Burgers... A Delicacy?

It's summertime and that means backyard barbecuing is top of mind, and burgers often top the list of must-haves on the grill. In fact, hamburgers just might be the quintessential grilling food. In the beginning, burgers started as a simple sandwich; today chefs everywhere are taking an artisan approach to their burgers.

Technomic explains the trend. "The biggest menu news, however, is the rise of 'better burgers' featuring higher-quality ingredients, providing consumers with more options at reasonable prices that represent a trade-up from quick service or a trade-down from full service," ("Decoding the Crave: How Americans Love Burgers Today" Technomic).

High quality ingredients, inventive toppings and condiments, and flavorful seasonings are a few ideas to take a typical burger and make it exceptional, and burger creativity can be endless. From using alternative meat or meat substitutes for a classic beef burger, to artisan buns, it's a dish you can have some fun with! This is where using food bases comes into play. Think of Better Than Bouillon® as your secret ingredient to making ordinary burgers extraordinary!

Better Than Bouillon® Food Bases are offered in Premium Black Label, All-Natural Reduced Sodium, Organic and Vegetarian varieties, and are available in many flavors. Make your burger a premium menu item with Better Than Bouillon® Food Bases!

Featured is a recipe, Not Your Classic Cheeseburger, which highlights the creative burger trend and uses great tasting Better Than Bouillon® Food Base!

Not Your Classic Cheeseburger                                                                            

(Serves 4)                                    

Ingredients

• 1½ pounds ground round, thawed
• 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon® Beef Base
• ⅓ cup finely grated carrot
• 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon horseradish mustard (may substitute with Worcestershire sauce)
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• sharp Cheddar cheese, sliced (generously top burgers)
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced (may substitute with frozen onion rings)
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon Southeastern Mills® Barbecue Seasoning (may substitute)
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup milk
• canola oil (for frying onion rings)
• 6-7 slices thick cut bacon, fried and drained on paper towel
• 4 hamburger buns

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, add ground round, Beef Base, carrot, garlic, horseradish mustard and pepper, mix to combine.
2. Divide meat mixture into 4 equal portions and shape each portion into a patty.
3. Prepare grill grate and grill patties over medium heat; do not grill over direct flame or overcrowd patties. Cover each patty with sliced cheese, melt.
4. Use an instant read thermometer to ensure proper doneness.
5. In a large deep skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat to 350°F.
6. In a small bowl combine flour and Barbecue Seasoning; in a second bowl whisk egg with milk.
7. Dredge sliced onion rings in seasoned flour. Dip onion rings in egg mixture. Dredge in seasoned flour for a second time.
8. Place onion rings in hot oil and fry until golden brown, drain on paper towel.
9. Place patties on toasted buns and top with bacon and onion rings.

   

Garnish with tomatoes or lettuce leaves.

Good Things Come From Sysco

Sysco offers its customers more good things than they expect. They go beyond their basic commitment to get customers the foodservice products they want, when they want them, at the right price and as promised. They do more because they know that when their customers are successful, Sysco is successful.

Additionally, as stewards of the Earth, Sysco bows to protect, nurture and build upon the natural resources provided to us. Sysco will continually seek out new ways to grow, harvest and distribute food in a manner that not only preserves and protects the environment, but strengthens its ability to deliver the best possible quality to its customers. In this way, Sysco ensures a healthy future not just for our planet, but for our businesses and end users alike.

For more information regarding Sysco, please visit them on the web at  www.syscoatlanta.com or follow them on Facebook (key word - Sysco Atlanta).  

 Vicky Murphy

vicky.murphy@inlandseafood.com                                                                           

Schwan's Food Service

Life beyond the line

Kit Kiefer, CEC, CCE, AAC, FMP

It's true...we work, live, and function in a different world. By "we" I mean those of us who are corporate chefs focusing on product development and R&D. The reality is we are still all about the food and the flavor. Maintaining the integrity and original flavor profile of a product we've developed is paramount. I'm Kit Kiefer, Corporate Executive Chef and Director of Culinary Services for The Schwan Food Company's Food Service Division. I have three other chefs on my team and we constantly travel all over the continent working with culinary teams from a variety of restaurants, colleges and universities, and other vendor partners. The typical time frame for a product to go from concept to launching in a restaurant is 18 months so there is no instant gratification but seeing a product you've helped develop on the menu of a 1600 unit chain is thrilling. Although there are different models for different food service operations, the basic cycle is as follows:

• A culinary ideation session takes place with the marketing and culinary team and the customer to evaluate research and determine what new, innovative products are on trend that make sense for their operation
• Concept testing takes place over the internet reaching out to a specific demographic to determine interest
• If the concept testing goes well, a bench top protocept is developed and additional concept testing is done with photographs. There are many iterations of the product produced based on customer and consumer feedback
• The product then goes to sensory testing where a broad group of people actually taste the item and score it accordingly
• If it is determined that consumer interest is strong enough the product goes to the first commercialization step and mass produced for an "ops" test. This is an operations test where the customer actually serves the product in a select number of units. This helps to determine handling procedures and to gain additional consumer feedback
• If the ops test is successful, the sales are forecasted, the product is mass produced and it typically launches as an "LTO" or limited time offer
• In some cases a product is so successful that it moves to the permanent menu which is, of course what we like to see

We focus on market research, nutritional guidelines, food science, product development techniques, concentrated flavors, product viscosity, PH levels, moisture migration, starch properties, gums, dough conditioners, and much, much more. But in the end, we do what all of us do; make good food!

Atlanta Fixture

THE ONLY FULL SERVICE HEATED CABINET WITH 3 BUILT IN POWER SOURCES

 CRESCOR HOTCUBE 3

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZYubACAlCbM

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* Easy visual sight glass to see propane flame. Audible and visual alarms warns of flame out  

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