(Media credit/Phil Dragash)

American eaters are very serious about their hamburgers. In fact, it would be hard to imagine a more American food than the all American burger.

Now, after sampling those sought after sandwiches from dozens of chain restaurants, Consumer Reports has named the McDonald’s hamburger the worst-tasting burger.

The magazine surveyed 28-thousand people nationwide to come up with the rankings on a ten point scale. Of course, not every hamburger chain was covered in the survey. For example high end chain The Counter was left out of the survey. Five Guys and In-N-Out Burger topped the list. McDonald’s biggest rival Burger King came in tied for next to last place in burger taste tests.

So, why do McDonald’s burgers score so low? My discriminating burger palette tells me reason number one that the Golden Arches fail the taste test would be that their ground beef patties are frozen. When meat is frozen, the freezing process pulls the natural moisture out of the meat. So, when the meat is defrosted, much of that natural moisture "runs off" leaving a drier, less rich tasting product.

Second, because of the speed in which McDonald’s, or any other fast food burger restaurant has to serve their burgers, the patties are cooked ahead of time. Who knows how long that burger has been sitting there in the warming unit? Even though McDonald’s, Burger King and the rest of the chains have standards on how long they hold their burgers, it would be reasonable to assume that the burgers are not "cooked to order".

From a quality and taste comparison, it would be hard to compare a McDonald’s burger (especially their "Dollar Value Menu" hamburger, which has a much smaller pattie and distinctly inferior taste to their higher end burger offerings) to a Five Guys or an In-And-Out Burger as in both of the latter restaurants, the burgers are almost always cooked to order. Of course, you pay for this higher quality and better taste in higher prices and in longer cook times. At either Five Guys or In-And-Out Burger, you’re looking at up to 10 to 15 minute cook times. Can you imagine sitting in a McDonald’s drive thru for 15 minutes, without threatening to McFlurry the kid behind the window? So, certainly convenience, speed and price, rather than taste, have a lot to do with McDonald’s burgers selling billions of their burgers each year.

On the other hand, why do McDonald’s fries continue to do so well in taste tests? McDonald’s fries are frozen as compared to Five Guys whose fries are fresh cut. In the old days, though, McDonald’s fries were also fresh cut and fried in a blend of beef tallow (fat) and cotton seed oil that made the fries delicious. My spies deep within the Mickey D’s organization (OK, a high schooler I know who works there after school) tells me that McDonald’s fries are made with a "natural" seasoning that duplicates the taste profile of the original fries cooked in beef tallow. I’d also theorize that human beings’ tastes are determined in the first years of their lives. So, after generations of Americans have been raised on Happy Meals, we are programmed from toddlerhood forward to love McDonald’s fries.

What makes Five Guys and In-And-Out Burger score so well with those surveyed? Both serve fresh ground beef cooked to order and served on freshly baked buns, but, moreover, at both of these places, you can pick whatever combination of ingredients you desire to top off your burger. Hand leaf lettuce, fresh cut tomatoes, saut©ed mushrooms, saut©ed onions, raw onions and lots more.

Americans have strong opinions about what makes a great burger. And, it appears that Five Guys and In-And-Out have the right recipe for success; instead of quick and pre-fabricated, burger barons want their fast food chains to start off with great quality ingredients, and then let them "have it your way" when it comes to putting it all together. Hmm, haven’t we heard that jingle somewhere before?

(ARA) – Ah, the love of the burger – it’s a unifying American experience. But if the fat content in fast food burgers makes your heart burn with shame, and meat recalls have you worrying about what’s in that burger you made at home, you’re not alone. Is it any wonder that interest in vegan alternatives to traditional meat meals is on the rise – even among people who still consider themselves meat-eaters?

“People are understandably concerned about what they’re serving their families,” said Gary Torres of Food for Life, a vegan food company that is seeing increased interest in meat-free foods. “But it’s not just confirmed vegans who are seeking these alternatives. We’re seeing increased interest in vegetarian and vegan foods by people who don’t consider themselves to be followers of either lifestyle.”

The health advantages and expanded availability of more vegan choices seem to be key factors inspiring more people to incorporate meat-free meals into their lifestyles, Torres says.

Not sure if you can incorporate vegetarian or vegan foods into your family’s diet? Consider the following:

• A simple Google search turns up hundreds of Web sites designed to help you “go vegan.” In fact, you can even find sites that will help you locate restaurants in your area that serve vegan or vegetarian dishes.
• It’s easier than ever to find cookbooks filled with delicious vegan and vegetarian dishes you can prepare at home.
• Numerous studies point to the health benefits of vegetarian and vegan diets – from help in losing weight to alleviating symptoms of some types of arthritis and diabetes.
• Vegan and vegetarian food products are going mainstream in grocery stores. Many products deliver the benefits of vegan foods without sacrificing the flavor and texture consumers demand. For example, Food for Life’s new baked (not fried) Moophrey burgers mimic the flavor and texture of quality ground beef. And in taste tests conducted by the company, more kids chose baked Cluckphrey Patties over traditional chicken nuggets. Both products are made with all-natural, non-genetically modified vegetable ingredients.

And if you’re still not convinced that vegan foods fit into your family’s lifestyle, consider this – you may already have vegan foods in your pantry. Items you already use, but never knew were vegan range from Kool-Aid and Fritos to Sunbeam bread, Krispy Kreme fruit pies and Ore-Ida Tater Tots, according to Peta.org.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

It’s grilling season. In celebration of all things eating, I wrote two most fun articles in The Boston Globe — one about eating al fresco all over Boston and the other where I got to test out four different grills, eat a ton of food and see which grill cooked them the best.

Yeah, life is rough.

Following up on my grilling story, Weber shared a few ridiculously good-looking burger recipes, and I think you need to have a look.

Weber’s Hollywood Cheeseburgers with Mushrooms and Brie

Prep time: 10 minutes

Grilling time: 8 to 10 minutes

Burgers

1 ounce dried mushrooms, such as shiitake
1-1/2 pounds ground chuck (80% lean)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dried tarragon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 ounces brie cheese, thinly sliced
8 slices sourdough bread, each 1/2 inch thick
5 lettuce leaves
Wholegrain mustard

To prepare the burgers: In a medium bowl, cover mushrooms with boiling water and allow them to soak until soft, about 45 minutes. Drain the mushrooms and squeeze out the excess water. Blot the mushrooms with paper towels, cut out the tough stems and discard. In a food processor, process the mushrooms until finely chopped and place them in a medium bowl. Add the remaining burger ingredients and gently mix with your hands. Shape into four patties, each about 3/4 inch thick.

Grill the patties over Direct High heat until medium, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once. During the last 30 seconds, top the burgers with the brie and grill the bread until lightly toasted. Serve the burgers hot on the toasted bread with the lettuce and mustard.

Makes four.

Weber’s Cheeseburger of Champions

Prep time: 10 minutes

Grilling time: 8 to 10 minutes

1 ½  pounds ground chuck (80% lean)

1  tablespoon ketchup

1  teaspoon dried basil

1/2  teaspoon dried thyme

1/2  teaspoon kosher salt

1/2  teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2  teaspoon Tabasco® sauce

1/4 teaspoon fres

hly ground black pepper

4 thin slices Monterey Jack Cheese

4 hamburger buns

4  lettuce leaves

4 tomato slices

In a medium bowl, using your hands, gently combine the ground chuck with the ketchup, basil, thyme, salt, Worcestershire, Tabasco, and pepper.  Gently shape into 4 patties, each about ¾ inch thick.

Grill the patties over Direct High heat until medium, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once.  During the last minute of grilling place a slice of cheese on each patty to melt, and grill the hamburger buns, cut side down, until toasted.  Assemble the cheeseburgers with lettuce, tomato, and ketchup and/or mustard, if desired.  Serve warm.

Makes 4 servings

©2005 Weber-Stephen Products Co. Recipe from Weber’s Real Grillingâ„¢ by Jamie Purviance. Used with permission