How to cook a burger without starting a fire?

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oreo_whore
oreo_whore Posts: 9 Member
in Recipes
So i've never cooked a proper hamburger before, only turkey burgers but i though i'd give it a try. I bought eight frozen patties and put one on the stove -- as per the directions on the back of the box. I let it cook for like nine minutes (as per the directions on the back of the box) while I went in the other room. When I came back it was sizzling pretty badly so I flipped it and stepped away (fortunately). A TWO FOOT TOWER OF FLAME like you would see in a movie encased my tiny frying pan. Fortunately, I knew not to throw water on it and turned off the heat and it subsided in a minute. The burger was delicious with a bit of char.

Now i'm afraid to cook the seven remaining burgers. What if it had burned while I was in the other room or, worse, while i was standing over it? What did I do wrong? My mother used to boil her burgers and they tasted like boiled meat but never burned. Is that the only safe way?

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  • Karen_DisneyFan
    Karen_DisneyFan Posts: 130 Member
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    Eeeek, I'm glad you weren't hurt and the only thing that ended up charred was your burger! It sounds like you had your fire too high - especially if you were using a small pan. Try using a larger pan that totally covers the burner or using lower heat the next time. Good luck!
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,424 Member
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    First safety tip- don't leave the room while you have something in a frying pan on the stove. Stand there while it is cooking and monitor it the whole time. If you really have to leave the room for a few minutes maybe reduce the heat and cover it with a lid and hurry back.
    I don't cook frozen patties so I am not sure about the timing for those. For an unfrozen patty, I would probably cook it 3-4 minutes per side. So maybe 6-8 minutes per side frozen. If the package said 9 minutes that would probably be okay.
    Was your stove heat set to high or medium high? You might want to reduce the heat if things are charring and bursting into flames.
    Did you add oil to the pan or was there a lot of fat coming out of the burger patty? If added oil, you might not want to do that. You might try a bigger pan. You might like to use a cast iron griddle.

    If you look on the internet there are instructions for frying a hamburger.

    Maybe you would like an indoor electric grill- a George Foreman grill for example- instead of cooking it on the stove.

    I would bake a burger in the oven before I would ever boil it.
  • mistikal13
    mistikal13 Posts: 1,457 Member
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    Wow, glad to hear that you're ok. If they are the frozen burgers, I know the directions on mine say to add them to a hot pan. I find that they burn on the outside and are raw on the inside when I do this. So I add them to a pan on a low-medium flame and cook them without any added oil for about 4 min per side. Have never had a problem with this method. Good luck!
  • gaelowyn_pt_duex
    gaelowyn_pt_duex Posts: 135 Member
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    I only do burgers out on the grill, where flames are expected! :) If I do them inside, I put em on the george foreman.
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
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    Did you use those Bubba Burgers? I recall those being extra greasy. Appropriate for the grill maybe. When I ate them I never attempted to pan fry them, the grease spatter cleanup would have been massive!



    Glad you didn't get hurt.

    Boiled burgers? blech!
  • oreo_whore
    oreo_whore Posts: 9 Member
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    Thanks for the advice, everyone!
  • camground2
    camground2 Posts: 41 Member
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    I often pop burgers in the oven. Works real well

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