Think twice before adding salt to your burger mix
Many recommend salting the ground meat before forming the burgers, but the best time is right before cooking them.
Everyone wants a juicy, tender, and flavorful burger, and many techniques promise to achieve it. Among the most widespread tips is salting the meat mixture before forming the patties. However, this practice may not be the best.
When salt comes into contact with meat, it begins to break down its proteins, making it dry and compact. This works in dishes like meatloaf, where a dense texture is desired, but in a hamburger it produces a rubbery, sausage-like texture.
The best way to salt the burgers is just before cooking them, after they've been formed. The salt stays on the surface and forms a flavorful crust when cooked, without affecting the internal texture.
Other common mistakes also affect the texture. Overworking the meat when forming the burgers makes them dense and tough. Making them unevenly thick results in uneven cooking, with an overcooked crust and an undercooked center, so it's a good idea to make a slight indentation down the middle. And letting them rest for a few minutes after cooking allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat.
Salt also needs its timing in other foods. If it's added to the cooking water of beans too early, it makes them tough and prolongs their cooking time, so it's best to salt them at the end. In marinated chicken, salting too soon can dry out the meat. In baking, with yeast doughs, salt can inhibit the yeast if combined directly with it, so it's best to mix the yeast with the flour before adding the salt.
