You are probably not grilling burgers this way, but you should be

I admit, I raised an eyebrow when I heard for the first time Modernist kitchen The co-author and culinary innovator Chris Young suggests that you can cook burgers directly from Frozen. Cooking frozen meat looks like a sacred kitchen rule. But basically, I knew he was on something. Years ago, I worked as a cook online in a high volume casino restaurant in Philadelphia. We roamed hundreds of burgers to order every night, and guess what? We cooked each of Frozen.

For what? Not because we were just cutting the corners. It was practical, consistent and fast. No risk of meat that goes wrong in the refrigerator without an appointment, no fingering sticky pancake, no last minute jamming to thaw the burgers. What about frozen burgers? They cooked almost as quickly as those who withdrew from the refrigerator, and they were probably more juicy too. At the time, I did not know science. I just knew it worked.

Now I TO DO Know science, and I understand why the cooking of Frozen burgers could be the smartest movement you can do at home, whether on a grill or a stove.

Why Frozen works

When you cook a raw hamburger from the refrigerator, muscle fibers (mainly composed of myofibrillar proteins) begin to contract as they warm up. This contraction pushes the internal humidity, leaving you with a drier pancake, especially if you slightly exceed your internal temperature.

But when you start frozen, the center of the hamburger takes longer to warm up. This delay postpones the phase of humidity pipe, giving the hamburger time to grasp and firm outside before the interior is caught up. As Chef Young explains in his video on Instagram, this thermal shift is essential: “frozen meat gives you a notable bump of justification”, because it does not spend so long in the area where the liquid is lost.

My tests side by side: Frozen vs Cold

To see for myself, I did tests side by side with identical pancakes in two different configurations:

Test 1: Frozen vs cold on a hot cast iron heating plate

Test 2: Frozen vs cold on direct fire on a gas grill

Clock test results: On the cast iron, the two pancakes dominated well, but the one frozen had the edge. The longer cooking time has given it a deeper crust and a more developed flavor (graceful of the Maillard reaction), while maintaining a medium-rare interior. The cold cake seemed similar, but was significantly drier and slightly more difficult, especially around the edges.

The frozen pancake caused a little more initial splashes when it hit hot oil, but nothing dramatic – just enough to notice it. It is the result of the surface frost meeting that meets the greeding fat. To minimize this, I recommend taping dry burgers before putting them on the heating plate, lightly oil the heating plate (without doing too much), using a screen of splashes if you are inside or looking for a high -end cast iron pan to help contain splashes. With a little care, the additional splashes are easily managed and the saver gain is worth it.

Grill test results: This is where the frozen hamburger shone. The refrigerated burger struck the city of Flare -up in a minute – the fats began to drip and the flames followed. The frozen cake? No thrusts. He remained more compact, gilded more slowly and uniformly, and finally ended up being juicy, pink and better textured in the center. Bonus: It was held beautifully, which is excellent news for those (raising my hand here!) Worries that the burgers collapse on the grill.

How to grill (or tackle) a frozen hamburger like a pro

Here is the general technique that I recommend, with adapted advice from Chris Young’s method described in his video:

1. Start with 1/2 to 3/4 thick thick 3/4 pancakes. Flash-Gel -z them flat on a tray, then stack with parchment in a zipped bag.

2. Do not have a freezer before the frost. Salt removes humidity over time. Season once the surface is in contact with the pan or the grill.

3. Make your pan or grilled. The cast iron must sparkle heat. If you grill, use direct heat and clean the oiled grids.

4. Tap the cakes to dry and place the frozen cake on the grill or a slightly greased heating plate, then leave it for two to three minutes. Let the crust be built before turning around. In a heating plate, you can have initial splashes, but nothing that you cannot manage.

5. Once the crust is built on one side, start turning the burgers about every 60 seconds, adjusting the heat if necessary. This even encourages cooking and helps prevent the torrid.

6. Use a thermometer to ensure cooking: 125 to 130 ° F for the rare average, 135 ° F for the middle.

What if you prefer your well -made hamburgers?

This method also works very well for well -made hamburgers. Simply extend the cooking time and monitor the internal temperature. You will always get an excellent development of the crust and even the kitchen from one edge to another, without the risk of burning the outside before the interior is ready.

It should also be noted that the USDA recommends cooking chopped beef at an internal temperature of 160 ° F for food safety, because harmful bacteria (like E. coli) can be present throughout the mixture, not only on the surface. If you prefer your rare or medium hamburgers (I always do it), know that you get out of these guidelines. It’s a personal choice – I’m not here to tell you what your burger should look like in the middle, just to help you better cook it, as you like.

Final to remember: Frozen is not hollow hacking – this is a better method

The cooking of Frozen burgers is not only a shortcut – it is a technique anchored in solid thermal physics and supported by practical tests. It solves the problems that most of the cooks at home do not even realize that they have: unpredictable cook times, outbursts, humidity and pastry centers. It is ideal for weekly cooks who have forgotten to thaw, the combs of meals who like to have ready-to-use frozen pancakes, tired backyard grills to fight against thrust and dry edges and crust hunters who are thirsty for deep browning without sacrificing justice. It is also perfect if you have a desire for a solo hamburger – just keep pancakes in your freezer and remove one each time you want one.

This technique is not something constituted by a beginner food influencer – it is defended by some of the most informed cooks in science, including Chris Young, whose content first inspired me to try it. If you haven’t tried it yet, take a frozen cake, launch your stove or grill and see for yourself. Need a solid base base? Start with our grilled hamburger recipe and try it frozen – you might never go back.