No matter where you are, the idea of a “perfect” burger patty should be the same: Seared on the grill until the juicy fat is dripping down the grill in thick, flavor-packed droplets. But then, after a long week, the thought of having to spend 20 minutes to set up the outdoor grill…we don’t blame you for not getting too enthused. For those who still want a burger to chow on for lunch, you may have wondered whether you could speed up the cooking process by simply zapping the beef patty in the microwave.
The good news is that microwaved hamburgers are a thing! As long as you cook the patty to the correct temperature (around 160 degrees Fahrenheit in its core), you’re good to go. For this, you’ll need to have a meat thermometer.
Keep in mind, however, that the microwave can cook thick pieces of food like burger patties very unevenly. To keep it from excessively drying out, make sure to flip the patty just like you would on a grill about halfway through to ensure that both sides of the patty are nicely cooked.
How long should you cook your burger in the microwave for?
Blasting each side of your raw burger for three to four minutes at high power should result in a decent patty. It won’t taste as great as a flame-grilled burger with a thick patty wedged in the middle, but it sure beats it in terms of convenience. If you prefer your burger to be more well done, add a minute to the cooking time of each side.
If your burger patty is frozen, it’s best if you don’t put it into the microwave and blast it right away. If you do, you’ll lose much of the natural juices in the frozen ground beef due to the ice crystals that have formed and vaporized. Instead, it’s important to defrost your meat first. Fortunately, just about every microwave these days comes with this function built-in. Give it a few minutes in this mode so that it either comes down to room temperature or is a bit warm. Then you can cook it the rest of the way on high power.
When the patty comes out of the microwave, the juice should still bubble and boil on the inside. Allow it to rest for a minute or two – this not only will allow the meat to cook the rest of the way thanks to residual heat, but it’ll also allow the juices to settle. The result will be surprisingly tasty and juicy!
