Most of you probably have tried these once or maybe twice and quickly decided that they were too bland and dry to be part of your mealtime repertoire. Why turkey burgers then? Well, they are really good for you and if you prepare them right they are really tasty. In fact, by following a few of my simple prep steps they may become one of your favorites.
TECHNIQUE:
First off, I get better results by loosely forming my own burgers from ground turkey. You can find it fat free or almost fat free. The latter is a bit juicier and tastier. Cut off at least a ¼ lb of ground turkey and gently and loosely form the meat into a round shape. The pictures give you a good idea of how loosely I form the burger. Liberally pepper the burger and lightly salt.
Olive oil is a heart -healthy oil that enhances the flavor. Heat a pan on medium heat and add a tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add a teaspoon of minced garlic and fry until lightly browned to infuse the oil. Remove the garlic from the pan and save.
Add the burger to the pan. Flip it over into the pan so you can pepper and salt the other side of the burger. Fry for a couple of minutes until it is nicely browned then flip over. Continue frying until the temperature reaches your preference.
Pan frying will cause oil spatter. A spatter screen is important. I use my spatter screen to steam the rolls. Because of its design the silicon screen I use also helps to keep the heat in the pan and get food to temperature while releasing steam to prevent your food from steam cooking.
I don’t want to be responsible for getting anyone sick so you can decide how hot you want your meat. Most people will tell you 160 degrees. I personally cook a little below the recommended temperature as indicated by my picture to keep it from drying out and losing all flavor. Make sure you thermometer is properly calibrated at all times.
Remove the burger from the pan when it is done. At this point you can just top your burger with the reserved roasted garlic and eat up but I like roasted red peppers. I return the garlic and a few roasted red peppers to the pan and stir fry until warmed. Top your burger and enjoy.
My stock method for turkey burgers involved oil, garlic, salt and pepper. It is great every time. Whenever you have a few extra minutes it make sense to have fun and experiment. This burger is a guacamole turkey burger. I mix jalapeno and roasted red peppers and onion powder into the ground turkey. I season and pan fry using my stock method and ingredients then top it all with fresh slices of avocado. Avocado is a good substitute for mayo.
I have shown you a few basic recipes that you can try but the point of this really isn’t to stick to my recipe. The point is to encourage you to eat delicious foods that are healthier and to experiment. Ground turkey is healthy, very versatile and pairs well with all kinds of healthy extras. Try mixing in finely chopped and sautéed mushrooms and/or chopped onions into the ground turkey. Another favorite is panko bread crumbs soaked in milk and barbecue sauce then mixed into the ground turkey. Mix a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and a teaspoon of Frank’s Hot Sauce with ground turkey. A teaspoon of miso added to ground turkey is a great flavor changer. Mix and match all of these ingredients from all of these recipes together! Just make sure you can still form a burger and have fun.
TIP:
Reading on line food recipes that someone else has tried and writes about makes it easy to for the kitchen noob to jump in. There is still a lot of stuff that can go wrong that will frustrate you so I try to include tips that relate to what I cooked today. Today is oil and smoke point. I will say that you have to develop a time and technique for knowing when your pan is hot enough and not too hot to add oil. Many a stainless frying pan has been darkened and flavor of food ruined and by letting the oil heat to the smoke point. A quick way to check pan temperature is to sprinkle water droplets on a hot pan. If the water dances and boils off quickly it is just about right. If it explodes and instantly vaporizes it is way too hot. I encourage you to search on line for smoke points and recommendations for cooking with oil. I use smart balance or an extra light extra virgin olive oil.
