Dust Your Turkey Patties With Flour For The Juiciest Burgers Every Time
There are plenty of reasons why turkey burgers should be more popular than they seem to be. They're lower in saturated fat than their beef counterparts and generally have fewer calories. Ground turkey is less expensive than most ground beef, sometimes substantially cheaper per pound, which is always popular with household budgets.
A common complaint about ground turkey burgers, however, is that they have a reputation for being dry. Because there's not a lot of fat in turkey, it can be tricky to end up with a fully cooked yet still moist turkey burger. Turkey needs to be cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit to kill bacteria, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a temperature that would cook a beef burger well done. Dried-out, overdone patties don't have to be the result of reaching a safe temperature, however. All you need to do is sprinkle them with flour before frying.
A dusting of flour on the outside isn't something you'd normally give regular beef burgers. But on turkey burgers, that dusting of flour will seal in the moisture, absorb any juices, and create a tasty crust. It only takes a minute to dust your turkey patties, and it works just as well for store-bought burgers as it does for homemade turkey burgers.
Techniques and options
To properly dust your turkey burgers, season a few tablespoons of flour with salt and pepper and then sprinkle it on both sides of the turkey burger before you cook it. It's important to make sure you get both sides so that you get a crusty sear. Once you've dusted your turkey patty, let it rest for a couple of minutes before you cook them, which will help the flour stick.
If you're gluten-free or avoid using all-purpose or wheat flour, you can use your favorite alternative. Any type of dry coating, such as cornmeal or breadcrumbs, will work for this application. Almond, chickpea, quinoa, tapioca, and rice flours are all recommended for frying. Cornstarch and potato starch are also alternatives to dusting your turkey burgers in flour. Dusting with a light coating of soy flour will give your turkey burgers a crisply golden crust with an earthy, nutty flavor.
Pan frying works best
For the best results, it is best to cook your dusted turkey burgers in a cast iron skillet, in a frying pan or on a griddle, in cooking oil or butter. The flour works best if you cook your patties on a surface with an area large enough for a good amount of fat: Grilling won't have the same effect because the grill grates only touch a small amount of the surface of the patties, and you'll end up with floury burgers. If you're using a grill for other types of burgers, just put a small skillet on a hot area of the grill, and cook your flour-coated turkey burgers in some oil while you grill the other burgers on the other side of the grill.
Since turkey needs to cook to a specific temperature in order to kill bacteria, be sure to have a quick-read meat thermometer on hand to test the internal temperature of your turkey burgers. The crust made by the flour can make the burgers look brown and thoroughly cooked before the inside of the burgers has reached a safe temperature. Once the burgers look brown and crispy, check their temperature with a meat thermometer to ensure they are done.