What makes a good burger? You can ask a hundred cooks and you will get a hundred answers, no one will be right or wrong. For me the key to a good burger is fat! I am not a fan of binders or unnecessary fillers, no egg or breadcrumbs. For an everyday burger the quality of the meat doesn't matter too much either (shock!).

For me, the turning point of making a good burger was reading Adam’s post on using his new burger press. I had always hand shaped mine, and they came out OK, but something about a press intrigued me. Not knowing if I was going to use it regularly I went for a relatively cheap but solid metal one. What a game changer! Not only does the burger hold together better when cooking, but it also appeals to my OCD side.

Perfectly sized, ridged burgers, ready to store, freeze, or cook straight away.

Step 1 - Mix your meat

• Tip the mince into a bowl

• Add the cheese and any other additions, here I am using chopped gherkins and streaky bacon, make up the total to about 800g

• Add the spices, herbs and seasoning

• Mix well - there is only one way - get your (clean) hands in there, and squelch the mix through your fingers!

Step 2 - Weigh in

• It’s worth weighing your final amount of meat mix and divide by 4. It’s not just about the OCD qualities, but all of your burgers will cook at the same time if you do!

• Put a greased paper on the base of your press

• Add a quarter of your mix

Step 3 - Press

• Add a top circle of paper

• Push down with the top of the press

• Pop out your perfect burger and continue with the next

I’m not going to teach you how to cook a burger. These are great fried, grilled, or hold together for a BBQ. You will have your favourite accompaniments and carrier, be it brioche, burger bun, or lettuce wrap, but do invest in a press!

 Ingredients - Everyday burgers

• 650g minced beef - 20% fat preferred, don’t be tempted to go under 12%

• 100g grated cheese, mature cheddar works well

• 50g ‘additions’ - chopped bacon, leftover meat, chopped gherkins, have a play

• 2 tsp onion powder

• 2 tsp garlic powder

• 2 tsp smoked paprika

• 2 tsp dried Italian herbs

• 1 tsp salt

• 0.5 tsp ground black pepper