The Humble Burger - Do's and Dont's

Whenever there's a barbecue, I'll be there with my burgers. As much as I love to cook pretty much anything I think my burgers give me, and hopefully my friends, the most satisfaction. The beauty of a burger is you can make them exactly as you want. Making them from scratch means you can add any flavours you want in there or even make them with a different meat rather than the standard beef. I like to keep things simple though. More often than not my home-made burgers are beef mince, salt, pepper, mixed herbs and an egg for binding the ingredients together. Just get your hands in there and mix it all together and that's it. Sometimes I will add mustard and ketchup for an added flavour to my standard burger and, for example, I have also made spicy burgers with chopped chillies, cayenne pepper and chorizo added to the mixture. Simpler the better when it comes to burgers, that's the key.

Burgers, like most meat, taste better when barbecued over coals but when the weather has been like it has recently and that isn't possible, pan frying them is a more than adequate alternative. Depending on the meat you've used you shouldn't need much, if any, oil as the meat should have enough fat in there. Burgers need fat, fat equals flavour, just treat yourself. Also, depending on the size of your burgers they shouldn't take long to cook either, four minutes either side is usually more than enough and if you've made them yourself you can afford to have them medium-rare, with a lovely bit of pink the middle. I like to seal both sides of the burger on a high heat then turn the heat down slightly and keep flipping them until cooked. Don't overcook though, a dry burger is a very disappointing moment that you never quite get over. As I said before, I like to keep it simple and that includes my burger toppings. A slice of mature cheddar cheese melted on top compliments the meat perfectly. If you can, steam the cheese on top of the burger. It's actually easier to do this on a hob, just cover your frying pan with a lid if it has one, if not use a plate or something similar, as long as the burgers are covered and the steam can't escape. Just leave it for thirty seconds to a minute and the cheese will be melted perfectly. Serve your burger between a toasted bun and eat immediately. Heaven.

A couple of home-made burgers do's and dont's:

DO'S

• Keep it simple - the flavour of the meat should be enough.
• Season well - make sure there's enough salt and pepper in your mixture. For a standard 500 gram pack of beef mince I'd say a teaspoon of salt is ideal to bring out the meat flavours.
• Steam the cheese - this really makes a difference.
• Concentrate on the cooking process - keep your eye on your burgers in your pan. You don't want to burn them.

DONT'S

• Go for extra lean meat - burgers need fat. Lean mince is the minimum fat content you should go for.
• Press down on the burgers as they cook - this just releases flavour and dries the burgers out.
• Use breadcrumbs to bind your mixture - I want as much meat as possible in my burger. Use an egg instead.
• Overcook - just thirty seconds overcooking can ruin a burger.

Like I said, you can have your burgers however you like but if you follow these rules and you can't go wrong. Enjoy!

Ben