The Ultimate Burger

Book excerpt: Achieve burger greatness, with updated classics, regional favorites, homemade everything (from meat blends to pretzel buns), and craft-burger creations, plus fries and other sides, and frosty drinks. What is the "ultimate" burger? Ask that question and you will ignite an enthusiastic debate about meats, cooking methods, degree of doneness, bun types, condiments, toppings, and accompaniments. The Ultimate Burger has the best answer to all of these questions: The ultimate burger is what you want it to be. And America's Test Kitchen shows you how to get there. Craving an all-American beef burger? We've got 'em: steak burgers, double-decker burgers, and easy beef sliders. Travel beyond beef, with options for turkey, pork, lamb, bison, salmon, tuna, and shrimp burgers before exploring the world of meat-free burgers, both vegetarian and vegan. Then it's go for broke, featuring out-of-this-world creations like a Surf and Turf Burger, Loaded Nacho Burger, Grilled Crispy Onion-Ranch Burger, and Reuben Burger. You want sides with that? The sides chapter covers the crunchiest kettle chips, the crispiest French fries, and the creamiest coleslaws, and we've even thrown in some boozy milkshakes and other drinks to help everything go down just right. We even guarantee bun perfection with all sorts of homemade buns to lovingly cradle your juicy patties. And we reveal the ATK-approved store-bought buns, ketchups, mustards, and relishes to complement your burger, along with recipes for plenty of homemade condiments like Classic Burger Sauce, Quick Pickle Chips, and Black Pepper Candied Bacon to mix and match with the recipes.