What Is The 5-6-7 Rule When Cooking Hamburgers And Does It Actually Work?
What Is The 5-6-7 Rule When Cooking Hamburgers And Does It Actually Work?
An expert explains why the 5-6-7 rule produces perfect medium burgers on the grill every single time.
The art of cooking contains many rules that have been passed down over the years. Some, like the five-second rule, have been revealed to be myths upon closer inspection — while others, like the rule of threes for grilling steak, can help you perfect your craft. A rule that falls into the latter camp is the 5-6-7 rule, which, when done correctly, can yield the perfect medium burger every time.
David "Chef Fig" Figueroa, grill expert and co-founder of Melinda's Foods, told Food Republic that this is a go-to rule when grilling thick burgers. "It means five minutes on one side, six on the other, and seven minutes resting. If your patties are about half an inch thick, this method gives you a solid medium burger without needing a thermometer," he informed us. Cook your burgers following this directive over medium heat with the lid down and marvel at the consistent perfect medium your burgers achieve
Wouldn't this be totally dependent on the temperature of the grill and starting temp of the meat? Just use a thermometer! Thermometer solves many problems. Thermometer loves me and I love thermometer.
People just like to be lazy and not use a thermometer. Or if theyre like my dad, they dont need no goddamn toy to tell them how to do it right.
"Without my thermometer I am nothing. Without me my thermometer is still pretty useful"
Where your index finger and thumb meet, in the web of your hand; you can pinch closest to the outside. There you will find about the same resistance as rare meat. Move a little further in, about half the distance to the connection joint and you will have about the same resistance as medium meat. And just below the joint you will find the resistance of about well done meat. This is right about where you find that pressure point, so if you pinch hard enough you'll know.
Isn’t this for whole muscle meat not mince?
Yes but i find it still works relatively well for ground. It's more a guideline more than actual rule, even for muscle. You can always stab-cut with your spatula in the middle to check color.
Back when I was cooking professionally, in some states (the one I was in) you could not serve medium burger unless you ground in-house. That way the restaurant could control the cleanliness and amount of possible contamination in the ground. Since then I have refused to serve anything but medium well from store bought ground.
Sounds like a good way to have a cold burger.