The Burger: Fat Percentage and Handling

López-Alt's exhaustive testing of burger technique produced definitive findings on fat percentage, grind coarseness, handling, and cooking method that overturned decades of conventional wisdom. The results are consistently reproducible and form the technical foundation for understanding ground meat cookery broadly.

A ground beef patty cooked at high heat to develop a Maillard crust while maintaining a juicy interior. The technical variables — fat percentage, grind, handling, seasoning timing, and cooking method — each have measurable impact on the final result.

• Korean bulgogi (similar fat percentage logic in ground beef applications), Turkish köfte (same handling principle — minimal working of the meat), Japanese tsukune (ground chicken skewer — same protein