and cooked in the same skillet to the same internal temperature The only difference? The one on the left was salted only on its exterior, after forming the patties, while the one on the right had salt mixed into the meat prior to forming the patties This tighter texture translates not just to an oddly smooth texture, but also to a firmer, tougher patty as well To demonstrate this, I dropped a Dutch oven on top of half of each patty from a fixed height, taking note of how widely they splattered Check out the results Again, the regular patty is on the left, the salted patty is on the right: Patties formed from unsalted (left) and salted (right) hamburger meat Now do you get it? Leave the salt alone until after the patties have been formed As for the pepper, I like to be liberal with it A burger without pepper is like a bath without bubbles Sure, it’ll get the job done, but where’s the fun in it? Love your bun This is good general life advice that is particularly appropriate for burgers Buns come in all shapes, sizes, densities, and styles Make sure you’ve got the right one for the job at hand and treat it with the dignity and respect it deserves I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen an otherwise decent hamburger marred by an inappropriate bun selection For smaller, thinner patties, like the diner-style griddled burger, soft, sturdy, and slightly sweet Martin’s Potato Rolls set the benchmark, although any soft, squishy, supermarket bun will (I like Arnold or Pepperidge Farm buns in the absence of Martin’s Sesame seeds are up to you) And, for the love of science, butter and toast that bun before you put your burger in it! Sliders, with their thin slip of a patty, require the softest of the soft supermarket buns, steamed through and designed to completely melt away as you eat The generic store brand will almost always work A bigger pub-style burger can overwhelm a soft bun with juices, soaking through and dissolving the base before the burger even hits your table Toasting the bun can mitigate some of these effects, but for ... sizes, densities, and styles Make sure you’ve got the right one for the job at hand and treat it with the dignity and respect it deserves I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen an otherwise decent hamburger marred... overwhelm a soft bun with juices, soaking through and dissolving the base before the burger even hits your table Toasting the bun can mitigate some of these effects, but for ... Pepperidge Farm buns in the absence of Martin’s Sesame seeds are up to you) And, for the love of science, butter and toast that bun before you put your burger in it! Sliders, with their thin slip of a