The Easy 4-Ingredient Burger Mix-In That'll Have Chefs Knocking At Your Door - Tasting Table

"While purists may believe that burger patties should consist of only meat and seasonings, working with delicious add-ins is a non-traditional move worth trying. It builds intriguing flavors and textures right into the meat for a bolder taste in every bite. To get started, consider a four-ingredient formula that would have any pro chef begging to know your secret: cheddar cheese, bacon, ranch seasoning, and sour cream."

"This might sound like a lot to cram into a burger, but home cooks and recipe developers across the web can't get enough of this four-ingredient formula, including people who thought it sounded weird at first. Bacon, cheddar, and ranch is already a widely-beloved flavor trio, and you better believe that the sharp, savory cheese; tangy, herbal ranch seasoning; and salty, crispy bacon is thrice as nice when married with a beefy burger mix. The sour cream, meanwhile, adds extra fat to the patties, creating a rich flavor and moist, juicy texture."

"Ingredient amounts vary from recipe to recipe, but it is recommended to go with a 85/15 blend of ground beef because of the added fat. Don't just mash it in all willy-nilly, though - your mixing technique really matters for burgers like these."

"After dumping these add-ins into your burger mixture, you might feel inclined to knead it vigorously, but resist the urge. Even with fatty add-ins like sour cream, cheese, and bacon, overmixing burger meat will make the patties tough, dry, and dense. Mix the beef with the extras until just combined, and don't try to shape tightly-formed pucks. Loosely pack the meat into roughly even patties (or balls, if you're making smash burgers)."

Cheddar cheese, bacon, ranch seasoning, and sour cream can be mixed into ground beef to add sharp, savory, tangy, and rich flavors along with improved texture. The combination of bacon, cheddar, and ranch is described as a widely loved trio, and sour cream is said to add fat that helps patties stay moist and juicy. A recommended starting point is an 85/15 ground beef blend to account for the added fat from the mix-ins. Mixing technique is emphasized: overmixing can make patties tough, dry, and dense. The beef should be mixed only until just combined and loosely packed into roughly even patties rather than tightly formed.

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