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How To Make Perfect Cast Iron Skillet Burgers

Andrea + Stef — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 19:14:35 +0000

If you have been craving a juicy and flavorful hamburger, then these easy, homemade cast iron skillet burgers are perfect for you! Even though you might think a grill or an open flame is the perfect way to cook a burger, this cast iron skillet recipe actually produces the best burgers you have ever tasted. They are perfectly seasoned, tender, juicy and done in only 15 minutes. With our scrumptious special sauce made from scratch and all your favorite burger toppings these cast iron skillet cheeseburgers are simply out of this world good!

Why You’ll Love This

Notable: Amazingly juicy and tender burgers made from scratch that cook up in a hot skillet in only 15 minutes. These tasty burgers are the absolute best!
Main Ingredients: cooking oil, ground beef, spices, hamburger buns, slices of cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, onion, pickles, special sauce (mayonnaise, mustard, dill pickles, pickle juice, sugar, white wine vinegar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder)or other condiments of choice
Cooking Method: stovetop
Cooking Time: 5 minutes prep time, 10 minutes cooking time
Pairs well with: French fries, potato wedges, crunchy salad, pasta salad, potato salad
Special Equipment Needed: large bowl, cast-iron skillet, cooking spatula, meat thermometer, small mixing bowl, cooking spoon or whisk

Ingredients

You may have all of these simple ingredients for this cast iron burgers in your refrigerator or pantry and not need to make a trip to the grocery store! If this is your first time making this homemade burgers recipe you might want to read the possible variations before deciding on your ingredients.

Cast Iron Skillet Burgers Ingredients

1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
1 lb ground beef (85%lean/15%fat)

Hamburger Seasoning Ingredients

1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika

Special Sauce Ingredients

¾ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
2 tablespoon dill pickles (finely chopped)
2 teaspoon pickle juice
2 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder

Optional Toppings

4 brioche burger buns (toasted)
4 cheese slices
tomato slices
lettuce
onion slices
pickle slices
special sauce or other condiments of choice

Variations and Substitutions

Oil: You can use vegetable oil, avocado oil or grapeseed oil to fry up your delicious burgers. As a matter of fact you can even use olive oil for searing in a pinch.

Meat: We recommend using ground chuck for this easy recipe. Additionally, you can substitute other ground meat, such as ground turkey or chicken for the ground beef.

Cheese: Feel free to use any cheese you like, such as cheddar cheese or American Cheese, for example. Moreover, Swiss cheese or Pepper Jack cheese would be other great options.

Hamburger Buns: Substitute brioche buns with sesame seed, potato, pretzel, or ciabatta buns, for example. Additionally you can skip the buns altogether, and sandwich your burgers and toppings between lettuce leaves for a more keto friendly meal.

How To Make Gluten Free

Use a gluten free burger bun for this good burger in order to make this meal gluten free. The hamburger patties are already naturally gluten free.

WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: If you love these perfect burgers, try them with a side of Cheesy Hasselback Potatoes. You’ll love them because they are full of thin, tender potato slices roasted to a golden crisp and stuffed with melty cheddar cheese.

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Cast Iron Pan — When cooking a burger patty on the stovetop, using a cast-iron skillet is the best way to get a juicy and perfect burger. However, you can also use any other frying pan or even a non-stick pan in a pinch.

Optional Alternative Ways To Cook A Burger:

Air Fryer – This recipe requires an air fryer. We have both this Cosori air fryer, which is wonderful, and this Cuisinart Air Fryer, which we also love. The Cuisinart also has convection oven and toaster oven capacity. You can buy an air fryer with a basket with high sides that food goes into or a tray type of machine. The trays are shallow but are usually longer and can accomodate more food in a single layer.

Grill — An indoor or outdoor grill is needed for this recipe. We love our indoor Zojirushi grill for cooking inside.

Instructions

This section shows how to cook cast iron burgers on the stovetop, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For printable detailed instructions and nutritional information see the recipe card below.

Step 1: Firstly, combine 1 pound of ground hamburger and hamburger seasoning in a large bowl. Then, gently mix together with your hands.

Step 2: Afterwards, divide the meat mixture into 4 equal parts. You can use a kitchen scale to divide the beef mixture perfectly equal.

Step 3: Then roll each piece into a ball and flatten with your hands into a patty. As patties will shrink in size when they cook, make them a bit bigger than the buns. Afterwards, heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add a little oil to the pan. Then use a spatula to spread the oil evenly around the surface area of the pan.

Step 4: Add each hamburger patty to the preheated skillet. In case your pan is not large enough cook them in batches. Cook over medium heat for 4 minutes on the first side, until the underside of the hamburger is beginning to become a nice golden brown.

Step 5: Afterwards, flip the hamburger patties and place a slice of cheese in the center of each patty. Cheese will melt as the burger cooks. Cook for about 3-4 minutes more on the second side, until the patty has a nice sear on the bottom.

Step 6: When the cheese is melted and the hamburger patty is cooked to desired doneness, remove from the hot pan.

Step 7: For the special sauce, combine mayonnaise, yellow mustard, chopped pickles, pickle juice, white wine vinegar, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder in a small bowl. Then stir until well combined. Afterwards add the desired amount of sauce to the bottom bun.

Step 8: Then place the perfect cooked hamburgers on the toasted buns.

Step 9: Add sliced tomatoes, sliced onions, sliced pickles, lettuce and all your other favorite toppings. Try some bacon or sautéd mushrooms as well.

Step 10: Finally serve these amazing burgers with your favorite side dish and enjoy!

WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: If you love this easy to make burger recipe then you’ll love our Easy Baked Cheesy Meatball Sub Sandwich. This meatball sub recipe combines crispy French bread with juicy meatballs and melty mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Make Ahead

You can prepare the burger patties up to 12 hours ahead of time. You can stack them with parchment paper pieces between each patty for easier storage. Make sure to store them in the refrigerator until ready to cook. Additionally you can freeze them until ready to use.

Other Cooking Methods For Burgers

Besides cooking burgers on a traditional grill, the air fryer is another great way to make delicious burgers. Air Fried Burgers come out tender and juicy with just the right amount of crispy bits on the outside.

Stef says….

For a fun twist on a traditional burger, try my delicious Big Mac Salad. It has all of the flavors of a Big Mac but uses simple ingredients that are healthy and even suitable for a low carb diet.

Recipe Tips

Follow these tips to make the best cast iron skillet burgers.

Tip: Use ground chuck with either 80/20 or 85/15 mixing ratio for your hamburger patties.
Tip: Do not overcook your meat. Otherwise it will turn out very dry.
Tip: Only assemble the burgers when you are ready to eat them, therefore avoiding soggy hamburger buns.

Serving Suggestions

We love to eat cast iron skillet burgers all by themselves. But sometimes you need to serve it as a meal. Try one of these delicious recipes:

Potatoes: Serve juicy burgers with crispy Fries, Potato Wedges, Tater Tots, Hassleback Potatoes, Baked Sweet Potatoes or classic Baked Potatoes.

Salad: Pair homemade cheeseburgers with a fresh salad. A green salad like our Easy Italian Salad or Tortellini Pasta Salad. Or even a Greek Salad with olives, cucumbers and feta or an Artichoke Rice Salad.

Other Sides: Yummy burgers would also taste great with Air Fryer Pasta Chips, or Air Fryer Zucchini Fries.

More Hot Sandwich Recipes

Warm sandwiches make great lunches, dinners or party snacks. If you like burgers, you will also love our other scrumptious slider and sandwich recipes:

Andrea says….

I love adding some crispy bacon to this delicious burger recipe. My favorite way to cook bacon is this easy recipe for Oven Baked Bacon. It comes out perfectly cooked every time without any of the greasy splatter.

How To Store

Refrigerate: Store leftover burger patties in an airtight container, ziploc bag or tightly wrapped in aluminum foil or plastic wrap in the fridge for 1-2 days. We do, however, not recommend storing assembled burger leftovers, because the toppings will loose their texture and the burger buns will get soggy.

Freeze: We recommend freezing uncooked burger patties in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. For easy removal, place a small sheet of parchment paper between each patty before freezing.

Defrosting: Thaw frozen burger patties in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or overnight. Alternatively you can cook them from frozen as well.

How To Reheat

Reheat cooked burger patties in the microwave or in the air fryer.

Common Questions

What is the best meat to use for hamburger patties?

For the best, beefy, and juicy burgers we recommend using ground chuck. Ground chuck usually provides the perfect lean meat/fat ratio at about 80-85 % lean meat and 15-20 % fat. The higher fat content is necessary to keep your burger flavorful and juicy. Even though, lean ground beef might sound like a better and healthier choice on paper, it unfortunately makes dry burgers that are no fun to eat.

Is it better to use fresh or frozen hamburger patties?

There is actually not a big difference in quality or taste between frozen and fresh hamburger patties. While fresh hamburger patties do provide a slightly richer taste, they have a very short shelf life. Fresh patties are the better choice if you want to follow a specific hamburger patty recipe and if you are planning on cooking them within a day or two. Frozen hamburger patties, on the other hand, are a lot more convenient and still provide great taste. You can safely store them in the freezer for up to 6 months without losing any flavor. Moreover, frozen patties cook up quick and easy without defrosting, which makes them a great choice for a last minute meal.

What internal temperature should my burger have when it’s done?

The internal temperature of a great burger depends on the degree of doneness you prefer. According to the FDA a well done burger should be between 160 and 165 degrees. In case you prefer your burger medium-well it should have an internal temperature of 150-155 ºF. Medium-rare burgers should be between 130 and 135 degrees.

What are tasty hamburger toppings?

Cast iron skillet cheeseburgers are a great meal, because they are super easy to personalize. Popular burger toppings include cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickles, caramelized onions, hamburger sauce, ketchup, mustard or mayonnaise.

How To Make Perfect Cast Iron Skillet Burgers

There is no need to heat up a grill for these juicy and delicious cast iron skillet burgers. They cook to perfection on the stovetop in only 15 minutes and can be garnished with all your favorite burger toppings! They are so much better than take-out!

Course Main Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword cast iron burger, cast iron skillet cheeseburger, homemade burger, how to cook a cheeseburger indoors, juicy burger

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings burgers

Calories 814kcal

Author Andrea + Stef

Equipment

mixing bowls
cast iron skillet
kitchen spatula
cooking spoon or whisk

Ingredients

Burger Patty Ingredients:

1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil vegetable, avocado or grapeseed oil
1 lb ground beef 85% lean/15% fat

Hamburger Seasoning Ingredients:

1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika

Special Sauce Ingredients:

¾ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
2 tablespoon dill pickles finely chopped
2 teaspoon pickle juice
2 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder

Toppings:

4 brioche burger buns toasted
4 cheese slices optional
4 tomato slices optional
lettuce optional
sliced onion optional
sliced pickles optional
special sauce or desired condiments

Instructions

Special Sauce Instructions:

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, yellow mustard, chopped pickles, pickle juice, white wine vinegar, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. Stir until well combined. Set aside until ready to use.

Burger Instructions:

In a large bowl, combine 1 lb ground hamburger and hamburger seasoning. Gently mix together with your hands.
Divide the meat mixture into 4 equal parts. Then roll each piece into a ball and flatten with your hands into a patty. Patties will shrink in size when they cook, so make sure you make them a bit bigger than the burger buns.
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Use a spatula to spread the oil evenly around the pan.
Add each hamburger patty to the pan. If your pan is not large enough you might have to cook them in batches.
Cook for 4 minutes on the first side, until the underside of the hamburger is beginning to become a nice golden brown.
Flip the hamburger patties and place a piece of cheese on top. Cheese will melt as the patty cooks.
Cook for about 4 more minutes, until the patty is golden brown on the bottom.
When cheese is melted and hamburger patty is cooked to desired doneness, remove from the skillet.
Place the hamburger patty on a toasted bun.
Add special sauce, sliced tomatoes, sliced onions, sliced pickles, lettuce and any other favorite toppings. Enjoy!

Nutrition

The post How To Make Perfect Cast Iron Skillet Burgers appeared first on Family Dinners.

How long does simple syrup last in the fridge?

Andrea + Stef — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 23:04:44 +0000

Simple syrup is incredibly easy to make and comes in quite handy for making cocktails as well as mocktails. But how long does simple syrup last in the fridge? There are three main factors that contribute to the shelf life of homemade syrup: sugar content, flavoring and cooking method. This post not only describes different kinds of simple syrup, it will also tell you how to properly store them as well as how long they are generally good for.

What is Simple Syrup?

You can make basic simple syrup by combining 1 part of water with 1 part of sugar. Then stir the mixture over medium/high heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring it to a boil, take off the heat and let cool completely. You can flavor simple syrup with zest, spices, herbs and fruit.

Generally there are 3 common mixing ratios. For light syrup mix 2 parts water with 1 part sugar (1 cup of water + ½ cup of sugar). The most popular mix is 1 part water and 1 part sugar (1 cup of water + 1 cup of sugar), this is called basic simple syrup. Lastly, there is thick syrup. Mix 1 part water with 2 parts sugar (1 cup of water + 2 cups of sugar). The more sugar is in the syrup, the longer it lasts.

Why You’ll Love This

Notable: incredibly versatile and easy to make
Main Ingredients: water, sugar, flavorings
Cooking Method: stovetop
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Essential Ingredient In: cocktails, mocktails, punches, sangria, iced tea
Diets: gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, vegan
Special Equipment Needed: saucepan, whisk, airtight container or bottle

Ingredients and Flavor Variations

Water and white sugar are the basic ingredients for rich simple syrup recipes. However, you can make different types of simple syrup by adding fruit, herbs, spices or zest. Some of our favorite add-ins are:

Berries: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries
Zest: orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit
Herbs: mint, elderflower, lavender, rosemary
Spices: cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, ginger, vanilla bean
Other Sweeteners: You can also create amazing flavors using brown sugar or honey.

How To Make Simple Syrup

Make homemade simple syrup by dissolving sugar in water over medium heat until the water becomes a rich simple syrup. The best way to make this is in a small saucepan on the stovetop. The ratio of sugar to liquid is 1:1. Use as much sugar as you want and include an equal portion of liquid. Use pure cane sugar, granulated sugar, brown sugar or even maple syrup. Bring your sugar solutions to a boil. Continue to stir as your sugar dissolves. Store in a sterile container (glass jars, glass bottles or plastic container) and allow to cool before storing. Try one of these recipes:

Cranberry Simple Syrup Recipe: This is wonderful in holiday drinks, holiday salads or any time you need to use a simple syrup.

Fruit Salad Dressing: This simple dressing is delicious over fruit salads.

Basic Simple Syrup: This is just a basic simple syrup you can use for any recipe that requires a store-bought syrup or homemade syrup.

If you increase the sugar to liquid ratio, you will get a thicker sweet syrup. Thicker syrups with more sugar will store in the refrigerator for a long time but you may need to adjust the amount you use in your recipes because they have a high sugar content and are therefore a much sweeter, richer syrup.

How To Store

Room Temperature: We do not recommend storing simple syrup on the counter any longer than it needs to cool down after cooking.

Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container or glass container such as a glass bottle, mason jar or jam jar in the refrigerator. A container with a lid that closes tightly is important.

Freeze: Pour into a freezer safe container or bag and freeze for up to 1 year. We recommend freezing simple syrup in ice cube trays. Pour equal amounts into an ice cube tray and freeze. Then put frozen ice cubes into a freezer ziploc bag. This way you can pull out just the right amount you need from the freezer bag when it’s time to use it.

Defrosting: Thaw in the fridge overnight or let sit on the counter until ready to use.

How Long Can You Store Simple Syrup?

As mentioned above, the shelf life depends on a couple of factors. Simple syrup recipes have a long shelf life compared to most homemade food and drink recipes. However, every bottle of your own simple syrup does not have the same shelf life.

Firstly, the amount of sugar in the syrup. The more sugar you add, the longer it lasts. See storage times below.

Secondly, the method of making the syrup effects the expiration date. The most popular way to make simple syrup is by bringing the water/sugar mixture to a boil, also called the hot process. This is because boiling kills bacteria and therefore creates a more stable syrup and ensures a longer shelf life. However, you can also make cold process syrup. Add cold water to sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Cold water syrup does not last as long as the hot process one.

And thirdly, the shelf life also depends on whether your syrup is flavored or not. Unflavored syrup lasts longer than flavored ones. The flavors you add in will have their own shelf life. For example, our cranberry simple syrup has a shorter shelf life than plain simple syrup.

General Storage Times:

Flavored simple syrup as well as light syrup lasts about 2 weeks in the fridge.
Basic simple syrup (1:1 ratio) lasts up to 1 month in the fridge.
Thick simple syrup with more sugar than water lasts about 2-3 months in the fridge.

Stef says….

Classic Rum Mojitos are some of my favorite cocktails. They are a tasty combination of tart lime, flavorful mint, good ol’ spiced rum, and a splash of sweet and soda! So if your are looking for new recipes to use up your simple syrup, mojitos are perfect for you!

Storage Tips for Simple Syrup

Follow these tips on how to properly store homemade syrup.

Tip: Boil your simple syrup. Boiling makes a more stable syrup and extends the shelf life.
Tip: Use a sterile and airtight container. It is very important to pour the syrup into a clean airtight container such as a glass bottle or mason jar.
Tip: Keep the syrup in the fridge. Do not let the finished simple syrup sit on the counter for long periods of time. Return to the fridge whenever possible.

Recipes That Use Simple Syrup

Common Questions

My simple syrup is getting cloudy, is it still safe to use?

Unfortunately, no. When simple syrup starts to get cloudy, it has gone bad. The cloudiness is a sign that bacteria is growing and therefore the syrup needs to be thrown away. If stored too long, simple syrup might also develop a foul odor due to the growth of mold.

What is the best sugar-to-water ratio for simple syrup?

Generally there are 3 common mixing ratios. For light syrup mix 2 parts water with 1 part sugar (1 cup water + ½ cup sugar). The most popular mix is 1 part water and 1 part sugar (1 cup water + 1 cup sugar), this is called basic simple syrup. Lastly, there is thick syrup. Mix 1 part water with 2 parts sugar (1 cup water + 2 cups sugar). The more sugar is in the syrup, the longer it lasts.

Can I make other flavors of simple syrup?

Of course. In fact you can make loads of different flavored simple syrup. You can add flavor by simply switching to brown sugar, and your syrup will have a slight caramel flavor. Besides fruit, you can also add spices, such as vanilla, anise, or cloves. Furthermore, you can add herbs to the water and sugar mixture to make flavors such as mint or elderflower. Adding zest such as orange, lemon or lime, for example, creates syrup with amazing citrus flavor.

Andrea says….

I always keep a couple of bottles of different flavored simple syrup in my fridge. Not only do they come in handy to make amazing drinks, but you can also use homemade syrup as a topping for ice cream or a sweetener for iced tea. Furthermore, you can drizzle or brush it on baked cake layers to add extra flavor and keep the cake moist.

Basic Simple Syrup Recipe

How to make a basic simple syrup recipe with sugar and water.

Course condiment

Cuisine American

Keyword simple syrup

Cook Time 10

Total Time 10

Servings serveings

Calories 48kcal

Author Andrea + Stef

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Instructions

In a small saucepan, combine water and sugar. Whisk occasionally while you bring to a boil.
Stir while the sugar dissolves. The sugar mixture will thicken and become clear.
Remove from heat and cool before storing.

Notes

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Nutrition

The post How long does simple syrup last in the fridge? appeared first on Family Dinners.