Smash burgers

What is a smash burger?
A nifty method which sees roughly shaped balls of seasoned beef mince added to a hot pan and then flattened with something heavy, creating a thin patty with as much contact with the hot metal as possible. I love it because it’s easy, quick and really does make a difference. You can buy special metal presses, but I just use a wide spatula, pressing down on it with the end of a rolling pin to really flatten and squish the meat against the pan. Finally, there really isn’t any need to add anything to your patty apart from salt and pepper. The other elements in the burger are going to provide all the extra flavour you need.

What cheese should I use?
Just use those processed slices of American cheese. We know it’s not real cheese. We know it’s full of all sorts of preservatives. But a burger just doesn’t taste right without it. It melts in just the right way, acting as a glue to hold everything together, providing just enough richness without an overpowering cheesy flavour. Weirdly, it tastes far nicer once melted – so don’t be tempted to try a piece straight out of the fridge (it’s not pleasant).

And what about the bun?
About four years ago it suddenly became very difficult to find a burger which wasn’t housed inside a brioche bun. I understand the appeal – they provide extra richness and sweetness and look all appealing and glossy. But they are far too overbearing, becoming a cakey coffin for your burger that’s generally too large and thick, knocking everything off balance. A simple sesame seed bun is all you need to house patty and friends: it quietly does its job of allowing you to pick up your burger without trying to assert its dominance flavour-wise.

Which sauces are best?
Ketchup, mayo and American mustard are the holy trinity of fast food condiments, but if you try and apply them separately you tend to get an over-sauced burger that starts to venture into sloppy territory. Instead, whisk them together with some finely chopped onion and gherkins (plus a splash of brine for extra acidity), then fine tune the flavour with sugar and garlic granules. This is where the majority of your ‘burger’ flavour comes from, providing sweetness and acidity to counteract all that rich meat and cheese.

To pickle or not to pickle?
The only other thing to add to a cheeseburger is a few slices of gherkin, to help boost the sauce’s acidity and add a little bit of crunch. The idea of warm lettuce or slimy sliced tomatoes just doesn’t do it for me – if I wanted those, I’d have made a salad! If you’re feeling particularly indulgent then a few slices of crispy bacon are admissible, but I find this upsets the balance between the fat and acid present, making it too greasy and heavy. Of course, the joy of a burger is its endless customisability – but even though I sometimes veer off the beaten track and add a dollop of hot sauce, some pickled cabbage or a tomato jam, I’ve never found they improve on the classic.

What's the secret to a great burger?
Once you’ve built your burger, wrap it tightly in foil and just let it sit for 2 minutes – just like in a burger chain. The trapped heat will soften the bun, allow the cheese to stick everything together and amalgamate that meat, bread, cheese and sauce into a single entity: the cheeseburger. When you unwrap it you’ll be greeted by a perfectly formed burger, tightly knit and without any risk of fillings falling out or your bun lid sliding off the top. It really does make all the difference, so if there’s one thing you take away from all this, it should be this.