The Frozen Burger Facts That May Make You Swear Them Off For Good

Burgers are America's favorite food and a benchmark of American cuisine emulated worldwide. That's why there are so many fast food burger chains and countless burger recipes to fulfill our cravings. Of course, the frozen patty industry is another byproduct of the burger craze. We interviewed Robert Irvine — chef, TV personality, entrepreneur, and founder of the Robert Irvine Foundation — to learn what we're really getting with frozen beef patties compared to fresh ones.

"There are a couple of problems with the frozen burger patties most people grab without thinking," Irvine says. "A lot of them aren't even made from proper whole-muscle beef — they're just a mash-up of random trimmings from who-knows-what cuts." Furthermore, frozen beef patties often contain numerous additional ingredients that aren't beneficial to taste or health. "A lot of mass-produced frozen patties are loaded with preservatives just so they can sit in the freezer for months," he notes. "If the ingredient list is longer than your arm, put it back."

While frozen patties may cost a fraction of the price of fresh patties, not to mention restaurant-worty burgers, they won't benefit your tastebuds in the slightest. According to chef Irvine, the cheapest frozen patties sometimes "[use] meat from old dairy cows or lean trim that's been shipped in from halfway around the world." Old, super lean meat often results in a flavorless and tough patty when cooked.

Based on the reasons to skip buying frozen beef patties, it's clear that fresh ground beef is the option that Irvine says "wins every time." Whereas frozen patties can have a mile-long list of unfamiliar ingredients, with fresh ground beef, what you see is what you get. "The ingredient list is dead simple — 100% ground beef," Irvine says. "That's it. Nothing else." 

The second reason Irvine advises to always use fresh ground beef is especially relevant to home cooks — fresh beef is as easy to transform into burgers as frozen patties. "It's the fastest, easiest thing in the world," he says. "Grab a one-pound pack of fresh ground beef, pull it out of the package, cut it straight down the middle or into quarters, and just press each piece to the thickness you want." Fresh ground beef takes no time to form into round or square patties, and they don't require anything more than salt and pepper before they hit the grill or skillet. Of course, you can always make your burgers more complex with store-bought burger seasonings. You can use the burger seasonings to create a compound butter to brush over the patties for 10X the flavor. As for cooking tips, chef Irvine recommends "flipping them once and don't press them. If making cheeseburgers, use two slices."