We do recommend letting the patty cook for at least 3 to 4 minutes before giving it a first flip, to give the meat time to sear. Otherwise, the patty may start to fall apart. After that, however, you can flip it once and be done, or flip it as often as you like, trying to get both sides to cook and brown evenly.
Surface Browning
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Can you spot the difference between these two burgers? I have trouble too. Those of you who knew where Waldo was as a kid probably noticed that the patty on the right—the one-flipper—has a slightly more distinct searing on the top, while the sides remain relatively uncolored. The patty on the left—flipped every fifteen seconds—has a top thats a tiny bit less colored, but is more evenly browned all the way around the edges. Overall, the total amount of browning seems pretty close to equal.
The interesting part, however, is that the patty on the left took about 2 minutes less time to reach an internal temperature of 125°F than the patty on the right—a time savings of nearly one-third!
“As you add more flips, on the other hand, what you are essentially doing is approximating cooking both sides of the burger simultaneously”
Why is this? Its because when cooking via a single flip, as you flip the burger over, the second side will be barely any warmer than it was when the whole patty first went into the skillet. Your cooking time is only half way done. As you add more flips, on the other hand, what you are essentially doing is approximating cooking both sides of the burger simultaneously, albeit on a slightly lower-heat surface. When you flip the patty, little enough time passes that the upward-facing side barely loses any heat to the outside environment. The end result is that while each individual side takes slightly longer to cook, because they are cooking simultaneously, the overall cooking time is shorter.
Weighing the patties revealed that moisture loss was pretty much at a consistent 17-19% across the board for all patties concerned, with no trends linked to number of flips.
Now hand me my scalpel, Its time take a look inside.
Will Flip For Data: A Burger-Flipping Frequency Experiment
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To test this, I formed a dozen 1/2-pound burgers into equal-sized patties*, seasoned them just before cooking with an equal amount of kosher salt and black pepper, then seared them in a steel skillet pre-heated to 450°F (which I temped with an infrared thermometer before adding the patties). The ambient air in the kitchen was at an unbearably hot 76°F (my Colombian wife was home, and thus the heating was on full blast**). Each patty was cooked to an internal temperature of 125°F, and was then rested for five minutes at room temperature before being autopsied for examination.
*The theories tested here only apply to thick burgers—thin patties are an entirely different beast.
**Are you all tired of hearing about her yet? I apologize. We both work from home, so we dont get to see much of the real world.
A scale and ruler were used to collect data on moisture loss, external browning characteristics, and internal cooking pattern, while the overall degree of pleasure contained within each patty was ascertained via a standard oral mastication assay (aka, eating it).
The only variable in cooking was the number of times the patty was flipped, ranging from once every three and a half minutes (resulting in a single flip during cooking), down to one flip every 15 seconds.
When to flip a burger!
FAQ
How do you tell if a burger is done without a meat thermometer?
How long does a burger stay on each side?
How do you know if a burger is underdone?
How do you know if a burger is cooked?
When you think your burger is done you will want to check the middle of it to make sure that it is cooked through. If you don’t have a thermometer then this is a good way to check. When you are cooking your burgers you will notice that the red juices starting to come up to the surface. This is the juices and moisture is cooked out of the meat.
How to make a healthy burger?
There are different ways to make a healthy burger. Traditional bread can be replaced by wholemeal bread or skillet bread rich in fiber or other similar preparations. The sauce used can be a homemade avocado sauce or beet hummus for example. Meat can be prepared at home with ground beef and natural seasonings or you can use shredded chicken breast or canned tuna. Lettuce, tomato and onion are also welcome and a healthy burger.
How long should a burger be cooked before flipping?
This preference will affect how long you should leave your burgers cooking before flipping them. Rare burgers only need 2 or 3 minutes per side before being flipped while well-done burgers could require up to 7 minutes per side.
When should you flip a burger on a grill?
Short answer when to flip a burger on the grill: It’s recommended to flip your burger only once. Wait until you see juices form on top and sides, then use spatula to flip. A patty should cook for 3-4 minutes per side, reaching an internal temperature of 160°F. Cook to preference for rare, medium or well-done.