Joy in Failure

So it all started with a barbecue...

No, seriously. My friends and I went went out and bought lots of chicken, ground beef, hot dogs and steaks. While they went off to go grill the chicken, I stayed behind and got to work on the burger patties and hot dogs. The hot dogs were a breeze to cook and they cooperated with me. The burger patties on the other hand, weren't so nice.

To some, making patties are a trivial matter, but for me at least, it was kinda a big deal. In my house, my mother attempted (on multiple occasions) to make burger patties. They tasted fine and great, but they weren't stable. In other words, the patties would crumble. But hey, at least they were tasty. To be honest, I think she may have been cursed or something.

Anyways, I was determined to get it right. After watching a two minute clip of Gordon Ramsey preparing a patty, I got to work and mixed in my ingredients. Consistency was tricky because Ramsey in the video did not give measurements, so I had to wing it. I turned on the stove, poured olive oil on the pan, let it heat up and gently placed the first patty. After the first flip, it splits in half.

Damn it.

My friends do a taste test. Flavor wise it is fine, but the burger is broken. Back to the stove. This time I increase the heat because I thought that fell apart due to it not being cooked well enough. Turns out that wasn't the case, as it once again it split into two.

Okay, so it isn't the stove. Maybe there is too much seasoning in the burger mix, so to fix that,  I added more ground beef to my original batch. As I formed the patty, it did feel firmer. Perhaps, I'll get it right this time. And for good measure, I'll give it more time to cook on the pan. For the third time, I place the patty, let it sit longer than usual and give it the first flip.

It didn't crumble!

I cooked the other side and placed it on a plate for a taste test. While the burger was physically intact, it was burnt on both sides and pink in the center. Also, it was flavorless.

Okay, these were easy fixes. Turn the heat down and add a little more seasoning. Patty #4 was going to be victorious. And it was!

It wasn't the perfect burger, but I was ecstatic that I kept it together (literally). I wasn't necessarily upset because I've dealt with worse, but it was annoying to see my carefully crafted patties collapse in a matter of minutes. I could sill think of ways to improve them, but it's a start. Plus, I can teach my mom how to get it right.