The One Kitchen Tool That Will Revolutionize Your Burger Patty Game
It's not often that you find yourself chowing down on a square-shaped hamburger. Well, unless you're dining at someplace like Wendy's, that is. A concept straight from the mind of founder Dave Thomas, the chain may be best known for its four-cornered burger patties, which the chain explains is a tactic meant to not only set Wendy's apart from other brands but to also allow customers to check out the quality of their handheld before digging in.
Now, we're not ones to say no to a little extra ground beef between our buns, even if it is just a few right angles. And if you feel like getting creative in the kitchen and making square-shaped burgers for your copycat Wendy's Baconator recipe, by all means, be our guest. However, unless the chain is privy to some information that the rest of the culinary world doesn't know, there isn't much evidence out there supporting the idea that the geometric shape of a patty has a direct effect on its taste. Therefore, there's really no need to stray from forming your patties into the classic disc shape that we all know and love — especially since there's a kitchen tool out there that will revolutionize how you shape your homemade hamburgers, making the process a breeze.
A ring mold is all it takes to form perfect hamburger patties
Prepping homemade hamburgers for the grill may not seem like the hardest job in the world, but if you're not careful, things can quickly take a turn for the worse. Not only is the process a bit messy, but the heat from your hands can also cause the natural fats in your meat to start melting before your burgers even hit the grill, which can render them dry instead of succulent and juicy. Additionally, as the culinary director for Shake Shack Mark Rosati explained to Food & Wine, shaping them incorrectly can cause your patties to "puff up" like golf balls during the grilling process.
Fortunately, chef Darnell Ferguson shared the ultimate hack for making burger patties in a TikTok video posted by Food Network. In the February 6 video, the "SuperChef" suggested using a ring mold to form your patties, which he explained will also help prevent them from falling apart when they're being flipped.
As Ferguson demonstrates in the clip, using the cylindrical metal kitchen tool is fairly easy, simply requiring you to spray it down with cooking spray, stuff a handful of ground meat into the opening, and pat it down until your discs are formed. Don't have a ring mold laying around your kitchen? No problem. You can also use two identical jar or round container lids to create your burger patties.