How To Make A Great Toddler Burger

Let’s face it: you don’t need to make a good hamburger; kids like bad ones. Use a frozen puck of pink slime; overcook it to death. Make the patty too thick; make the patty too thin. Doesn’t matter. As long as there are two buns to slide it in between and condiments to douse/drown it in, a toddler burger will get eaten.

But a good burger? That’s joy; that’s love. Your kid can taste it; he or she will feel and know it. It’ll make them want to eat whatever else is on his/her plate or table, including vegetables; it’ll make them excited to try the other things you can make, including and especially the things you want to cook. It’ll even make them want to try non-beef burgers. A gateway, this.

Now, you don’t need us to tell you how to cook a burger; what you may be interested in knowing, though, is how to make a good toddler burger. It requires no extra skill; there are no fancy ingredients or equipment needed. Indeed, the only notable difference between it and the burgers you might make for yourself is attention–that is, some intentional consideration toward the details that would make your child love burgers as much as you do.

Here, then, four considerations when cooking a toddler burger:

1. The Meat: preformed frozen patties, however convenient, neither cook nor taste well; you really need to use fresh meat whenever possible. Easy compromise if that’s not always possible: buy a bulk amount of ground beef, divide it into relatively equal sized chunks, then freeze; thaw a chunk or two when needed.

Go with a grind of at least 15% fat content; we prefer 20% ourselves.

2. The Cook: a relatively high cooking temperature, coupled with a pat of butter to grease the pan, produces the ideal Medium doneness: nicely charred on the surface, a bit of pink and some juice inside. Two minutes a side, smashing down each side when put to pan or turned over. Can’t make it any easier.

3. The Bun: whether using a slider roll or a regular-sized bun, our rules are the same: generously toast the bottom bun, then slather with mayo; lightly toast–but don’t slather–the top bun. This ensures the bun mimics the texture of the meat, making it easier for your child to enjoy the whole thing.

4. The Condiments: If your child(ren) is anything like ours, the finished product usually turns out to be more condiments-with-a-topping-of-burger than, you know, a burger with some squiggles of red and yellow. Fair enough. Our only recommendation: make sure there is something tangy and acidic–say, mustard or pickles–on there to neutralize the sweetness of ketchup, barbecue sauce, etc. Too much of the latter will overwhelm your child’s rather primitive palate, and do so quickly; 

Check out our other great burger recipes!

How To Make A Great Toddler Burger

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Author: Brad Cooking Method: Sauteing Cuisine: American Meal(s): Dinner Recipe Keys: High Protein Quick Meals Toddler Favorite

Prep Time 5 mins Cook Time 5 mins Total Time 10 mins Difficulty: Beginner Servings: 1

Description

From bun to burger, and cook to condiment, this toddler burger features smart but simple adaptations that will ensure your child loves burgers as much as you do.

Ingredients

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Scale

1/2x 1x 2x 3x

• ¹⁄₄ lb Ground Beef (this is per person; double, triple, etc. if others are also eating burgers with your child
• Garlic Salt
• Black Pepper
• Bun
• Mayonnaise
• ¹⁄₂ tbsp Butter (or equivalent)

Instructions

Prep

1. Season one side of the meat with a generous amount of salt and pepper, then combine/roll into a ball. (If making sliders or serving thinner burgers, cut the ball into two pieces.) Put the meat in the palm of one of your hands and use the other to flatten into a patty shape. Eye the shape and size of your bun and adjust the patty size or dimensions to ensure it fits snugly onto the bottom bun piece.

Cook and Assemble

1. Heat your pan or grill to Medium-High. While the pan heats up, toast the bottom bun on the toaster setting that will produce an amber browning. As soon as the toaster is done, slather mayo on the bun. Toast the top bun on your toaster’s lowest setting.
2. Once hot, drop the butter in the pan; shake the pan and/or stir the butter to lightly coat the pan surface. Place the patty/patties onto the pan and immediately smash the burger(s) down with a spatula or equivalent. Cook until the pan side of the burger is fully browned, roughly two minutes; flip, smash, and cook the other side for two minutes.
3. Place burger on top of bottom bun; allow to rest for 2-3 minutes before putting condiments on and serving.

Adapt

1. Lamb works great in this way, too–just cook for an extra minute before flipping the meat; we also recommend using a thicker spread–tzaziki? Feta?--on the bottom bun in order to better match richer, gamier meat. For poultry burgers, check out our turkey burger and chicken burger recipes.

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