The Secret To Ina Garten's Extra-Moist Burgers Is In Your Pantry

Ever make homemade hamburgers and find that the cooked patties are lacking the juicy moisture that takes them to the next level? A dry hamburger can be pretty disappointing, but there's a good reason why your burgers are always dry (especially if you're grilling them) — they're missing an ingredient. So, the next time you make burgers from scratch at home, take a page from Ina Garten's book and learn her secret to extra-moist burgers. All it takes is to add a single ingredient to the ground beef, and this ingredient is probably already in your pantry — olive oil. 

To make moist and juicy burgers like the Barefoot Contessa, add three tablespoons of olive oil to two pounds of 80% lean ground beef. This will help amp up the meat's moisture and lock in its juices. The reason behind this is because the extra fat helps coat the meat and form a sort of seal or barrier that prevents juices from leaving the beef as its cooking. 

Additionally, olive oil is also not a neutral cooking oil. It will add subtle, rich flavor to the beef patty, especially if you use flavorful extra-virgin olive oil, along with helping lock in all that desirable moisture. 

Ready to apply the Barefoot Contessa's moisture-locking trick to your homemade burgers this week? Add olive oil to the ground beef, then your seasoning of choice, such as salt, pepper, and mustard, before mashing all the ingredients together lightly with a fork. As Garten mentioned on the Food Network, you don't want to compact the meat, but be light and gentle. 

The beauty to Garten's trick is that it's so easy to apply to different dishes, such as our delicious, drool-worthy burger recipes. And even if you're not using beef to make homemade burgers this week, you can still apply Garten's trick to other meats. For example, you can add olive oil to ground lamb or minced lamb shoulder to make our best lamb burger recipe.  

Finally, if you've run out of olive oil, don't fret. In a pinch, it's okay to save a bit of cash and use vegetable oil instead of olive oil for dressings and marinades. While the vegetable oil will not impart extra flavor, it will sufficiently help keep your burger patties moist. Additionally, for an Asian-inspired twist on your homemade burgers, try using toasted sesame oil or melted ghee instead of olive or vegetable oil.