Ina Garten's 15-Minute Rule For Gourmet Smashed Cheeseburgers

Ina Garten is the queen of crafting gourmet recipes that are still easy for novice home cooks to follow. And she often offers helpful tips that make the process even more foolproof, such as the 15-minute rule she uses to make gourmet smash burgers. After mixing up ground beef and seasonings and forming patties, she recommends popping the burgers into the freezer for exactly 15 minutes.

This flash freezing method is the best technique to cook thick, restaurant-style burgers, as the fat in the burgers will get cold enough in the freezer to solidify. This means that it won't melt as quickly when it hits the hot pan, preventing overcooking and ensuring your patties cook to a perfect medium-rare without drying out. When you smash the cold burgers in a hot cast-iron skillet, the rough edges will crisp up perfectly, and the patties will develop a nice crust on the outside while staying juicy on the inside.

Garten's recipe for smashed hamburgers with caramelized onions, shared on Food Network's "Barefoot Contessa," via YouTube, calls for 80% lean ground beef seasoned with salt, pepper, and dry mustard, which gives the homemade burger patties a tasty kick. The burgers are then topped with caramelized red onions and freshly grated Gruyère cheese. The recipe makes four thick, juicy burgers that are cooked inside on a skillet, though you could cook them on your grill as well.

Garten suggests that cooks follow a recipe exactly the first time around, and this one is no exception. Her tips guarantee that you'll end up with thick, juicy burgers that are flavorful and perfectly cooked. After you remove the patties from the freezer and put them in your hot pan, gently smash them down with a spatula and let them sit without moving them around. Once they get caramelized on the bottom, flip them over and continue cooking.

Garten says that the absolute best temperature for perfect burgers is medium-rare, or an internal temperature of 130 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature at the center of each patty before taking them off the heat. When they're ready, add a generous layer of caramelized onions to each one and top them with grated Gruyère. Put a lid on your pan and let the burgers sit for long enough to let the cheese melt perfectly on top.

Red onions are best for this recipe, as they are naturally slightly sweet. Caramelize them in a neutral, high-smoke point oil like canola or grapeseed, and add a teaspoon of sugar while cooking to enhance the onions' natural sweetness. After cooking, add a splash of red wine vinegar to deglaze the pan. Garten recommends serving these smash burgers on fresh potato rolls, but says that you can use any type of hamburger bun you prefer. While you can dress them with ketchup, they are already so flavorful that it isn't really necessary.