Three Geeky Chefs Make Smashburgers

I wanted to know what the craze was about so I watched a vid. Lo, there was Kenji, adducing reasons to make the process more fidgety and complicated: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py9YW8rIylg

At least I learned what the craze is about, although The Historian failed to mention Louis Lunch.

I watched the latest episode of The Kitchen on Saturday.. Geoffrey Zakarian made the most beautiful roast turkey I believe I have seen. Turkey was slathered with softened butter, after a salt and pepper seasoning. It was in the fridge for several hours, then another salt and pepper seasoning, and into the fridge again. He also cut up the bird after the breast reached 155°, legs were cut off and back into the oven to continue cooking. Sunny made an interesting, very old, and super easy recipe from her Grandma, Yellow Squash Pie which has great reviews. A beautiful cranberry sauce was made and put into a bundt-style pan. I loved the idea of the presentation which was beautiful. All and all, a fun show to watch and some unusual ideas.

Sounds like a good episode, Karen. I'm always curious to watch people actually treat turkey like a bird, not just a centerpiece.

And while I love the idea of a molded cranberry ring, I have a bowl for cranberry that I like.

[Jenise]

Karen, just imagine the gravy coming from all that butter!

I do love roast turkey, and am very sad that I can't do one this year myself. (Oven's on the fritz and god knows when it will be working again.)

[Jenise]

I have not had a smashburger, not yet. They look dangerously close to what for me would be ideal--thin patty, all about crust, lots of holes for the cheese.

Speaking of burgers, I've got to get my hands on an Oklahoma burger one of these days (meaning, I'll make it myself). Oklahoma's one of the few states I haven't been to and that's probably not due to change any time soon.

What's the difference between a smashburger and the old-fashioned flat-griddle-grilled hamburger (made on the flat pancake griddle) that my mom used to make for us in the 1960s?

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Possibly none, depending on how done and crisp your mom made the patties. In the typical scenario, a small ball of meat is placed on the griddle and flattened as much as possible there, and cooked well done in the interest of building that crust. Sometimes the cheese is place on it and a second crusty thin patty goes above that. And maybe another slice of cheese. It's the antithesis of the hand- or machine-formed perfectly round quarter or half pounder.

Right. If it looks like a patty then it's not a smashburger; if it looks like you accidentally dropped a 5# can of tomatoes on it then it is a smashburger. Watch a couple minutes of the video I posted and you'll see them.