How to make burgers stick

Burgers are the quintessential comfort food, whether you want just a snack or a satisfying meal.

However, if you make burgers at home, you might spend all your time figuring out how to keep your burgers from falling apart. In our opinion, that is very frustrating.

But, now is the time to find the correct answer to this. There are many things you could be doing wrong that are causing your burgers to fall apart, but there are also easy tricks to avoid it.

So how do you make burgers stick? Burgers require proper cooking temperature, fresh ground meat, proper patty preparation technique, and some binding agents to keep them from falling apart. 

If you want to know more about how to make burgers stick together instead of giving up your awesome burger-making skills, keep reading!

Why do burgers fall apart?

Before we talk about how to solve the problem, we need to know why you have a problem with your burgers.

Burgers require the correct recipe, ingredients, binding agents, and temperature conditions to stay intact. So if your burgers are constantly falling apart, check out these reasons:

Poor quality minced meat

The ingredients you use in your dishes influence the overall result. Therefore, it is essential to use only high-quality minced meat even when preparing hamburgers. 

Lots of people use different cuts of beef in their burgers and that’s where they go wrong.

Beef contains fat and comes from different parts of the cow. Therefore, it has different cooking times and temperatures . This can result in dry patties that can burn and fall apart.

Aside from the minced meat issue, some people tend to add a lot of moisture to the minced meat in the form of marinades, sauces, etc. This makes the burger extremely wet and susceptible to falling apart. 

low cooking temperature

If you are a person who is very careful when cooking anything, this may be the culprit. Low cooking temperatures are adequate for some things, but burgers? They are a big NO!

When you cook burgers at low temperatures, you’re essentially taking the moisture out of them. So, since there is no proper moisture, the burgers fall apart. 

Additionally, proper cooking temperature is also necessary to develop the crust on your burgers and for the Maillard reaction. 

overwork the burgers

Like us, burgers also seem to break when pushed too hard. So despite what the recipes call for, make sure you don’t overwork your burgers. 

Overworking the patties can cause the juices to start to evaporate in the center. These juices will then produce steam and good; attempting to release the steam will cause the burgers to fall apart.

Improper burger temperature

Unlike ground chicken and ground pork, ground beef patties contain a lot of moisture that can cause them to fall apart.

To prevent them from falling apart, you must cool them properly before using them. This will help the ground meat hold together and preserve its juices.

Let’s now look at the various methods of making homemade burgers stick together.

How to make homemade burgers stick

It is very easy to make homemade burgers stick if you know the proper techniques for it. Therefore, we have compiled a list of the best solutions for the mentioned problems. Be sure to follow them for flawless burgers!

Choose the right type of minced meat

If you have realized that the problem with your hamburgers is minced meat, this is what you can do:

Instead of choosing just any ground meat for your burgers, opt for fresh ground beef or rib. Both can roast well without drying out or falling apart.

Also, look for 80% lean meat and 20% fat in the ground meat. If it’s too lean, it can be shredded and thrown away. If it’s too fat, it can become greasy and break.

Choose the right cooking temperature

As soon as you start cooking the burgers, you should opt for high temperatures. So, cook one side over high heat for about 3-4 minutes. Flip it over and repeat the same for the other side of the burger.

This solution will help you get that crispy outer crust and achieve flavorful meat without the burger falling apart.

Prepare the burgers well

As we’ve already said, don’t overwork the burgers. Instead, follow the steps below:

1. Grab about 4-6 ounces of meat in the palm of your hand. Then she gently forms a ball.
2. Press the ball lightly on the two opposite sides to get a disk shape.
3. Let the burgers rest for about 5-10 minutes. This will help make the patties firmer and reduce the risk of them falling apart. 
4. Freeze the burgers for about 20 minutes for the best results. 

Cool burgers before cooking

Yes, it’s almost impossible not to gobble up burgers right after you’ve made the burgers. But if you want the burgers to be crispy and filling, you have to have a little patience.

Before cooking the burgers, you have to freeze them for about 20 minutes. 

However, be sure not to freeze them to the point that they develop ice crystals.

This can cause the patties to fall apart and break. If they are frozen, let them thaw in the fridge for a while. This will keep them firm instead of soggy.

Use binding agents if necessary

If your patties keep falling apart, your best bet is to use binding agents.

Binders are one of the best solutions if you are making voluminous burgers with lots of vegetables and minced meat.

As the name suggests, binders hold ingredients together and prevent them from falling apart . They also help retain moisture.

The egg is one of the best binders for hamburgers and other meat products . You can add an egg to your ground beetroot and mix it with other ingredients.

However, make sure you don’t add too many eggs. This can make the mince mixture slightly runny and difficult to shape and cook.

How to make burgers stick without eggs

Many recipes use eggs as a binder, but if you’re a vegetarian or vegan, eggs are out of the question. However, there are other vegetarian and vegan options to bring your veggie burgers together.

flax seeds

If you want to substitute an egg, you can use about 1 tablespoon of flaxseed with about 3 tablespoons of hot water. Then, incorporate this mixture into the dough of your burgers to bind the ingredients.

Bread crumbs

Flaxseeds are not the most common ingredient in the kitchen, so you can also opt for breadcrumbs as a binder. All you have to do is break up a few pieces of bread and grind them in a food processor.

You can then add the prepared breadcrumbs to the burger mixture. Mix it all up to bind it. If you want crispier burgers, you can also add a handful of breadcrumbs with an egg.

Tips for making the perfect homemade burgers

If you want to make the best homemade burgers in town, keep these three extra tips in mind:

Use cold equipment and meat

Keep in mind that heat isn’t exactly good for burgers until they’re ready to cook.

This is because when minced meat is exposed to high temperatures, the fat inside can melt and soften . Then, it transfers to your hands and to the counter, which means that real burgers have less fat than necessary.

So, to prevent the fat from melting, you have to use cold equipment, such as cold grinding blades and even a griddle. Also, make sure that the meat you use is also slightly cooled.

Do not add salt from the beginning

You may want to season your burgers as soon as possible, but try to avoid doing it.

If you add salt to the ground meat early on, it will dissolve the proteins in the meat and draw out the moisture. This will make the texture of your burger more springy than tender and moist.

So what you have to do is add salt to your burgers just a few minutes before cooking.

use a thermometer

A thermometer might seem a bit unnecessary, but trust us, it’s a must-have in your kitchen collection. If you consider yourself a hobby cook, a thermometer can save you from many culinary mishaps.

For example, you can simply put a thermometer inside the burger and check the temperature . So you can get your burger just the way you like it, whether it’s medium rare (about 130°F) or medium good (150°F).

Final thoughts

No one can resist the goodness of perfectly cooked or grilled burgers. The mix of flavors, the mouth-watering aroma and the lovely texture are simply overwhelming.

So why let the burgers fall apart and ruin the whole experience? Instead, go for the solutions we have suggested and let them work like magic.