Burgers 101

EDIT: 5/14/13
 I just added another tip on my bullet list below about washing the meat. Please take note!

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I've been making on my own pizza with the dough from scratch for a long time. Years now. I like to think I've evolved a lot since I first began my pizza making adventures, thanks to google. Every few attempts, I'd search for a recipe even while I thought mine was perfect. Most of the time, it seemed my dough recipe was superior than the others and I'd decide not to change anything after skimming a new one. Instead I'd end up reading comments left by recipe testers and learn loads regarding techniques and make some changes here and there. Being open to trying new stuff really helped me master my skills and I can now say that I make some really awesome dough. But I'm not quite done with pizza yet. :) I've always used store bought pizza sauce and my next experiment will involve making my own sauce from scratch!

Enough about the pizza. This post is about burgers. I've been trying to make a good burger for a long time. On a pan. It's been tough. Usually I'd end up with a really dry, over cooked blob of meat. Often it'd be broken into pieces. And that's no fun. So in the quest to make just the right burger on my stove,I learned some amazing things. I'm going to list them all here. The most important thing IMO is the cooking technique which involves salting your pan. If you don't follow any of the other tips in the below list, I advise you to follow just that. I think it's that good!

1. PURCHASING THE RIGHT MINCED MEAT: make sure you buy burger meat. This is not finely minced meat. It is thicker. It has a high percentage of fat. Personally, my husband and I don't usually eat beef at home. I always buy chicken and cook it through the week. We eat beef mainly when we go out as a treat, so every once in a while, I'm totally okay buying burger meat that has a high percentage of fat. 
2. COOKING IT FRESH: for a good burger, you want to get things going right away. This means no freezing meat, thawing and then marinating then cooking. Ideally you should plan ahead for this and right when you come home from the grocery store, get ready to cook it up.
3. WASHING THE MEAT: a lot of (desi) people have mixed feelings about this. ideally you really shouldnt be washing minced meat at all. it gets rid of crucial components that are key to a good burger. contrary to popular belief, the red juice you see coming out of meat before or duriing the cooking process (sometimes) is NOT blood. all the blood is drained during the slaughtering process, esp if you eat zabiha. you can read more about it here: http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/04/the-red-juice-in-raw-red-meat-is-not-blood/
4. MARINADE INGREDIENTS: try not to use too many spices. a good burger tastes like pure beef. You will be adding veggies, sauces and cheese plus a bun to the mix, and that's enough. do NOT use salt in your marinade (we'll come back to this). go for a little steak or burger seasoning, pepper (if not already included in the seasoning mix), minced garlic and a little bit of crushed pepper if you like some heat. avoid any runny/watery additions to the mix such as onions etc. some people will squeeze the water out and add it anyway but i dont like adding anything watery. use onion powder instead if you want. I also add one egg to a pound and a half of meat.
5. MIXING THE MARINADE: the biggest mistake most people make is that they overwork the burger meat. you should mix all your seasonings in one bowl, then add it to the burger meat and lightly mix it a few times. do not keep stirring with a spoon or do the kneading action with your hands. its not good for the meat at all. use the tips of your fingers to move the meat around so the spices get incorporated. 
6. SHAPING BURGERS: you can use a cheap burger press or your hands to shape eat pattie. try to keep them smaller in the center and thicker towards the sides. never press down on them hard. just lightly pat till the meat is the shape youre going for. wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate patties for a 2-3 hrs before cooking. if youre running short on time, you can pop them in the freezer for 15-20 mins.
7. COOKING THE BURGERS- the most important step in the process is cooking! I use a non stick pan which i warm on low to medium heat. once that's done, i take my salt grinder then move it around over the pan, covering most of the pan surface with freshly ground salt. you can also use regular granulated salt. once this is done, lay no more than 3 burgers down in the pan over the salt, preferably close to each other. the salt does a few things here. it acts as a barrier between the pan and meat, so there's no sticky mess. it also ensures the burger cooks faster and stays juicy. it's basically magic. while one side is cooking, sit tight for 3-4 minutes. do not turn it. do not press down on it with your spoon. pay close attention to the 'sides' of the burger. when it looks like half of the burger from the bottom up is cooked and no longer pink, you're ready to flip. however, you still need to salt the surface for the other side. so try to get more in there before you turn over and place the other side down. once thats done, you need about 3-4 minutes on that side and youre ready to start building your burger. if i want cheese on my burger i usually add it at about this point so that it can melt off on top of the patty. if you are a freak about making sure your meat isnt pink inside, you can take a fork and poke at the meat to figure out if its done. most likely it is. it will be super juicy though and you might feel its not done, but it probably is. the patty stays hot for a while after being removed from the pan, and it sort of 'continues cooking' in its own heat for a good amount of time, so you should factor that cooking time in as well. 
8. BURGER TOPPINGS: for a yummy burger you may want to keep the following (or any variation thereof handy): cheddar/american/pepperjack cheese slices, mayo, mustard, ketchup, onions, tomatoes, lettuce. i usually also carmelize some onions in some oil/butter and add them. super yummy. in addition i saute mushrooms and jalapenos in some butter with italian seasonings and salt and offer those as a topping. you can also make your own mayo + ketchup sauce if you want but i usually feel its really strong and takes away from the taste of a traditional cheee burger. i dont wanna taste the sauce. i want to taste just the burger.
9. BUILDING YOUR BURGER: i usually have my buns toasted in time for when i take the burger off the pan. i lay a sheet of foil out, over which i lay a sheet of wax paper (you can use just foil if you want). i put the buns over the wax paper, QUICKLY add my desired toppings and my burger patty while everythings still hot, then close up the burger in the wax/foil as soon as I can. i then let it sit in a lightly preheated oven for 5-7 minutes. i think this process helps all the flavors mesh together and gives the whole thing a really 'professional' taste. 
10. READY TO EAT! serve with fries and chow down!