In article <[email hidden]>,
M. FERRANTE said:I was watching the Epicurious cooking show on The Travel Channel and
the chef said that he never commits the ultimate sin of pressing down
on a hamburger (to rid it of grease) while it is cooking. Do you
press or no?If a person chooses not to press down, then how does one tell if the
hamburger is done?
I press, but only slightly. Pressing the burger too much compresses the
meat which causes the resulting burger to be dryer and have a heavier
consistency. Not pressing at all results in a messy burger where bits of
the meat come off during the cooking process.
I am not quite sure I understand your question. I guess I use my
experience to determine when a burger is done, regardless of how its
formed. I usually cook about 1" thick hamburgers for five minutes per
side, poke the center with a knife and keep cooking if the liquid that
runs out is not clear.