of savory and salty flavor with bacon in the blend. This changes the texture of the patty as well, which Florence says is one of the top criteria for a dynamite burger.

You can mix in veggies as well, although a few should be cooked beforehand to avoid adding too much water into the mixture. Like with other types of cooking, you can ignore any myth that limits you to just a few ingredients without leaving room to try new things.

After you have your burger patty ready, you'll need to decide on toppings. Cheese is one of the go-to classics, but there are so many options to choose from that it can be hard to determine which is the best. High price doesn't always mean the best cheese for your burger. It's more about characteristics and flavor than whether it's gourmet or a classic kitchen staple.

The best cheese for a burger is one that melts well over the top of the patty without getting too gooey or messy to eat. So, rather than basing your selection on how fancy or expensive a cheese is, look for one with the right reliability.

Gordon Ramsay likes to go a step further and pre-melt the cheese in a pan before putting it over the burger. This helps it get a little bit of extra caramelization, plus ensures that it's just the right amount of gooey when it tops the patty.

A lot of gourmet cheese options have a really intense flavor, which can also make them too strong or intense. That doesn't always work on burgers because you want the meatiness to shine through. Plus, if you're cooking up burgers for a crowd, you want something that has more universal appeal. American and cheddar are two options that the majority of people enjoy, thanks to the taste that works well with savory burgers, plus their ability to melt evenly.

Hardy ground beef is what we think of most often when we're craving a burger, but that's just the start. Whether you are sticking with plant-based foods in your entire diet or just want to try something different for a single meal, meat-free options can be just as good as their beef, turkey, or pork counterparts.

If you haven't tried a savory portobello mushroom burger, you're missing out. Portobello mushrooms are similarly sized to standard burger patties and have a savory flavor that will work just as well with condiments and toppings. You may need to press down to get some of the extra moisture out of the mushrooms to keep them from getting the buns soggy.

You can also enjoy tasty vegetarian-friendly burger alternatives that have a similar flavor to meat. Look for imitation ground meat and form your own patties to customize both flavor and size. A lot of the preformed patties, which are often made of soy or pea protein, can hold up on their own, whether grilled or cooked in a pan. They also work with similar condiments, such as ketchup and mustard, pickles, or something more unusual. Serve them on a traditional bun, just like you would a meat burger. To make things even easier, prep mushroom burgers by scraping out the gills before cooking the "burger." You'll get the perfect shallow bowl to hold all of your fixins.

There are plenty of stories about where the hamburger originated (including a version in Ancient Rome that incorporated wine and portable meat patties eaten by Genghis Khan's troops), but it may not have been Hamburg, Germany as you might expect based on the name. While German cooking did have a burger-style dish, the modern hamburger traces its origins back to Hamburg, New York.

Hamburg steaks came from Germany and were primarily made with smoked meat with onions and breadcrumbs. But when German immigrants brought the dish over to the United States, they added buns to make them easier to handle and eat. Credit goes to Charles and Frank Menches, two brothers who served meat patties mixed with brown sugar and coffee at their fair stand in Hamburg, New York.

Other origin stories say that a Wisconsin fair is the birthplace of the modern burger. Another fairgoer smashed meatballs between two buns as a sandwich. Another version gives credit to a restaurant in New Haven, Connecticut. The 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri, debuted a hamburger-style sandwich that a restauranteur in Athens, Texas, invented. No matter which version can claim the true birthright of the burger, it's clear that the idea that there was just one place where the modern burger began is only a myth.