Rachael Ray's Clever Trick For Seasoning Burgers Correctly

Even if you know the proper timing on when to season beef for the best flavor, one of Gordon Ramsey's burger seasoning rules rings especially true; As he told Good Morning America, "You can't season the burger after it's cooked." But as celebrity chef Rachael Ray pointed out when sharing her favorite cooking tip with People magazine, you also shouldn't taste your seasoning on those raw patties prior to cooking.

So, what's a cook to do when faced with such a conundrum? Rachael Ray has the answer. Her genius hack is to make a mini burger first, before you cook the rest of the beef. And she means mini as in less than an inch in size — not a slider, not a quarter pounder. Place your mini patty in a heated skillet, cook it through, and give it a taste. If it needs more salt, pepper, or any other seasoning, you can now make those adjustments.

Of course, before you taste test your seasonings, it may be helpful to know which herbs and spices to reach for in the first place. While the most basic burger seasonings may be black pepper, salt, and garlic powder, consider this a starting point. Celery salt could be the addition your burgers are begging for, and pantry staples such as paprika, soy sauce, and dried parsley are other tried-and-true options. On the more experimental side, you can add ginger to your burger mix to really balance out the fat of the meat with that signature ginger spiciness.

If you are choosing to experiment with flavor, Rachael Ray's trick can work well here, too. Try adding your blend of seasonings to a small portion of the burger mixture and test that before seasoning the rest of the patties. After all, it's a lot more difficult to subtract flavor from an over-seasoned burger mixture than to beef up a bland batch.