Ristorante

It’s been a while since my last post! According to Tumblr, about 8 months since anything has been posted here. This is an unfortunate result of my not being active in the culinary sense, adhering to a strict budget, and worst of all, the lack of good grocery store choices here in Daytona Beach.

But fear not! I’ve been getting back on the ball and having many more food adventures now that I’ve made a group of friends that enjoy my enthusiasm about cooking. I’m planning to help make a Thanksgiving dinner next week, so there’ll be plenty for me to talk about and hopefully followed by lots of pictures and instructions.

On Thursday, I had the pleasure of grilling burgers over charcoal for my friends. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to create a custom mixture of meat for patties and used frozen 75/25 1/4-inch thick patties instead. Adorning my yellow Kitchenaid apron and brandishing a stainless steel spatula, I gained many compliments despite the unremarkable patties.

This was simply due to my ability to cook the patties well. The Salt & Fat post I linked in the previous paragraph gave me many tips in addition to the knowledge I already had about grilling burgers. Read up on it to find out how to grill properly.

One of the best piece of advice I can give to someone using ordinary store-bought patties is to season them. Since the meat isn’t extraordinary on its own, you can add a lot of flavor by using spices. A favorite of mine is sprinkling dill weed on the one side of the patty before grilling it, which I learned from a certain Mr. Flegal some years ago. Other good choices are garlic powder, chili powder, and of course salt, pepper, and/or Worcestershire sauce. Some more unconventional choices may also work well, such as dry thyme or sage, paprika, or even curry powder. Don’t be afraid to experiment with a patty or two (though you may want to limit eating it to yourself until you find out whether or not it tastes good!).

That’s all I have for now. Thanksgiving is right around the corner, so be prepared for some new recipes and cooking advice from Ristorante!

—Johnson