t hat many times, a group of things that seem pretty similar at first glance upon close inspection turns out to be nothing of the sort? I’m talking about things like Star Trek versus Star Wars fans (Star Trek is science fiction, Star Wars is fantasy, dammit!), computer geeks versus physics geeks (hint: physics geeks wear shoes more often) And so it is with meat loaf, sausages, and hamburgers I mean, all three are made of seasoned and cooked ground meat How different can they be? Plenty different! Here, we’re going to discuss the travesty of sticking a small pattyshaped meat loaf in a bun and calling it a hamburger What you’ve got there is not a hamburger, it’s a meat loaf sandwich Just so we’re all on the same page here, let’s go through a few definitions These are the three great pillars that support ground-meat cuisine and lift it to magnificent heights Don’t worry if you don’t quite understand everything yet—all will be revealed • A hamburger is a patty of pure ground beef with no salt, seasonings, flavorings, or additives of any kind mixed into it It can be cooked any number of ways, but key to its production is that salt and pepper should go only on the exterior, and we’ll see why later Its texture should be loose, tender, and juicy • A sausage is ground meat to which enough salt has been added (about 1.5 percent of the weight of the meat) that the protein myosin has dissolved, allowing it to subsequently bind the meat together when the raw mixture is stirred The mixture can be flavored with spices, vegetables, herbs, or any number of other additives, but the keys to its production are salt and meat Its texture should be springy, snappy, and juicy • A meat loaf and meatballs are made of seasoned ground meat to which bread crumbs, eggs, and/or dairy products have been added in order to discourage the cross-linking of meat proteins and produce a more tender finished product As with sausages, an array of other flavorings can be added Its texture should be tender and moist So, how do you get three such different finished products from what amounts to basically the same set of ingredients? That’s what we’re going to explore in this chapter .. .the protein myosin has dissolved, allowing it to subsequently bind the meat together when the raw mixture is stirred The mixture can be flavored with spices,... stirred The mixture can be flavored with spices, vegetables, herbs, or any number of other additives, but the keys to its production are salt and meat Its texture should be springy, snappy, and juicy... products have been added in order to discourage the cross-linking of meat proteins and produce a more tender finished product As with sausages, an array of other flavorings can be added Its texture should be tender and moist