Hack Your Dinner
Hack Your Dinner with these simple recipes . The secret to these burgers is using a blend of different types of ground meat to give the burgers amazing flavor, while keeping them tender. Upgrade store bought fries using a homemade spice mix. And make a creamy homemade ice cream in under 10 minutes!
Tasty Team
Total Time
1 hr 10 min
1 hr 10 min
Prep Time
20 minutes
20 min
Cook Time
50 minutes
50 min
Total Time
1 hr 10 min
1 hr 10 min
Prep Time
20 minutes
20 min
Cook Time
50 minutes
50 min
Ingredients
for 4 servings
Classic American Cheeseburger
- 12 oz beef chuck (350 g), ground 80/20
- 6 oz ground beef short rib (170 g)
- 6 oz ground beef brisket rib (170 g)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 4 large hamburger buns
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
For Serving
- 4 slices beefsteak tomatoes
- 4 slices red onion
- 4 green leaf lettuces
- ketchup
- mayonnaise
- dijon mustard
Zesty French Fries
- 6 cups frozen french fries (930 g)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- brown paper bag
Ice Cream In a Bag
- 1 cup heavy cream (240 mL)
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 6 cups ice (840 g), crushed
- ⅓ cup rock salt (40 g)
- rainbow sprinkle, for serving
Special Equipment
- 1 zip-top bag, quart-sized
- 1 zip-top bag, gallon-sized
Nutrition Info
- Calories 1314
- Fat 62g
- Carbs 129g
- Fiber 46g
- Sugar 22g
- Protein 65g
Estimated values based on one serving size.
Preparation
- Classic American Cheeseburger
- In a medium bowl, gently mix together the ground chuck, short rib, and brisket with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon ground pepper.
- Shape the meat into 4 equal patties about 4½ inches wide and 1 inch thick. Use your thumb to press an indentation into the center of each patty to prevent a bubble from forming in the center when cooking. Generously season the tops and sides of the patties with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Spread about ½ tablespoon of butter onto each cut side of the hamburger buns. Working in batches, toast the buns, buttered-side down, for about 2 minutes, until golden brown. Set aside.
- Increase the heat to medium-high. Add a thin layer of canola oil to the pan and cook the burgers for 4 minutes on one side, until nicely browned. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes on the other side. Top each burger with a slice of cheese and cover the pan with a lid. Cook until the cheese is melted and the internal temperature of the burgers reaches 135°F (57°C), another 1–2 minutes.
- Assemble the burgers: Place a burger patty on each toasted bun, then top tomato, red onion, lettuce, ketchup, mayonnaise, and mustard. Serve immediately.
- Enjoy!
- Zesty French Fries
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place a wire rack on top of the baking sheet.
- Arrange the fries in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, tossing halfway through, 25–30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, stir together the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, black pepper, and sugar.
- Add the cooked fries and the spice blend to a large paper bag. Fold the bag tightly to seal and shake until the fries are well-coated.
- Serve immediately.
- Enjoy!
- Ice Cream In a Bag
- Add the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla bean paste to a quart-sized zip-top bag. Stir with a fork or small whisk to evenly combine. Squeeze out all of the excess air from the bag and seal shut.
- Add the crushed ice and rock salt to a gallon-sized zip-top bag. Gently shake to combine.
- Add the cream-filled bag to the ice-filled bag and seal shut. Shake vigorously for 7–10 minutes, until the ice cream has hardened.
- Carefully remove the ice cream bag from the larger bag. Serve immediately with rainbow sprinkles on top.
- Enjoy!
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