Anyone who has tried to make a homemade burger has discovered a simple truth: Burgers taste better at a restaurant. No matter which recipe you use or how fresh your ingredients are; nothing compares to the flavour of the burgers served at your favourite family restaurant. But have you ever wondered why burgers taste better at a restaurant than they do at home? To answer that question, you have to start by defining a good burger.
What Makes a Perfect Burger?
The perfect burger is a marvel to behold. The same amount of thought and consideration that goes into creating architectural feats such as the Castle of Good Hope or the Michelangelo Hotel is given to preparing the perfect burger. The only difference is that you don’t need to study engineering or architecture to pull off the latter. The best burgers have the following in common:
- Fresh buns (no grocery store buns, please)
- Crunchy, fresh lettuce greener than grazing pastures
- 100% pure beef patty
- Real cheese (save the processed cheese for later)
How Do Restaurants Prepare Burgers?
That’s the million-rand question. If you’ve ever tried to make a burger at home, you know all too well that the results often skew towards misses rather than hits. Maybe it was perfectly cooked inside, but totally flavourless. Or perhaps the outside was charred to perfect, but the inside was overcooked. What gives? As it turns out, it’s all about the grill. Most burger restaurants use a flat-top griddle to prepare their burgers. These griddles are set at a consistent temperature that allows burgers to get a sear while cooking evenly on the inside, trapping the juices inside the patty. The patties are also usually pressed into the griddle right as soon as they’re placed on the grill. The final step involves scraping off the patty with a sharp spatula so that all of the crust comes with it.
How Do I Do This at Home?
You can’t. Unless you’ve invested in a heavy-duty, cast-iron pan and a hood for proper ventilation, you’re better off just ordering a burger at a Wimpy near you. The only question that remains is which burger to order. That totally depends on you, but you could try out the Wimpy Double Cheese BBQ Mayo. The strictest health protocols have been put in place to ensure the safety of those who would rather eat out than order takeaways. So, be rest assured: it’s safe to sit down at Wimpy. Ordering a burger instead of making one isn’t admitting defeat. It just shows that you’re more committed to having a tasty meal than proving a point. So, give your frying pan a break and enjoy a burger prepared by people who’ve made it their mission to serve the finest burgers this side of the hemisphere.
While you’re at it, order your favourite burger in your language. Wimpy’s menu comes in all 11 official languages, even more proof that they love it when you talk local.
