scubadoo97

While reading the article, Hamburger Rules by Coleman Andrews, Saveur article I certainly thought of the number of hamburgers that were cooked on Labor Day and any given day here in the US. With the vast array of possible methods of preparing and topping a hamburger I want to find out what's your favorite way to make a burger. In preparing my burgers I always grind my meat at home using beef chuck roast primarily. Sometimes I like a combination of chuck/brisket. This gives me a 80/20 to 70/30 ratio of lean to fat which is essential to a good burger in my book. I like to use around 1/3 lb of meat per burger so these aren't little by any means. I usually cook them on the outside grill but cooked inside in a cast iron skillet or grill pan works very well for me. I prefer mine pink in the middle. I have become fond of doing stuffed burgers recently. Stuffing with a blue type cheese, goat or fontina is decadent. I have yet to try a foie gras stuffed burger since there is little chance of finding foie locally. I like mine topped with the usual catsup, mustard, tomato and pickle but at times like some spice like chipotle in adobo or other peppers to give it some real kick but not so much that it takes away the flavor of the burger itself. I usually surround my burger in a large soft bun that has been toasted lightly. To me the best is having juice squirt out of the burger on first bite. This doesn't happen with 90/10 lean meat. So how do you do yours?

Living in the central west coast of Florida you would think that fresh fish would be abundant but a lot of it goes up your way. We don't have large fish markets with incredibly fresh fish. Most of our fish houses, where fisherman can unload their catch, are leaving the area since the land is much more valuable for condos. We do have access to fresh fish but you have to search it out or catch it yourself.

Joesan, I hope I didn't make you feel that your post was in any way inappropriate. I am waiting with excitement on your results and didn't want the topic to get lost in the many pages of this thread. Nathan, thanks for letting us know there were previous threads on the topic. Here's one I found. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=81201&hl=

I'm following this thread with interest. I have yet to try sous vide because of the difficulty in maintaining a low temperature for such a long time. It would be great if sous vide equipment was it's own thread. In reviewing the types of commercial equipment I find that they are very similar to a lens tinting tank I have at my office. Still too expensive and large for home use. From what I know about PID it would work well in this application. Joesan, I look forward to seeing pictures of how you set this up. Jmolinari, I think the crock pot idea is great, the only problem being the limitation of vessel size, although you could probably do most things in the cock pot.

We had, BBQ chicken with home made BBQ sauce, pureed cauliflower, corn on the cob and salad. Too busy at the grill to get any pictures. Shabbat Shalom

On a trip to Belgium in '72 I had mayo on fries and have loved it ever since. I don't eat a lot of fries but most often it is nada or catsup with some hot sauce. Chipotle mixed with catsup or mayo is wonderful.

What a great statement. I too am very impressed. Wonderful job Steve!

I always beat the eggs in a bowl, season and then into a pan with melted butter or somtimes olive oil. I have learned to cook them slowly on low heat for best results. The curds are soft somewhat wet and fluffy. My daughter hates them that way and likes them cooked at a higher temp resulting in a more firm dry texture.

Can you generalize about the types of foods you think are undersalted? Robyn ← Grains, vegetables, meats, soups, stews... On steamed vegetable I use little salt and I'll take fresh corn unadulterated but building flavors in many dishes, salt is essential. I have no doubt some restaurants use more salt than necessary or healthy. I don't eat out often so have not become immune to the salt level of restaurant food. I can't say I've had noticeably salty food except in some chain like for example Applebee's boneless Buffalo wings. My daughter loves these and I find them similar to licking a salt block.

One of my employees who was born in Thailand brought me a bag of lychees that her dad grew in his backyard here in Florida. They were very good.

Our local grocery chain had 8/$1.00 this week so I picked up 16 ears yesterday. I always try to first look at the overall condition and see if the silk is turning black but I also pick ears that are heavy and full. The heavy ones are usually full of plump kernels. I do the pull back but I will try the technique mentioned above.

I feel your pain. We left for a one week Colorado trip after totally cleaning out the kitchen and they were to start the day after we got back. They started 2 weeks after we got back since they started a new job while we were gone. Even though we had appliances, all kitchen supplies and pantry items were packed away. The cupboard's were bare Ain't that the truth!

Compartive anatomy lesson 101 The hard center is the lens, the hard outer coating is the sclera or tough white of the eye and the gooey would be the congealed or cooked vitreous of the eye. Kind of like eating a lychee nut I guess.

I understand where you are coming from but BSCB do not have to be dry and tasteless. One very simple method of preperation which results in a juicy, tender and somewhat flavorful result is to just salt and pepper and brown quickly in a cast iron skillet with olive oil, then pan roast in a hot oven to finish 5-10 min. Do not over cook! I let them rest and slice.

Kent, how do you prepare them?

While restauarants may be guilty of over salting the home cook is often guilty of under salting. I have eaten at many peoples homes and they are afraid to use salt.

No question there. Great job, I love the overall look and the details.

I had no idea what a Pocky was but here is a link that can help http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocky

Most of my meals might be described as dash and dine. When I come home from work there isn't always much time to prepare dinner. One meal that comes to mind as being very fast is grilled flank steak with garlic mashed potatoes and salad. Grilled fish, boneless ckn breast can also be done in a flash. Really there are too many to list For those needing inspiration http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_tm

Tile needs no sealing. It is advisable to seal the grout and if that is done correctly and that is the key word it should last 8-10 yrs before needing to be redone. You can also have tile cut with very sharp straight edges so it needs little grout. It really looks good this way. You avoid the running grout lines that may be visually unappealing

I agree with Dave that tile is one of the best options in the kitchen IMO. We loved the look of hardwood, bamboo and even considered laminate flooring in the kitchen but a kitchen is a wet area. You really need a flooring that can handle getting wet without worry. We opted for tile because of all the benefits Dave mentioned. We used a large porcelain tile. Linoleum, not vinyl, is another option that is long lasting and can take the wear.

Great blog! What a wonderful trip and I love all the pictures. An eGullet romance and iron chef competiton to boot. Looks like a lot of fun. Can't wait to see and hear more.

Weekends, gotta love them. Breakfast today is Scrambled eggs, whole wheat pita with munster cheese, olives and French feta.

One of my grandfathers use to make arak at his home in Tampa from grapes. I think they call that moon-shinning.

Kathy, those look wonderful.