The type of meat in the patty is important. Do not use extra-lean meat. Instead look for meat that is 80 percent meat and 20 percent fat. The ideal size for a burger patty is 6 ounces.
When forming the patty, make an indent with your thumb in the middle.

This will ensure that the meat plumps nicely. Flatten the patty before placing on the grill. Never press down on the patty or flatten it while cooking. This will release the precious juices that are essential to a burger’s flavor.

The best burgers are all beef. I tend to avoid adding anthing to the meat such as vegetables or any other ingredients. Use the toppings and condiments to make the burger more exciting.
Only flip the burgers one time. To form a good crust, set the patty on the grill and leave it alone for several minutes. Over high heat, a burger usually cooks in about four minutes per side.

Properly melt the cheese. There is nothing worse than a burger with half melted cheese. Trap the heat by closing the grill over the patties. If cooking indoors, place a metal bowl over the burgers to melt the cheese.

Don’t overlook the rolls. Ideally, the rolls should be fresh with a light toast.

Be aware of the four main factors — thickness of the patty, the fat content of the meat, the heat of the grill, and the condiments — that affect the burger. Take care when controlling these factors and you’ll end up with sheer burger bliss.

How to Shock Vegetables

Shocking, or refreshing, refers to the technique of plunging just blanched vegetables into ice water to halt the cooking. (They’ll keep cooking if you simply take them off the heat.) It locks in flavor, texture, and color, and you don’t have to worry about undercooking or overcooking. It’s especially helpful when you’re entertaining — you can do the work hours in advance and reheat just before serving.

Step 1: Prepare an ice bath. Fill a mixing bowl halfway with ice and enough water to cover it. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of salt for each quart of water (so you won’t wash away the salt absorbed during blanching).

Step 2: Blanch. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook your vegetables to the desired tenderness.

Step 3: Shock. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables from the pot to the ice bath. Remove when they’re cold, in about 1 minute.

This is a very simple technique that will allow your vegetables to be much crisper and flavorful not too mention not lose as many nutrients. Next time your cooking vegetables try this method either in advance if your short on time or preparing a large meal for a group.

If you’re like me, you are probably intimidated by a big chunk of beef. Did you purchase the right cut? How should you cook it? What happens inside the piece of meat while it cooks? And how can you best bring out the flavor and juiciness?

Most people serve large cuts of beef only on special occasions. A standing rib roast, a beef tenderloin, or pot roast is expensive and merits a formal occasion like a holiday or birthday.

Your beef entree will be a huge success once you understand a bit about meat structure and how it cooks.

Two Methods of Cooking

There are two methods for cooking meat: dry heat and wet heat. Dry heat methods including grilling, broiling, sauteing, roasting, stir frying, and deep frying. Wet heat includes braising, pot roasting, stewing, steaming, poaching, and slow cooking. Most of us cook beef by the dry heat methods, along with pot roasting, stewing, and slow cooking.  To save money on meat try the inexpensive cuts and use the wet heat method.  This approach is a sure shot to tenderness and allows you to play with the flavors each time you cook.  Don’t be shy to add flavor - vinegars and acidic fruit will help break down the meat the most effective and you can even leave it in the fridge marinating for 24-48 hours.  Stay tuned for some low and slow recipes.

The Best Cuts

For grilling, broiling, and pan frying, the best cuts of meat are rib eye steaks, strip or shell steaks, and T bone, which contains both the strip and tenderloin steaks. Sirloin and round steaks are generally going to be tough and dry. Flank steaks are good when quickly cooked and sliced across the grain.

For roasting, top sirloin, tenderloin, standing rib roasts, and top rump roast are good candidates.

For stir frying, flank, top round, and sirloin steak are good. These cuts are best cooked quickly, and since elastin is broken because the meat is cubed, they are more tender.

For kebabs, tenderloin is the best bet. This mild cut absorbs flavors easily and it is very tender.

For pot roasting and braising, chuck and rump are the best cuts. These cuts have more collagen and need long, slow cooking in a wet environment to reach their optimum tenderness. Chuck has the most flavor and is the most tender.

For ground beef, chuck is the way to go. It has optimal amounts of fat and is tenderized mechanically by the grinding action. Most lean ground beef is chuck, but if you’re not sure, just ask!