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Few things signal summer like firing up some hamburgers on the grill. While it's relatively easy to make your own burgers from scratch, sometimes you simply can't be bothered. (We've all been there.) This is where frozen hamburgers come in handy.
But which brand should you buy to max out on convenience and flavor? I turned to the experts - aka professional chefs - to find out which frozen hamburgers they stock in their own freezers. Here's what they had to say.
1. White Castle
You might not expect the chef behind New York City's top restaurant to rave about fast food, but Kwame Onwuachi is a huge fan of White Castle. The James Beard Award winner - whose hit restaurant, Tatiana, topped The New York Times best restaurant list two years in a row - absolutely loves those sliders. "Those are great, they're phenomenal. It tastes almost like [the ones you'd actually get at the fast-food chain]," he says. The frozen ones come with grilled onions and the signature bun that makes the OG such a fan-favorite.
2. Bubba
"I tend to reach for Bubba Burgers or a good 100% Angus beef patty," says Dan De Mars, culinary expert and product lead at Current, an outdoor cookware brand that makes electric grills, griddles, and pizza ovens. "They're consistently flavorful and cook well from frozen."
His favorite way to dress them up? "A Santa Fe-style burger with grilled peppers, avocado, and pepper Jack," says De Mars. The combo "shows how easy it is to elevate a frozen burger with a few fresh toppings."
Terrence Gutierrez, content creator and pastry chef, is also a fan of Bubba Burgers. It's "the go-to brand my family has always bought for grilling and really any holiday," he says.
3. Kirkland Signature
What can't Costco do? The big-box store's Kirkland Signature Ground Beef Patties are Thiraporn Gosinanont's, chef and owner of Peppermint in West Palm Beach, Florida, top choice. "We have a big family, and Costco is the best for buying bulk items that are also high-quality. The burgers are always the best and char really nicely on the grill," she says.
A Few Tips for Buying (and Cooking) Frozen Hamburgers
While the patty itself is important, the experts also recommended some key tips to ensure your burgers taste (almost) as good as the fresh stuff.
- Look for minimal ingredients and plenty of fat. "The most important thing is choosing a burger that's made with a short ingredient list and enough fat - around an 80/20 blend - to stay juicy," says De Mars.
- Opt for a thicker patty. "Thickness matters, too," explains De Mars. "A slightly thicker patty is more forgiving on the grill and gives you a better sear while staying juicy."
- Cook straight from frozen over steady, even heat. Unless the package tells you to, you don't need to thaw your patties. And make sure your grill is hot, "so the outside develops a great crust while the inside cooks through evenly," De Mars said. (He recommends grilling frozen burgers at 475°F.)
Further Reading
I Tested 7 Ways to Hard-Boil Eggs and Found a Clear Winner
The Brilliant Hack That'll Make Storing Your Foil and Parchment Paper a Million Times Better
