why are my home made burgers falling apart?

[southeastastra]

argh, i've put in egg, onion um nothing else

try re-mincing the mince IYSWIM. It makes it more sticky. It has worked for me in the past

I normally bung in some breadcrumbs and some herbs.

Put them in the fridge for as long as possible to firm up before you cook them.

I don't know what stage you've got to in the cooking process, but I usually put thing in the fridge for a while after I've formed the burger, before cooking. I think it helps them to hold their shape.

X-posted with FBG

i only put one in so far, will add some breadcrumbs and put in the fridge for a while. thanks!

what herbs do you normally put in mme?

If I have fresh herbs then I bung in whatever I have - sage, thyme, rosemary.

Or I use Olivier & Co dried herb mix for meat. It is a little bit spicy, gives the burgers a bit of a kick.

How big is your onion - I grate mine with a cheese grater - makes it fine and a little sticker and seems to bind better (but makes you cry more) - Only way I could ever get mine to stick

does anyone else find that even if they are a perfect shape when you put them in the oven/pan, they come out looking like knobbly misshapen roundish turds?

they taste fine but they look bloody awful

mm will try with some herbs next time, it needed a kick of something. nice though.

i think the onion was making it fall apart a bit the chunks were huge, will grate in future, thanks for tip

Greensleeves this is why I don't make burgers anymore!

Are you using very lean mince? I think you need to use the stuff that still has a bit of fat in

mum always add a little wheat flour. Hers never come apart.

I mix a bit of bread soaked in milk wth the mince meat (not the crust, just the fluffy inside. does it have a name?)

Mine are always fine - are you grilling them? I fry mine and they seem to stay together no matter what the ingredients, and I never seem to manage to chill them!

Really knead the mince, squish it up (kids love doing this!) and you won't need any egg. I just squish and squish some mince, season and shape. Sometimes I add dried onions as it's hard to cook onions through if you add them raw. Also sometimes grate in parmesan.
Did Jamie Oliver's recipe a while back which involved lots of stuff including cream crackers (!!) - they were delish but no more so than my simple 100% beef ones.

gorionine: the not-crust is called the crumb.

if you fry off the onion to soften it before adding to the meat mixture, this seems to help with the general sticktogetherness. Oh, and smush it all up for ages. If when I start to shape the first burger it cracks round the edges, iyswim, then I bung it back in and knead the mixture some more.

I never use breadcrumbs/flour in mine as I'm gluten free and they are normally fine.

senua, really? I always thought that crumb was only the bits falling off the bread when you eat it or the thing that coats fish fingers (wich I always assumed to be ground bread including the crust). !

I must say that DH does not add anything to mince meat when he makes burgers (other than herbs ans spices) and they do not fall appart either.

No, dh doesn't add anything but salt and pepper. He uses steak mince (not completely lean) from our very good local butcher and works the mince between fingers to within an inch of it's life so that it's really fine. No egg, no breadcrumbs, nothing. Pref put back in fridge once shaped. They are best BBQ'd if summer ever came , but failing that cooked in blistering hot cast iron pan or griddle. He rests them like a steak too.

They are fantastic, our 16m old dd wolfs them down as working the mince makes it so tender. Also pretty economical as you don't need as much as you would think per burger. Looking forward to lots of these once ds born (39+3 now so any time), cooked rare with blue cheese in toasted bun with charred onions - yum!

I use nice mince, egg white and season and squish and shape and that's it - any time I've added anything else the burgers fall to bits.

Maybe your pan is too cool - you need to make it really hot so that the meat seals properly before you turn them over - otherwise they will break apart.

I used to put all manner of stuff in mine - dont bother anymore, just a tiny bit of oil and seasoning then shape, chill and fry...

I don't think that it matters so much what goes into them but they do need at least 30 mins in the fridge before you cook them.

I never use anything else other than meat and seasoning and never put them in the fridge and the never fall apart.
I was given this tupperwar burger maker for a wedding present and the work everytime. I also grill them.