That is literally perfect, why is it labelled batch #1 as if there needs any improvement/change?!?

not really prepared as sashimi, but man, one of my favorite things are spotted prawns caught fresh and eaten within minutes, its like butter

Culverin, quick question. Making burgers from scratch. When I threw the patties on the pan tons of moisture just spilled out. So I couldn't get that great crust instead pretty much like steaming them. Any tips?

Was your pan raging hot? It needs to be.

Those were my guesses as well. Heat or Did not pack tightly enough.

Heat too low. you don't want to over work or over pack your burgs

It's all about time. If the heat is low the moisture melts out before the crust forms then it just steams.
High heat, short cooking time, long rest is a pretty good formula for any meat that doesn't require long cooking times to break down connective tissue. Grinding has already done that job.

I think these guys pretty much covered it.
Personally, I'm trying to approach everything from a food science point of view.
Perhaps that perspective will help you too.

In theory, a crust shouldn't be too difficult to achieve,
you're looking at 2 major factors at play here, temp and time.

A crust only on forms on a dehydrated product.
Your heat has to be high enough to evaporate to surface moisture as well as overcome all the moisture that gets squeezed out from the inside.

Your temp needs to be:
Min. : High enough to dehydrate the surface and overcome all that moisture
Max : Low enough that you don't burn the outside before the inside is done



Air is a poor conductor of heat. Metal and oil are good ones.
That's why most grilled steaks and burgers won't have an crispy crust, while the areas it contacts the grill grates will be blackened and charred.
You can help this even-ness by giving your patties a light rubbing of oil before the grill.


My preferred method is in the pan to get maximum crispy crust.

1. A screaming hot pan (cast iron or carbon steel is preferred as they are non-stick and have a high heat capacity).
2. Pour in a generous amount of high heat oil (I use grapeseed oil from Costco)
3. Swirl the oil for 5 seconds in the pan to bring it up to temp.
4. Meat go in. (Any longer and the oil might catch on fire..... get a lid ready to snuff the flames)
5. Flip often, 15-20 seconds (for a flat piece of meat, basting is bullshit and not required for this kind of cooking)
6. Remove meat and rest (this way, you can do a batch of 20 burgers
7. Pour off 3/4 of the oil, add butter
8. Finish the sear in the browned butter for less than 1 minute

This way, you can do multiple batches of cooking, then just do the final sear to finish right before serving.
This is the exact same way I do my steaks.

https://scontent-sjc2-1.xx.fbcdn.net...07212181_o.jpg
You can throw some aromatics in with the butter such as rosemary, thyme or garlic. I used sage in this case.

All good points except be careful with #4.
If your heat is high enough to light your oil, it can give your meats an unenjoyable burnt oil taste.
We look at food from 2 very different perspectives in order to reach the same goal. Its interesting. You look at things much more quantitatively than me. Thats one thing I enjoy about cooking so much. There are so many different perspectives that can make impressive results.

Thanks for sharing, looks super amazing.
Is that basil laying there on top ?

Sage

oh.

Also.
I should have asked, not that it's super relevant to your question,
What sort of burgers are you making? Thick? Thin? Smash?

Which cuts of meat? Are you doing a mix?
Same grind size, or different depending on the cuts?

At what point are you introducing your salt?

Are you forming the patties, then putting them in the fridge to set?

Are these pure beef + salt burgers?
Do you pepper?
Are you adding in aromatics such as onions and garlic?

Breadcrumbs or eggs as binding agents?



Westopher, I think my approach comes from my cooking background, or lack thereof.
No formal training with techniques, and zero industry experience.
I'm not making the same dish 20+ times a night. And I don't do the prep for that same dish every single day.
Before last week, it's been over a year since I made a burger.
So I have to try to account for and remember each and every single variable, that way if something turns out wrong, I will be able to analyze it and break down the "whys".
And I have to be able to do that a year from now.
Not having a seasoned mentor puts me in a position where "I don't know what I don't know".

Youtube can only teach you so much.

I'm not gonna lie, I pretty much rely on Serious Eats for 90% of my cooking techniques.

The last time I did a ~65/35 mix of sirloin and brisket.
Similar grind size for both cuts, threw them in the food processor.
Pepper before and salted during cooking. That's it for seasoning.
I didn't let them set very long prior to cooking, 10-15 minutes at most.
No binding agents.

wondering if you were still at it. Just checked the link at the bottom of your sig. Good to see you still going strong!

oh, yeah. Life calls and such.
and posting on this forum is not nearly as quick and easy as uploading directly to social media.

Sorry I haven't kept this up.

Haha all good, just as easy to see your posts pop up on facebook