I am a huge fan of switching out ground beef for ground turkey. Ground turkey breast is a very healthy alternative which offers lots of protein but a lot less fat and calories than ground beef. I first heard about pulling this switcheroo on The Biggest Loser, and after trying it I was hooked! You would think it would lack flavor, but it really doesn’t and they are so juicy! I love adding different seasonings and sauces to my burgers anyway, so transitioning was no problemo for me.
I’ve made them a few times, with the help of my trusty pastry chef boyfriend San of course (he is better at making burgers than me), so when we made them a couple weekends ago, I was sure they would turn out perfectly. Boy, was I wrong. Although they tasted good, we did almost everything wrong, so now I am here to tell you just exactly how NOT to make turkey burgers. I’m a firm believer in letting you all see the harsh realities of what goes on in my kitchen as well as all the good stuff. Let’s get started!
Step #1: Buy the wrong kind of ground turkey. This is the perfect way to have a catastrophe of a time making these burgers. I have no problem with the brand pictured for casseroles and other recipes where you break up the ground turkey, but I try to avoid it when making turkey burgers (you’ll see why shortly – it is too sticky). I recommend, if you want to know how to make turkey burgers well, you buy some Jennie-O turkey in the clear packaging in the refrigerated meat section, not a frozen roll of turkey as the one pictured below.
Step #2: Notice your mistake and search through your pantry looking for something that can remedy the overly sticky turkey situation. We went with breadcrumbs.
Step #3: Add some seasoning. This is a good step to follow when making burgers of any kind. We went with a Bacon Cheddar Cheese blend. Some barbecue sauce, brown sugar, or even just salt and pepper would be good depending on what flavor you want the burger to have.
Step #4: Blend everything with your hands, notice how sticky it is, and then add your bread crumbs. If you want to know how to make turkey burgers the right way, you can just mix them with your hands, realize how not sticky the meat is and skip the bread crumbs. Am I confusing you yet?
Step #5: Realize that the bread crumbs didn’t do anything but add calories, so skip using your hands all together and use spoons to shape the burgers. 
Step #6a: Plop them down in an oiled skillet and do a happy dance thinking you made it out on the other side in one piece.
Step #6b: ….But make sure you use a pan with no non-stick coating so you have to scrape with all your might to keep the burgers from becoming permanently attached to the pan. If you haven’t noticed yet, there is a pattern of things getting too sticky for the burgers to turn out properly. If you want to make turkey burgers the right way – avoid all things sticky.
Step #7: Place the fully cooked turkey burgers on fresh buns, top them with some cheese, and pair with some yummy fatty chips to distract whoever is eating them. The burgers didn’t burn, although they were pretty close to it (okay so we ended up scraping the burnt part off), so all we had to do was add some cheese to hide our mistakes and they still tasted good in the end!
What was that? Things can still taste good even if you mess them up? Sure! You just have to know how to mess up in the right way, which I outlined here. Okay, so I got lucky, but who is really keeping track?
Now, I wouldn’t serve these at a a party this way, but for me and my happy-go-lucky boyfriend who will eat whatever I put in front of him (thank you, God) the world wasn’t over and our stomachs – and tastebuds – were still satisfied. I just hope I remember this post the next time I go to make these so I can do everything the exact opposite.
All this talk of messing up food has me wondering – what was your biggest blunder in the kitchen and what did you do to remedy it?
This post is a part of Tasty Tuesday over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.
Hello, welcome to my cozy abode in the blogosphere. My name is Sarah, and I am the dreamer behind Dream In Domestic. This blog is a collection
of everything I love: food, decor, saving money, God, and the simple things in life. I am a twenty year old college student who is drawn to all things domestic. I hope you stick around and find something you like. Thanks for stopping by!
I love turkey burgers but they are sticky to make. I finally started using wax paper to actually shape the burgers so they didn’t stick to my hands so much. It works pretty well. I make mine on the grill but they do stick a little. Boy are they good! You can add onions, green pepper, salsa, etc to them to enhance the experience. I have had many mishaps in the kitchen, you just learn from them.
Great title! :) Looks like you made the best of it. Ground turkey is a great substitute for beef. Thanks for sharing!
Glad to hear they came out ok. I’ve never made turkey burgers before. Thanks for the tips on how to make them. :D
Wow, sounds like fun! They do look pretty tasty, and I’m glad you still enjoyed them even though they got a little burned.
My worst mistake in the kitchen was over a year ago, we had only been married for about 3 months and I was making tacos for dinner. We had just gotten a microwave (we lived in the dark ages without one for a few months after moving into our rental) and I knew that my hubby liked his tortillas warm, and so did I, so I decided to microwave them. I put a stack of them on a plate, and placed a damp paper towel over top of them. I put them in the microwave, set it for 7 minutes at 20% power, and went back to cooking the chicken and beans on the stove. 5 minutes later my hubby walks back in and yells as he runs over to the microwave – black smoke was billowing out of it, and the tortillas were on fire! (my back was turned to it, so I hadn’t noticed the obvious, haha) It turned out that I didn’t know how to properly set the power/heat level (it wasn’t like our last microwave), and although I thought I set it at 20% power, it was actually still on 100%. Ooops! Luckily there were a few tortillas left to eat with our dinner, but our place smelled like flaming tortillas for weeks!! (we lived in a duplex – our poor neighbors, lol!)
I love it when a mistake still tastes good! I’ve had more than one kitchen mistake – all of the classics (not poking baked potatoes & they exploded in the oven, forgetting the lid on the blender, boiling the pots dry…) and several very unique ones!
I’ve definitely had my share of kitchen mistakes – but they often do end up tasting really good. The funniest one was when I was making Coq Au Vin and I was trying to use up the end of a bottle of brandy. You normally ignite the brandy with a match and it makes a polite little flame that gives the dish a gorgeous taste. I had used so much brandy that I nearly had a proper fire on my hands! Thankfully the pan lid was nearby – I have to admit the Coq Au Vin was the best I ever made because it was so deliciously boozy!
I think they look yummy! :) I set my apron on fire last summer. :s