Burgers are one of the most quintessential American foods, but they can get a little repetitious. While using high quality ingredients is always a good way to make sure that your burger is tasty, there are other ways to keep it from getting boring. Try these suggestions to liven up your next burger.
1. Avocado
Fresh avocado is probably one of the best and healthiest things you can add to a burger. Slicing an avocado only takes a minute, and it adds a lot of nutrition to what is otherwise a very heavy protein and carbohydrate-packed meal. Avocados are also fairly inexpensive, making this a good option for families looking to save some money.
2. Fried egg
Putting a fried egg on top of your burger can be a good way to add some extra protein without increasing your costs by too much. Making a fried egg does take a few minutes, but it's definitely worth it. Don't tell anyone, but we've also heard that this is a great cure if you're spent too much time partying the night before.
3. Sweet pepper
Adding sweet pepper to your burger is a good way to add vitamins and fiber. It's relatively cheap, and it just takes a minute to chop a pepper into a few slices. This is also a great way to get kids to eat their vegetables.
You may also want to try dicing the sweet peppers into small pieces, then adding avocado, tomatoes, and onions. This will make a sauce very similar to salsa or Pico de Gallo, which you can then spread on top of the burger patty. Add some hot sauce, and you'll have a really unique burger with a big kick of extra flavor.
4. Onions and peppers
If you have some extra time, throw some onions and peppers into a skillet and sauté them. Heating these vegetables helps to bring out the sugars, giving them a sweet flavor without being too sugary. Because you'll be eating a lot more of these vegetables when you cook them down, odds are you'll be able to put a full serving of vegetables on your burger.
You may also want to try adding other sautéed vegetables to your burger. Try throwing in slices of zucchini or squash, or even adding carrots. You may even want to try chopping these vegetables into very small pieces and mixing them directly into the meat before cooking your burger.
5. Grilled mushrooms
Grilled mushrooms are a great addition to the top of your burger. While you can grill large mushrooms right next to your burger, you may also want to just throw some in a skillet and sauté them along with your other vegetables.
Mushrooms have virtually no calories, but they can be a good way to stretch your meat if your making burgers for a lot of people. Cut them into very small pieces and mix them in directly to your ground beef. The mixture will typically have the same coking time as all beef patties.
6. Spice rubs
All too often people make the mistake of just adding a small sprinkle of salt and pepper when a burger is done cooking. To really get a flavorful burger, however, you want to add your spices into the ground beef before you start cooking. As the meat cooks, the spices will heat up and diffuse their flavor through the entire burger.
Picking the right spices can be difficult, however, so start with a few simple blends. Many people choose to start with spice blends that are made for burgers, then move on to more exotic mixes. Don't be afraid to be adventurous. It's very hard to pick the wrong blend of spices when you're cooking ground beef.
7. Hot sauce
Probably the best way to really spice up a burger is with hot sauce. Don't just use it as a condiment (although that's a great way to start). Mix the hot sauce into the meat before cooking in order to get it to diffuse throughout the burger. You may also want to try mixing it into onions and peppers.
If you've never used hot sauce before and you're worried it will make the burger too spicy, mix a small amount into your meat. This can help to reduce the "heat" of the sauce, while still giving you a lot of flavor. You may also want to buy several different sauces at different levels of heat in order to work your way up to a higher heat level.
In particular, be sure to try Formosa sauce. This is a hot sauce that can add a lot of flavor but can be enjoyed by everyone, including people who don't eat hot sauce on a regular basis.