Skip to main content

Sunday DrunKitchen: Burger Experiments

 So recently, because I was on the internet, I saw an argument about nonsense. In this particular case, someone said they liked peanut butter on their hamburgers (I think they were talking about on the bun), so, naturally, detractors were honor bound to convince him he was wrong. Meanwhile, I said "Yeah, I'll try that."

I should note that I did not go with the idea of putting peanut butter on the bun; I decided that the peanut butter should be mixed into the patty because of course that makes sense, right?

So today I made 3 burgers, all of them about a quarter pound of beef. The first was my control group: I just seasoned the ground beef with salt and pepper; the second was my first experimental group: I mixed about a tablespoon and a half of chicken liver pâté into the beef with no other seasoning; the third was my second experimental group: I mixed about a tablespoon and a half of peanut butter into the beef with no other seasoning.

I dry fried the burgers one at a time in a non-stick pan (and cleaned out the pan between each one) in the same order described above; I didn't want any oils/fats to affect the flavors. The first two went by with no real issue, but, halfway through the peanut butter burger, I noticed that the kitchen smelled like I was baking peanut butter cookies, which didn't seem right.

That's when I Googled the jar that I thought was peanut butter (I got it at the international market) and learned that I had not mixed peanut butter into my burger: I had mixed in peanut marzipan spread. Lesson learned: Google shit if you don't know the language. I saw the drawing of the peanut, and it looked like peanut butter, so I assumed, making an ass out of you and med. I ain't no ass. In hindsight, "mazapán" should have been a giveaway.

Anyway, I finished cooking the peanut marzipan spread burger. I stuck all three of them on bare brioche buns and gave them all a taste (aka I ate half of each). The first was fine; it tasted like a normal burger, though I probably could have seasoned it a bit more (note for next time). The second was decidedly meh; the liver flavor really overtook the beef, so I probably won't give that one another go. The third, the peanut butter turned peanut marzipan spread burger ended up being pretty decent. I could definitely see peanut butter working better, to be honest. Also, I need to add some seasoning to it next time. 6/10, will definitely try again.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Restaurant week: My new Mexican restaurant

 As I mentioned the other day, my Mexican restaurant closed down. Luckily, they opened up in a new space a couple of months later. Great new look, new name ("Lopez Grill"), they've got a bar, staff is expanded, and the place is always packed. Business seems to be going great. Now, this isn't just a rehash of my post about the 'Dolo. While the menu is largely the same, there have been a few changes, plus I'm going to share a few things I've learned eating there. On my first visit to the new location (which was opening day, right when the doors opened; yes, I was standing in line outside with the other faithful), Señor Lopez brought me a bowl of their new salsa. He called it "guacamole salsa," but it's a jalapeño-based sauce. It's got an almost creamy texture, but is dairy-free (I asked for my vegan friend). Being a jalapeño salsa, it's got some heat, but not nearly as overbearing as some capsaicin-phobes may fear. It is perfectly bala...

I don't understand food

Part 1 the morning after, while eating a sausage, egg, and cheese everything bagel from Bergen Bagels Last night, I had the pleasure, privilege, and audacity to eat at a Brooklyn restaurant named Aska . I know it's cliche to refer to a fancy restaurant meal as a life-changing experience, but this was straight up paradigm-shattering. I've written before about food being a medium of communication, about how I strive to reduce food waste as much as I can, about sharing our cultures and stories with each other through the meals we create, but seeing how Chef Fredrik Berselius is able to do this at such an intricate, elegant, and elevated level is both humbling and inspiring. The experience started before the first bite. I walked into the 10 table restaurant, and they knew me by name. I was shown to my table (right in the middle of the place, looking directly into the open kitchen), and they even pulled my chair out for me and pushed it up under me. I was a little uncomfortable with...

Restaurant week: Polish food truck tasting

Due to a strange combination of circumstances, I recently found myself at a menu tasting for a soon to open Polish food truck called Halinka's Polish Eatery . I'm about 99% sure I was the only person in attendance who wasn't already personally known to the owner/chef, Magda, but it was a good time. Got to meet some nice folks and eat free food, but then I had to give feedback in public in front of other people, so that kind of sucked. Like, really fucking sucked. Pretty sure my face my was red the entire time. This is the price we pay for food sometimes. Our first course was a cabbage and mushroom pierogi with a side of beets. Apparently when the food truck gets going, the pierogis will be steamed, then finished either on a grill or in a skillet with some butter. However, due to facility constraints where we were trying the dishes, Magda had to serve them just steamed. Anyway, to the food: the cabbage and mushroom pierogis were fucking amazing. There was a tremendous depth ...