Tip - Beefing Up Burgers

Beefing up the taste helps if you're going low-fat

Sunday, January 7, 2001 / The Charleston Post & Courier

       In the grocery store a few days ago, it was hard not to notice 
how many people - yours truly included - had piles of Lean Cuisine, 
Healthy Choice, Weight Watchers and Smart Ones dinners in their 
carts. Yes, it's back-to-reality time after the season's indulgences.

       Before the holidays, Robert K. Hutto of Mount Pleasant had sent 
me a request for making lean hamburger a little tastier - and if 
you're looking to lighten up, the answers readers shared might come 
in particularly handy right now.

       "When I grill hamburgers, the patties always come out extremely 
dry and without much taste," Robert wrote. "Any ideas on jazzing up 
lean ground beef to get an edible hamburger?"

       Thanks to all these readers for sharing their interesting, 
tried-and-true ideas.

       On my next trip to the store, I'll be getting some lean ground 
beef for my grocery cart so I can give these ideas a try.

       *  Ann Bell of North Charleston says, "I use very lean meat for 
grilling just like Robert Hutto. I suggest he add some applesauce to 
the meat. It adds moisture but no fat. Small jars of baby-food 
applesauce are handy to use. Experiment with quantity, but a couple 
of tablespoons per pound of meat is a good starting point. The other 
suggestion is to not overcook the meat. It's very easy to do on the 
grill, especially if the patties are very thin."

       *  Jacki Heath of Hanahan writes, "Try mixing equal volume 
(volume, not weight) of grated zucchini with the ground meat. This 
makes a very juicy burger."

       *  "Try adding some grated raw potatoes to the hamburger meat. 
This gives juicier burgers and also stretches the meat," says Stan 
Lechwar of Georgetown. "Adding liquid to the hamburger also makes it 
juicy for broiling. Use -1/4 cup (liquid) for 2 pounds of meat. I use 
milk."

       *  McCrae Axson of Summerville says he adds salt, pepper and 
Accent to the ground beef before making the patties. Then when he 
puts them on the grill, he puts just a dab of butter on the top.

       I'm not a nutritionist, but my guess is that a tiny bit of 
butter would amount to fewer grams of fat and fewer calories than 
you'd get if you used a "full-fat" hamburger patty without the butter.

       *  Doris Shuler of St. George says, "I use some crushed saltine 
cracker crumbs soaked in milk. You could fat-free half-and-half. That 
would make the meat taste better than skim milk. Chop up some onions, 
add salt and lots of black pepper to the meat, mix it all up and 
grill away!"

       *  Brian G. Riesen of West Ashley: "I have a simple yet 
effective method that I use every time I grill. I add McCormick 
Spices Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning and some Worcestershire 
sauce and let (the meat) sit fora short time before making patties. 
You can also add some minced onion or garlic powder depending on your 
tastes."

       Brian ads this tip, too: "On a side note, when you make the 
patties, make a dimple in the middle and it will help prevent 
'plumping' during the grilling. Hope this helps!"