Do you prefer to buy hamburger patties that are already made up or would you rather make your own from bulk ground beef? I usually buy ground chuck, and I often make my own patties. If I can find the pre-made patties of ground chuck or better for less, or even very close to the same price as the bulk, I'll buy patties. If the bulk is way cheaper, I'll buy that and make my own. I just got a deal on patties, so I'll be using those this go round.
I use a mix of both, depending on what is cheapest at the time. You also need to factor in the cost of the additional ingredients whilst deciding what to purchase.
I like pre-made burgers for their simplicity. When I need a quick meal, these are the best to pull out of the freezer and put on the grill. But if it comes to sheer taste, I always prefer to make my own from ground beef (bought at Sam's because around here it is the best price). That is the only way to season a burger to your exact preferences... and make them the size you want also. We have this cool tupperwear "burger maker" thing that makes perfect patties, but it is a bit of a mess and a hassle.
Are you referring to the frozen patties already made up? I'm not a fan of those. If you're referring to the made up patties in the meat deli I also avoid those. Not because they're bad but because you pay for the work others are putting into it. I'd rather not if I can do it myself & better in my humble opinion.
I always make my own because I know exactly what has gone into them if I do, with some companies you never know what kind of horrendous things that they have put into them! At least if you make your own you can keep an eye on the ingredients list and keep it to a healthy minimum.
I totally agree with Zyni and missbishi....I just tend to go with whichever is cheaper at the time of buying. I never used to look at the price; but these are lean times, so I check and decide based on price.
Yeah, I should have been more clear. I'm not talking about frozen mystery burgers. I'm talking about 100% ground beef (chuck) that's already been made into patties. I don't mind them, and I still season them. If someone wants a bigger burger, they can make a double I guess. I do usually make my own, because it's cheaper, but if the patties are on sale, I grab them. I recently got ground chuck patties for less than per pound than the bulk style.
I always go with bulk ground beef and never the patties. I have never sen npre-made patties that were both fresh AND somehow cheaper than making my own. That just doesn't usually happen. Besides, I like to mix things into my patties, which I can't do if they're already pre-formed.
I just purchase hamburger patties because it's more convenient, no need to prepare them at all. You'll just take them out of the fridge and cook them.
Lately I have been using hamburger patties and there are lots in the package so they last a long time. There are also times when I get the ground beef and make my own which I really enjoy. I prefer homemade meals but for those moments when you don't have much time it's best for me to cook the hamburger patties. I like my burger with cheese, tomato, onions, and lettuce.
The only time I may consider using the pre-made beef patties was if I had to make burgers for a very large group of people, and I was doing it on a budget, and/or it was for people I really don't care all that much for like work acquaintances for some potluck, not to sound mean but I'm not wasting that much money on fresh ground beef for a lot of people I seldom talk to or hang out with. In just about any other situation where I was cooking for myself, or having friends over and throwing a party of some sort, I would go for the fresh ground chuck or ground round. I like the flavor of ground chuck, but unless you're cooking it on an outdoor grill where the excess grease can drip off, it can be kind of greasy to make burgers indoors with it. If I'm pan frying them, I'll just stick with the ground round, because I can always add plenty of flavor my mixing in minced onion, cooking them in olive oil heavily seasoned with fresh garlic, etc... The burger patties are often (but not always) cheaper at our local grocery stores, but they are loaded with filler, that infamous "pink slime", salt, MSG, artificial coloring and other gross stuff, that I really don't care for. Plus with a cheap plastic burger press, it's easy to knock out a tray full of evenly portioned fresh burger patties ready to cook within just minutes.
It depends on whether the patties are on sale of if I like the way they make them. Most of the time I'd much rather just buy my own beef since it's not too hard to make them into patties anyway, and buying them premade just adds unnecessary expense. If I were trying to save time I would go for patties but I think spending a bit of time in preparing your ground beef shouldn't take too long so I think it's way more practical to do it that way.
I avoid ground beef like the plague because my aunt worked at the grocery store and described how they "cycle down" the meat cuts. What starts out as a steak that doesn't sell is eventually ground up and given a new best before date and resold as ground beef, along with other cuts. A lot of meat used in ground beef doesn't sell well on its own too. Ultimately if it still doesn't sell its used in various in store no name products or sold to pet food companies, sadly you're never getting the best beef in your ground beef. Meat turns brown as it ages, take a close look at the ground beef you buy and try to see what the sides or bottom looks like, not just the pink top. They cover ground beef in a cherry based liquid to make it stay pink but they don't dunk it in the liquid, they spread it on top, so sometimes you can see the non-covered parts turning brown.
