Why Put Flour in Hamburgers? | 12 Ways to Stop Burgers Falling Apart

While some people have never heard of cooking hamburgers with flour in them, many people grew up with parents or grandparents who always did this.

The main reason for adding flour to hamburgers is to make them stick together better and to add a little thickness to them.

This article will explore the top 5 reasons you would add flour to hamburger meat, some other great binding agents you can use and how to stop burgers from falling apart.

5 Benefits of Putting Flour in Hamburgers

Check out these 5 benefits of adding flour to hamburgers.

1. Flour Works as a Binding Agent

When you add flour to a hamburger patty, it works as a binding agent and helps keep the hamburger from falling apart while you’re cooking it.

Nothing is as frustrating as a hamburger that starts to crumble or fall apart while you’re cooking it, or worse, after it’s already on your bun.

Flour is just thick enough to help the meat and other ingredients stick together, without adding any unusual flavor.

2. Flour Thickens the Hamburger Patty

The thicker the hamburger patty, the yummier it tastes, and adding a tiny bit of flour makes the burger thick enough for anyone’s taste. You don’t even have to add a lot of flour to get the hamburger meat a little thicker.

You can add the flour to the whole batch before you make up the patties or just add it half the batch to make some extra thick.

It is a very simple and quick solution to burgers that are too thin.

3. It Gives the Hamburger a Tasty “Crust”

Adding flour to hamburger meat gives it a nice crispy crunch on the outside as you’re cooking it. This gives the patties a better flavor as well, but the crust is not so thick that the taste of the patties changes.

The flour gives the patties a richer and thicker flavor and texture, which allows you to enjoy them even more.

4. Get More from the Hamburger Meat

During the Depression, people started adding flour to their ground beef to make it stretch further. Today we can use this method to get more hamburger patties out of a pack of ground beef.

5. Flour Helps Stop the Hamburger Patty From Burning

Regardless of how you cook your hamburger patties, they can burn easily if you don’t have some type of coating on them. When you put flour in the hamburger meat, it will create a crust over the entire patty, which prevents it from burning.

Binders for Hamburgers -Stop them Falling Apart

There are some simple ingredients you can add to hamburger patties to bind the meat and stop them from falling apart. In addition to plain wheat flour, here are a few other things you can use as a binder for hamburger patties:

1. Maize flour
2. Oatmeal
3. Egg
4. Bread crumbs
5. Cracker crumbs
6. Potato starch
7. Psyllium husks
8. Tapioca
9. Guar gum
10. Ground flax
11. Xanthan gum
12. Rice

You can also add some very unique things as binders, including quinoa, gelatin, and even mashed and ground carrot.

If you decide to use flour, consider using almond flour instead of all-purpose flour. This will make it gluten free and add some extra protein.

How to Keep Beef Burgers from Falling Apart

Burgers can fall apart easily when you cook them. Here are 6 ways to stop beef burgers from falling apart when you cook them.

1. Chill the meat in the fridge for 20-25 minutes before cooking it.
2. Always use the right temperature, making sure it isn’t too low or too hot.
3. Choose a good quality of ground beef.
4. Shape the patties correctly, using 4-6 ounces of meat and patting it down only on the sides.
5. Don’t eat the burger right away; let it “set” for 5-10 minutes first.
6. Don’t flip your burger frequently; only flip it occasionally.

If you practice doing these things while also making sure you use a good binder every time. The combination of egg and flour is classic and will hold the beef burgers together.

The Secret to Juicy Hamburgers

Creating a very juicy hamburger isn’t as difficult as you think. Here are some easy hacks that will give you juicy burgers every time.

1. Make sure your grill is preheated before putting the burgers on it.
2. Make sure the grill is well-oiled.
3. Brown the patties on each side for two minutes, then transfer them to the “low heat” side of the grill.
4. Keep the burgers about one inch apart as you’re cooking them.
5. Try to find fresh ground beef with at least an 80/20 lean/fat ratio.
6. Resist the urge to press down on the burgers as you’re cooking them.
7. When cooking on the stove, don’t go any higher than medium-high heat.

Conclusion

Putting flour in hamburger patties is something people have done for a long time. We do it now to thicken the patty, keep it together and in one piece, and to add to the taste by creating a crust-like coating that makes the burger super-delicious every time.

Happy cooking.