8 steps for juicy diy burgers

We had the pleasure of learning from Alvin Poon, Executive Chef at Singapore’s first locally born and bred gourmet-burger joint, BurgerUp, on how to make extra juicy burgers and how cooking can be a really beneficial and fun bonding activity!

So read on to get BurgerUp’s recipe, specially tailored for family cooking.

Ingredients from BurgerUp's Recipe

1. Taste, Smell, Feel, Move. And then Cook

Cooking shouldn’t just be about standing in one spot and stirring a pot. It’s about getting out there to taste, smell, touch, feel and move!

Take your kids through the entire process. This means exploring the grocery store together where you can smell and touch a wide variety of vegetables and have them decide which ingredients they would like in their burgers. 

Back at the kitchen, get them to prepare the ingredients from chopping onions to washing, measuring and mixing! There’s so much potential to have fun – so crank up Spice Girls or Taylor Swift (your kids won’t judge) and get your hands dirty together! 

BurgerUp’s Cranberry Chicken Burger (Image Credit: BurgerUp)

2. Go Crazy with a Pinch of Creativity 

At BurgerUp, you can actually get a different burger EVERYTIME you go there. You can fully customise your burgers with your favourite patties, toppings and condiments to make your own gourmet creation!

Likewise, sit back and let your kids be the head-chefs for the day. This is the perfect opportunity for them to express their creativity and jazz up the recipe with their crazy ideas. The beauty of burgers is that they can be as simple or unconventional as your imagination allows you to be. So think different meats and sauces, add fresh herbs and spices, or use different kinds of breads.

There’s probably more of a chance your kids will love what they’re doing if they get to call the shots too… And name their burgers as well!

3. Put on a Chef's Hat

Cooking actually helps to improve a child’s focus, patience and motor skills. So emphasise things like following the instructions methodically from step to step, and ensuring that safety and food hygiene is always maintained while cooking. 

Our final DIY Burgers made according to BurgerUp's Recipe

4. Cooking Up New Memories 

Alvin Poon, Executive Chef of BurgerUp, tells us that he actually cooks with his daughter once a week which are moments he truly treasures. His own interest and passion in food and cooking was also ignited when he first started helping his mother prepare family meals during his childhood days.

We often find that we associate certain food experiences with unforgettable family memories - are there any meals that your own parents prepared for you or you always loved to eat when you were a kid? Why not share these experiences with your kids too?

We hope your unique burger creations will eventually go into the family cookbook to be passed down for generations to come!

5. Don’t Mess with Their Burgers

Why not inspire your kids to take pride in their creations by encouraging them to decorate their plates and burgers? You can also give them a chance to serve you and/or their grandparents their delicious creations. This encouragement might just stir the confidence and passion in them to explore cooking as a hobby! 

6. The Juiciest Burger Ever

Have you ever dreamt of biting into a really succulent burger, so juicy that the juices run down your arms?  Here’s how to help make that dream come true: 

a. Other than BurgerUp’s secret marinade, which they cannot share, what makes their burgers juicy and tender is their patties which use a mix of different cuts of beef.

Choose mince beef that has a 20% fat to 80% lean meat ratio, and don’t forget to season the beef with salt and pepper. 

b. It is important to use mince from a cut of meat that has a little bit of fat. This will not only add flavor, it also ensures a tender burger by preventing the patties from drying out during the cooking process. However, mince that is too fatty will expel excess fat during cooking, causing the patties to shrink and toughen considerably.

c. Adding breadcrumbs to the patty mixture gives them a tender and light texture, while adding eggs helps to hold the patties in shape when cooked.

We had the most fun using our hands to mix! No machines needed.

d. Let your patties chill for at least 25 minutes in the fridge at 4 - 10 degrees Celcius before cooking. This allows the flavours in the patties to blend together and develop fully. 

e. When forming patties, make coin-sized dimple in the middle of the patty to keep the centre from bulging up as it cooks.

Do not overcook the patty, but grill marks are always a plus!

 f. Eat it almost immediately after it’s prepared. (This shouldn't be much of an issue!)