How can I avoid my patties bulging in the middle?
When cooking beef or turkey patties on the skillet, I often end up with them bulging in the middle. See photo below. One patty is bulging like crazy, the other is more normal.
This bulging results in the middle not making contact with the pan, and thus cooking less. Then when I go to flip the patties, the bulge makes the patties tip to one side, making the cooking even more uneven.
Sometimes I cook patties straight out of the freezer, sometimes the fridge. I think the frozen ones bulge more, but not exclusively.
What's the best way to handle this? Should I try cooking with a lower/higher temperature? Or do I need to buy a weight for the patties?
Best Answer
When you create the patty, make a slight indentation in the middle. That way, the "bulge" will result in a flat patty. If you purchase patties from the store, and cook from frozen, the only solution will be a weight or heavy pan on top as they cook.
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Quick Answer about "How can I avoid my patties bulging in the middle?"
Cook it slow, on a low temperature. If you're cooking burgers on the grill, don't close the lid. This could cause the temperature of the burgers to get too high, too quick. Form the patties wider than you'd like them to be, and create a small dimple in the center by pressing down with your fingers.How do you keep burgers from rising in the middle?
Flip the patties over and season them with salt and pepper. Try using about 1 teaspoon (5.90 g) of salt and 1 teaspoon (2.33 g) of black pepper for each one again. You can then top each one with a slice of cheese if you're making cheeseburgers.Why do burgers bulge in the middle?
The basic theory is that as meat cooks, the proteins contract so that the whole patty shrinks and puffs up in the middle. Making a kind of indentation or dimple in the middle counteracts that effect so you end up with a nice, even patty.How do I keep my burgers from expanding?
Shape the ground burger into a patty slightly larger than the bun and no more than 3/4 inch thick. Use your fingers to press in on the sides so that the patty is an even height from the center to the edges. Then, use your thumb or knuckles to make a deep indentation in the center of the patty.How do you make a burger patty flat?
Solution: "Flatten the patties by pressing them \ufb02at using a burger press. If you don't have a burger press, then try pressing together two plates or two cutting boards to get that \ufb02at burger form.The Biggest Mistakes Everyone Makes When Cooking Burgers
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