Mistakes to Avoid While Making Cheeseburgers

Hi, my name is Allie and I suck at making cheeseburgers. Well at least the first time, I have ever attempted to make them. I mainly sucked because I did not cook them all the way through because they were THICK burgers. I did not buy them pre-formed, I formed them myself and did not leave them on the stove enough..

Talking about the anatomy of a burger, for original cheeseburgers, you are talking beef, onions, garlic, and spices. Maybe jalapeños, if you are looking at making fiesta burgers. For me, I typically just focus on making sure the beef now is fully cooked, as I have medium well- to well done burgers.

Cheeseburgers. America’s favorite meal. For lunch. For dinner. In a restaurant. In a drive-thru. In a diner. Cheeseburgers were their staple for the good, the bad, the ugly, and the pretty. I mean let’s be honest. I think every millennial had the cheeseburger for lunch and dinner from McDonalds, Burger King, In-N-Out, and maybe even a well-known diner for the town,

Well….here is a deep dark secret of mine. Before this last Saturday, I never cooked raw meat on a stove. No raw chicken, turkey, beef, fish, nothing. Sooo let us just say it was an experience. I needed my fiancé to come in and save the day and help me make these burgers. We had a craving for burgers for a whole week. Of course, not wanting to be super unhealthy and budgeting sakes. We figured we would try to make them at home and try to take care of our cravings.

The ingredients I used were:

• A package of whole wheat buns (health preference)

• 1 pound of lean ground beef (93/7)

• 1 T of kosher salt (Pink Himalayan)

• 1 T of black pepper

• A package of thin sliced Colby Jack cheese. (health preference)

• Grilled Onions- I used a package of chopped onions

• Grilled Mushrooms- I used a package of mushrooms.

• 1 tomato.

• 6 lettuce leaves

• 12 pickle chips

For the burgers, it is quite simple to make:

1. Caramelize the onions and garlic with the unsalted butter.

2. Mix beef, onions, garlic, and spices all together in a mixing bowl.

3. Oil your pan or spray with non-stick spray, if you use stainless steel pans.

4. FLATTEN THE PATTY as flat as you can for expedient cooking time, 5-7 minutes on each side.

5. Take burgers off and put on plate with paper towel to soak up extra grease or oil.

6. Prepare your buns, vegetable condiments, and sauces for burgers.

7. Assemble

Our Ratings

Shayne and my rating was an 8/10. The burgers themselves with all the toppings were wonderful to eat. Of course, it sufficed the craving of having burgers. However, the directions were a little off. So beware of the thickness of your patty and the cooking time.

The burgers tasted even better the next day then fresh off the skillet. Maybe, that’s just me. Now I won’t have to worry if I crave a burger I can have them. However, the process of making them could have been a lot easier. Moving forward, I think I’m going to press these burgers more on the pan and probably crowd them less to make it easier.

Our Financials

Simply put: $1.00 cheeseburgers from McDonalds, back when they existed or quality cheeseburger that will keep you full for hours? That is what I thought.

This recipe was conducive to make within our means. The best part was I was able to make enough to last for two meals for my fiancé and myself. For those who love to save money, this

definitely a meal that would be worth making for the whole family. My husband had 4 burgers and I had 2 burgers so for a family it is ideal. A burger per person for family of four and

more than enough toppings to go around. I also added more condiments than what was suggested. I did my shopping at Walmart for this recipe.

Below are the costs of each item.

• Pepperidge Farm Bakery Classic 100% Whole Wheat

Hamburger Buns- $2.78

• Lean Ground Beef- $10.48

• Kosher Salt- $1.98

• Sargento Ultra thin Colby Jack Sliced Cheese- $2.68

• Chopped Onions- $1.12

• Mushrooms- $3.74

• Romaine Lettuce- S1.48

• Tomatoes- $3.57

• French’s Mustard- $1.38

• Reduced Sugar Heinz Ketchup- $2.52

• Sir Kensington’s Regular Avocado Mayonnaise- $ 6.98

The total for these items is $38.70. The great thing about his recipe also is that fact that you have ingredients leftover for the next batch. You also have the ability to utilize ingredients for other recipes. There are other recipes that cost more to make than these cheeseburgers. I mean so far, Sangria is our winner. Funny how alcohol can be so costly. Again, depends on

what type of alcohol you do get. However, being I live in Florida, I know my ingredients cost are somewhat median to the country. Granted probably could not buy dairy for as cheap as a small town market but for what we have to work with, it was amazing.

Millennial Cash Back Earnings

For savings, I used Ibotta, Fetch Rewards, Shopkick, and Coinout, like how I always use them.

On Ibotta, I got $2.00 back on Sir Kensington’s Avocado Mayonnaise. The price was $6.98 so I got to really pay $4.98.

For Fetch Rewards, I earned 823 points. Granted I bought other products but I gained, 400 points for Heinz ketchup, the other points I earned from other groceries.

For Shopkick, I earned 25 kicks for walking into Walmart. Kicks that turn into gift cards eventually. You know future house goals. Their amount of kicks varies from each time I have gone shopping. I mean hey I take whatever wins I can get.

I got one penny worth on Coinout for the receipt. As one of stewards used to say, that person that keeps a penny is one that is closer to a million dollars.

The goal is to save as much money as possible in general right? This is a very progressional way of doing it, better than clipping coupons, no offense to those who do it, but it is not for me. I mean I feel like I am not on that level by any means. For me to be that determined, I would have to be a stay at home mother.

Outcomes and Recommendations

We created a lot of burger variations in our experiences. I always a top of the line burger if you can make it. I always recommend a toasted bun, lettuce, tomato, pickles, avocado, choice of cheese, bacon if you prefer to beef it up. I also encourage sauces such as ketchup, mayonnaise, and mustard.

You can have them separately or mix them together to make a special sauce. I also recommend that you would pair some French fries or sweet potato fries with the burger. Air-fried, baked, or traditionally fried. I would add salt, pepper, and paprika to season my fries.

I would also look into homemade ice cream from a Ninja Creami to make some homemade ice cream as dessert. You can make the flavor you would want it to be, I would go for a cookies and cream or cookie dough ice cream.