Well-Done Burgers Done Well

Adding a panade—a mix of bread and milk—to the meat mixture keeps even well done burger moist. 

There’s no way around it: Burgers cooked medium-well to well done are less juicy than those cooked less—even if you follow our lesson to the letter. But some folks love well-done burgers, or are worried about food safety and don’t want to risk eating rare ground meat. We’ve found they can have their burgers and eat them too, if they add a panade to their meat mixture. A paste made from bread and milk, a panade adds moisture to meatballs and meatloaf. (And what’s a burger but a meatball by another name?) For 1½ pounds of ground beef, combine 1 slice of hearty white sandwich bread, torn in pieces, with 2 tablespoons milk. Let it sit about 5 minutes, until the bread is soaked, then mash to a paste with a fork; you’ll have about ¼ cup. Gently mix the panade into the meat before forming burgers.