Bobby Flay's Trick For Burgers That Keep Their Shape On The Grill

Any skill that's worth doing well takes time and practice to master, just ask the . Although he's been a celebrity chef for decades, he started out like every other home chef: trying and tweaking until he got everything just right. And one thing he's perfected is fresh, handmade burgers.

Making a burger at home is fairly basic. Combine your meat of choice (or plant-based protein) with seasonings or spices, breadcrumbs, and an egg, then shape into uniform patties and grill. But Bobby Flay would like you to think otherwise.



No, the trick isn't complicated, but just because it's easy doesn't mean it can't transform your basic burger into a chef-inspired creation. All you need to do is press your thumb into the patty so that it leaves a small divot that vanishes while it cooks. If you've ever grilled hamburgers before, you likely already know that the meat bulges upward; making for an unwieldy piece of beef.

Why put a thumbprint in a burger patty? According to Bobby Flay, the best way for a burger to keep its flat shape is this trick of making a dimple in it before putting the patty on the grill. "When a burger [without a well] cooks, it plumps up like a football," he told . "But when I put a well in the burger, it kind of looks like a funny shape, but it plumps back up to the original shape that you want the burger to be in.

" Most are thick in the middle and thinner around the edges. Science tells us that the size of a burger decreases as it cooks because the meat compresses. The natural shrinking forces the patty's center to expand slightly as the juices release.

Adding a "well" or dimple to the center of the patty keeps it from ballooning up on the grill and allows the meat to rise evenly around the edges while and plump in the middle. The best way to make this well is to gently press your thumb into the center of the circle so it leaves an indentation. It doesn't have to be deep, the size of your thumb's surface area is enough.

As the burger cooks, you'll notice the imprint will fade away — leaving you with a perfectly shaped, Bobby-Flay-approved burger patty. Recommended.