How to Make a Perfect Burger

Before you fire up the grill, read these tips on how to make a better burger:

For juiciness and best flavor, use relatively lean meat (80 to 90%
lean) but not the very leanest; you need a little fat for
mouthwatering burgers. When using ground chicken or turkey, go for
both white and dark meat, not breast only.

Keep ground meat refrigerated up to 2 days in its supermarket wrap
(or check the use-by date on the package). For longer storage, rewrap
meat in freezer wrap and freeze to use within 3 months.

Thoroughly wash surfaces, hands, and utensils that come in contact
with raw meat. Do not allow uncooked burgers to stand at room
temperature more than 1 hour.

Don't over mix when combining meat with other ingredients. Don't
squeeze or compress the meat when shaping it into patties or you'll
end up with dry, tough burgers.

To prevent sticking, get the grill rack good and hot before putting
the burgers on. When grilling very lean ground meat, poultry, or
fish, it's a good idea to spray both sides of the burger with a non
stick cooking spray or brush with a light coat of vegetable oil or olive oil.

Never flatten or score burgers with a spatula as they cook or you'll
lose precious juices.

Cook all burgers thoroughly. Burgers don't have to be well-done to be
safe - just not rare. Cooking times will vary, depending on the
thickness of the patties and the heat of the grill, so the only way
to be sure the burgers are done is to make them all the same size,
then break into one to check. Or you can use an instant-read
thermometer inserted horizontally into the patty to get a reading in seconds.

Use a long-handle spatula with a heatproof handle to easily flip the patties.