A: Welcome to “Food Delight”, where we bring you culinary tips to make you more creative in the kitchen. This is A and B, saying hello to all our fellow foodies. 

B: Hello, guys and gals. One of my friends told me that anyone can make a good burger, inside on the stovetop or outside on the grill, by which he means making a burger is the easiest cooking task on earth. I believe that making a really flavorful one, though, requires a little planning. 

A: Making your own burger is easy and much healthier if you choose fresh ingredients. If you're craving a juicy, tender, cheese-topped homemade burger, then stay tuned. Today, Andrew Diatroftoff from San Fransisco, California, is at the VOV studio to show us how easy homemade hamburgers can be.

“For me I like to buy some ground beef, green onion, garlic, mushroom, and Balsamic vinegar. I will chop up the green onion, and the garlic, and the mushroom, and then I sauté them with the Balsamic vinegar, and olive oil and mix that with the ground beef. And you make a big bowl of ground beef mixed with all the ingredients," Andrew  said.

"You wrap the beef like a patty, a little ball of meat and you kind of smash it down a little bit and put it in a pan with olive oil. And you put it on medium heat and let it sit there for probably about 2 or 3 minutes and then you flip it to the other side.”

Making your own burger is easy and much healthier if you choose fresh ingredients (Photo:monngon.tv)

A: So, all you have to do with the patties is just mix the ingredients together, make the balls, and fry them. But Andrew mentioned Balsamic vinegar, which is not familiar to me. Is it a kind of rice vinegar?

B: Of course not. Balsamic is a dark-brown syrupy vinegar originating in Italy. It’s made from reduced grape juice that is aged in wooden casks. Balsamic has an intense, slightly fruity aroma and a strong flavor with just a touch of sweetness, which is excellent for frequent use on fresh salads, boiled or grilled vegetables. 

A: Sounds addictive. I will definitely try cooking with Balsamic vinegar. And you know what? The fun part of home-made hamburger patties is that they can be cooked on a broiler or grill, fried in a skillet or frying pan, or barbecued. They can also be baked. 

B: The method used depends on what you have available and what you prefer by way of taste and texture. Whichever method you choose, spritz the patties with a little cooking oil or brush them with some melted butter before cooking to keep them from drying out. When the meat is done, it’s serving time. 

“And then you put the meat patties, and the sliced tomatoes, some lettuce, I don’t prefer lettuce, but you can put it in if you want. It is fun when you have people over and it’s really good to make burgers for everybody. I often make it on, probably, Sunday or when you have family and friends over. A picnic is great too. It’s very simple and easy to make, and it’s delicious”, Andrew added.   

A: After playing around with adding ingredients to the ground beef in my quest to make a better burger, I realized that it's really just about the beef. Buy good beef, and you'll have a great burger. It's that simple.

B: Yup. The ideal ground beef for burgers should be 80% lean and 20% fat, or your burgers can easily end up dry and crumbly. I often spread mayonnaise and ketchup on the bun before adding lettuce, tomato, onion, the burger, of course, and salt and pepper to taste. 

A: Mmmm! Sink your teeth into a delicious home-made hamburger to taste true happiness. Skip the prepackaged patties and take the extra time to craft your own burger for family and friends. That little extra effort will be worth it. 

Sink your teeth into a delicious home-made hamburger to taste true happiness (Photo: monngon.tv)

B: That was a homemade burger recipe from Andrew Diatroftoff. If you have any recipes you think we should know about, or even just a story about your first time cooking, share with us or tag us on Facebook at VOV5 English Section, hashtag VOV#FOODDELIGHT#ICANCOOK#, for a chance to be our next special guest at VOV 24/7’s Food Delight, or win a gift from the Food Delight team. 

A: Join us next week for more ideas on how to add zest to your menu. Take care!