I have a confession to make. I don’t cook hamburgers. I just don’t. I don’t know why this is, but never once at home have I ever wanted to make a beefy, juicy burger. I only ever order them at bars. I do however make the occasional turkey burger. The other night my friend Kate and I made really great burgers for my mom and I thought I would share what we did.
First, a note on turkey burgers. Like all poultry these have to be cooked 100%. That means absolutely NO pink in the middle of the burgers. For this I recommend thinner patties, but also putting a lid on the pan they’re cooking in to help accelerate the cooking process. Also you should cut into them to check doneness when they are almost complete. No one wants to get sick from an undercooked burger.
Also because poultry comes with all kinds of nasty germs I’ve intentionally ordered the steps so you touch everything in your kitchen but the meat first. It’s important to be safe around poultry. So if you are touching other items in your kitchen while working with the uncooked meat make sure to wash your hands. Spreading germs around is bad news all around.
Turkey Burgers – 2 Knives
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground turkey
- ½ cup Italian bread crumbs
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar
- 1 egg white
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3-4 tablespoons of canola or vegetable oil
Optional toppings:
- Cheese
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Sautéed onions
- Sautéed mushrooms
- Condiments like ketchup and any kind of mustard
Prep:
- Remove the peel from the garlic and chop into a fine mince, or use a garlic press to mince the garlic. Place in the bowl you plan to mix the burgers in.
- In a small bowl separate the egg white from the rest of the egg and discard the yolk and shell. Add the egg white to the bowl with the garlic.
- If you are not using pre-shredded cheddar, shred the cheese and place in the bowl with the garlic and eggs.
Cook:
- In the bowl with the garlic and egg white add the bread crumbs, cheddar (if not already added), salt and pepper.
- Add to the bowl the turkey meat. Mix well until all of the ingredients are well incorporated. This may mean using your hands.
- Place a large pan (that has a well fitting lid) on medium heat and add the oil to warm it up.
- Form the meat into four even patties and add them to the hot pan.
- Allow to cook for about 5 minutes with the lid on, checking on them part way to make sure they aren’t sticking to the pan. If they are sticking carefully loosen the bottoms with a spatula.
- Flip the burgers to allow them to brown on the other side and cook for another five minutes with the lid on until the burgers are cooked all the way through. If you are unsure if they are done cut into one to make sure the center is not pink.
- Once the burgers are finished place on a bun, top as you like and enjoy!
This is a really good recipe. My turkey burgers tend to be bland.