Ina Garten's Secret Ingredient For Burger Patties Is Already In Your Fridge

The quest to build the perfect hamburger may seem like a long culinary saga that often ends with dry, crumbly burgers piled on a bun. If this sounds a little like your burger story, you may want to hit pause and borrow some tips from Ina Garten to help you up your cooking game. According to Food Network, when it comes to burgers the Barefoot Contessa adds extra large egg yolks to the ground beef and mixes the two together with her hands like you would if you were making meatloaf. 

It may seem like an unexpected recipe plot twist for your hamburger, but egg yolks are actually a common binding ingredient that helps ensure your burgers don't fall apart as they cook on the grill or in your frying pan. Garten uses a mix of chuck and ground sirloin as her beef of choice for this backyard barbecue favorite, along with salt and pepper for seasoning and a little steak sauce. But it's the egg yolks that add a rich taste and velvety texture to them. Their fat and moisture transfer to the burgers, giving way to a juicy, succulent handheld meal. To add to that richness, Garten also inserts a little pat of butter into each patty, but you can skip this ingredient if you want.

The most important takeaway when using Ina Garten's secret ingredient for your hamburgers is to use the right ratio of yolk to ground beef. She uses two egg yolks per pound of beef for hers, but if you find that makes your burger too rich, you can adjust accordingly. The cookbook author and entrepreneur isn't the only one  who adds this ingredient to burgers. Chef Gordon Ramsay is also a fan of this addition. Per a YouTube video, when he adds egg yolks, he uses a one yolk per pound of beef ratio.

Garten's jammy addition to her burgers is easy to replicate and adapt for your own burger recipe. Regardless of whether your add-ins include blue cheese, jalapeños, chopped onions, bacon, or whatever you love, including egg in the mix will enhance and amplify the sweet and savory notes. So, bring on those McDonald's-inspired cheeseburgers, chili burgers, and fake Shack burgers, but just remember to add the egg yolks to elevate yours from the rest.