Dear America: Please Stop Pressing Down Your Burgers
No outdoor party would be complete without throwing some burgers on the grill. Whether you like to keep it classic or experiment with fun variations like caprese style or bánh mì inspired, nobody can deny that it’s a summertime staple. There are, however, a lot of opportunities for error.
Toppings can make or break a burger, but the patty is arguably the most important part. The ratio of fat to meat, the seasoning, and level of browning on the outside all need to be done right. In pursuit of the ideal exterior, too many cooks make a grave technical error: pushing down their patties.
Grill dads everywhere argue that putting pressure on your burgers while they cook increases the surface area that makes contact with the grates. But the end result leaves a lot to be desired.
“Grilling isn’t about the contact, it’s about the smoke,” says Assistant Food Editor Taylor Ann Spencer. Because of the grill’s design, you’re never going to get an evenly browned exterior—so the matter of pressing down the patty is moot.
Even if you were to cook a burger on a surface more conducive to browning (like a cast iron), pushing it down with a spatula does more harm than good. Pressing the patties pushes out all of the natural juices collecting in the center of the burger. And no amount of secret sauce is enough to recoup the lost moisture.
“The beauty of beef is in the fat and the juices,” says Spencer. What’s the point in buying a burger if you’re going to remove its most desirable qualities?
Proponents of pressing down patties also claim that it cooks meat more evenly; this argument is flimsy at best. As burgers cook, the circumference shrinks and the meat puffs up in the center as a result of the steam and juices. You may think that pushing it down will redistribute the beef back to its original shape and allow it to cook more evenly—but all you’re doing is deflating it of all of its moisture.
The key to an evenly cooked burger is in the shaping. When forming your patties, press your thumb into the center of each patty to create an indentation. Starting with a depression in the center means that the cooked burgers end up even, without needing to press it down.
But if pressing down your patties is so bad, why do smash burgers exist?
“Smash burgers are their own thing,” says Spencer. “It’s all about the crispy, golden brown texture.”
A smash burger is optimized for a diner or fast food joint, where the main cooking surface is a flat top and where food should be served quickly. Smash burger patties are also a lot smaller than your average burger, so the vast majority of the meat ends up in contact with the surface. If you were to replicate the same technique with a standard ⅓-pound patty, you would end up with a thin browned crust atop a thick layer of dry, sad meat.
As tempted as you may be to press down on your burgers, it's important to wield your spatula with restraint. Your barbecue will thank you.
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