Hungry for a better burger (Reiser -- 1 of 12) - 4

Diverse ﬂavor proﬁles
are trending, as
people savor new
ingredients spotlighted
in restaurant menus
and digital/social
media.
HARD PARTICLE
SEPARATION
The type of trimmings used
and the ratio of lean to fat
vary by processor, but for all
processors that make burgers
from red meat or poultry, hard
particle separation is a pivotal
part of a satisfying final product.
Bone, sinew and cartilage need
to be removed from the meat
mix, lest any of it wind up in the
burger and, for that matter, the
consumer's mouth. "Any grinding
and forming system has to have
hard particle separation," says
Mense. If not? "People can lose
fillings, break their teeth or get
scratches in their throat, which
can be traced back to a lack of
hard particle separation." Reiser
offers advanced separating
technologies that can ensure
burgers are free of unwanted
hard particles.

DEGREE OF DIFFERENCE:
THE RIGHT TEMPERATURE
Another important
consideration for a
mouthwatering burger is
temperature. According to
Mense, anywhere between 28
and 32 degrees F is good. That
32-degree mark, he says, is just
about perfect.

"You want the strands of the meat to go all in one direction.
That will give you a tender burger, and allows you to get a
nice crust in the cooking process" explains Bernd Mense,
Senior Director of Food Technology at Reiser.
Having a regular temperature
is important in ensuring
consistency in the process and,
ultimately, in the finished burger.
The 28 to 32-degree range
should be maintained in the
processing stages and later, at
home, after burgers are removed
from the refrigerator or freezer
and before they are cooked.

PRESSURE POINT:
PRE-FORMING PROCESS
Back to your grandparents'
burger and the renaissance of the
homestyle burger: a lighter touch
is needed. "It's all about pressure
- putting as little pressure
as you can into the meat,"
explains Mense. On the flip side,
extracting protein by applying
more pressure results in a more
compact burger.
Mense shares his expert advice
for creating a fluffier, homestyle
burger: "The best burger is made
in two phases. The first phase
is simultaneously mixing and
grinding using a bowl chopper,
which cuts the meat strand
individually without pressure and
makes the burger looser," he says.

ONE MORE TIME:
THE FINAL GRIND
The second phase in making
the best burger, according to
Mense, is giving the product a
final grind just before forming.
At Reiser, that final step is done
on the Vemeg inline grinder. "A
final grind makes the product
even looser and results in
a better mouthfeel," Mense
remarks.

GO GENTLY: FORMING
In the next phase of the burgermaking process, a trick to forming
a better burger is keeping it
compact enough to hold up while
loose enough for a desired light,
fluffy and juicy texture. Reiser's
Vemeg FM250 forming machine
uses a low-pressure system to
form homestyle burgers without
crushing or destroying meat
fibers, versus conventional burger
forming machines that use high
pressure to compress meat
and, with it, virtually remove the
tenderness and homemade look.
That balance in keeping
meat fibers intact and in the
right position is the difference
Hungry for a better burger (Reiser -- 1 of 12)

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