A failed patty is grey, dry and domed. A good one has a real brown crust and stays juicy. Three rules make all the difference.
If you shape your own patties
- Don't overwork the meat. Shape the patty without kneading it: packed too tight, it turns dense and rubbery.
- About 2 cm thick, a little wider than the bun if it's for a burger: it shrinks as it cooks.
- Press a slight dip into the centre with your thumb. The patty puffs up as it cooks; the dip helps it stay flat.
- Salt just before it goes in, on the surface only. Salted long in advance and mixed through, the meat turns firm like a sausage.
The cook
- Empty pan, high heat, until the water drop test says ready. Then a little neutral oil.
- Lay the patty down and leave it: 3 minutes. The crust forms, then the meat releases by itself.
- Flip once only. 3 minutes on the other side for a 2 cm patty.
- Rest 2 minutes before serving.
With a thermometer: 71 °C in the centre for minced meat. That's the safety temperature for mince, because the surface, with its bacteria, is mixed all through the patty. Check this against your own country's official guidance.
The golden rule: never press it down
Pressing the patty with the spatula pushes the juice out into the pan. It sizzles loudly, feels like you're doing something right, and it's exactly what dries it out. Leave it alone.
For a burger
Lay the cheese on for the last minute and cover the pan for 30 seconds: the steam melts it. Toast the bun cut side down in the leftover fat, 30 seconds.
For the topping, caramelised onions made ahead change everything — caramelised onions in a pan.
And the bottom of the pan
What's stuck to the bottom makes a sauce in three minutes: a shallot, a splash of wine or stock, cold butter — peppercorn sauce works very well with a thick patty. All ten pan sauces are in the 10 pan sauces in 3 minutes booklet.
The three mistakes
A pan that isn't hot enough. The meat releases its water and boils instead of browning.
Pressing it with the spatula. The juice ends up in the pan, not in your mouth.
Flipping it over and over. Once is enough: every flip breaks the crust.
High heat is the key, and it's what a non-stick handles badly. The pan we film with is 304 stainless with no coating, with the 25-recipe book free.
