Last weekend, my boyfriend came home with a bag of pre-shaped burger patties and cheap hot dogs. (Someone brought too many to a cookout.) I was thrilled, because I love burgers and hot dogs, no matter the price point. We had hot dogs one day and burgers the next, and still had plenty of each leftover, which was great because, again, I love both of these foods.
I tend to get a little involved when making burgers, however. My preferred burger is a thin and crispy smash burger, but these pre-formed patties did not want to smash well. (I suspect it’s because they’ve been over-handled during the patty-shaping process, or maybe it’s just a matter of cheap meat.) Since smashing was out, speed of preparation became my new focus: How quickly could I cook a burger, and with what?
Almost as soon as I posed the question to myself, I knew the answer. I suspected my waffle maker, which is essentially a George Forman grill with extra, intersecting grill lines, could make quick work of the thin, all-beef patties, and I was right.
Photo: Claire Lower
I turned my waffle maker on, let it get nice and hot, then smashed a heavily salted burger patty in between the two plates. Four minutes later, the burger was cooked through, and while it didn’t have as much browning as a smash burger, it had just as much as a classically grilled burger with classic grill marks.
Top-rated waffle makers for all of your wafflin’ needs:
I warmed a bun in the air fryer and melted a slice of cheese on the top half, then slid the waffle burger on top of the bottom bun and finished it off with mustard and onions. It wasn’t a smash burger, but it was a good burger. The waffle maker provided some much needed in browning to the lackluster pre-formed patty, and it did so in under five minutes, which makes it the fastest burger I’ve ever made, turning a mediocre puck of meat into a tasty and convenient midday meal. (It did not hurt that the meat was free; I do love free meat.)
Photo: Claire Lower
Quick and Easy Waffle Burger
Ingredients:
1 4-ounce burger patty2 huge pinches of saltWhatever other stuff you like to eat with and on your burgerHeat your waffle maker as hot as it will go. Heavily salt both sides of your burger patty, then smash it in between the plates of your waffle iron. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the burger is cooked through. Put it on a bun and eat it.
