OKlamoma's New Classic The Onion Burger

 Oklahoma is really known for its' oil fields and culinary creations like chicken fried steak. Yet there is a new classic that's equally delicious coming from The Sooner State .It's the onion burger and it's gaining in popularity.

J Kenji Lopez-Alt wrote about this yummy treat in yesterday's New York Times Food section.The recipe comes from the Hamburger Inn in El Reno, Oklahoma located in the middle of the state.It was originally called "the Depression Burger" created by Homer Davis and his son Ross at the height of that era. The onion burger as it's now called has become beloved in recent years thanks to W. George Motz , author of Hamburger America and host of First WE Feast "Burger Scholar Sessions" on You Tube. He would shoot these popular patties through a chute through a kitchen window to waiting diners during the pandemic .He's just wrapped up a European tour, introducing the burger to an international crowd. What makes them so delicious. Blame it on a particular odor molecule,3-Mercapto-2-mentelpentan-1-ol or MMP. It produces an aroma like beef broth. Combine it with chopped beef and it makes the burger taste meatier. You do have to slice the onions paper thin, preferably with a mandolin to release this compound as well as thiosulfinates which also enhances the flavor.

what is the recipe? It's taking two medium yellow or white onions and ground beef.It's shaping the hamburger first  into round  well shaped patties.The onions are then put on top of the burgers, stacked like haystacks. Layer on as many as possible, the higher the better.DO NOT add salt to the onions because it will draw out any moisture. This can ruin the searing the process. Now it's time to cook them, with four burgers in each quadrant of the pan or grill. Use a neutral oil for this however cooking them in butter or a plant based butter will give it a better taste.Smash the burgers with a very sturdy spatula. Focus on the patties' edges to get that crispy finish, The middles should be slightly thicker.It's then scraping the edges off the pan and carefully flipping them onion side down.Use the spatula, tones or even  fork to tuck in any stray onion strings. Chef, Lopez-Alt recommends using King's Hawaiian rolls which have a sweet flavor..It's steaming these and then placing the burgers on top of them.. Add cheese and pickles if you want.

The Oklahoma onion burger may be the star of the summer.It's a yummy way to enjoy  burgers , enhanced with onion. Try it for a tasty change up from the usual ones.

A Home Chef's Resolutions

These are the days for resolutions. Home chefs should have a few of their own. Like life itself, foods, and nutritional needs are constantly changing. No one can stagnate. It's the most dangerous thing to do, especially when it comes to health needs. Change is good, especially in the kitchen.

One of the most often heard New Year's resolutions is eating healthy. In order to do so, you have to shop and cook healthy too. This requires a slight overhaul in a home chef's shopping habits. Any snacker can tell you the exact aisles for soda and snacks. If you're this type, look to memorize where the good for you ingredients are. Be more familiar with your store's produce section. Nowadays, they're so big,it's like having a farmer's market at your fingertips. Try the more exotic veggies every now and then. Buy those tomatillos or breadfruit. The web has a ton of recipes for them so you won't be so at sea when you bring them home. Another idea is bringing home the veggies that are the least liked and cooking them in a more appetizing way. Kids hate Brussels sprouts? Then seduce them with a platter of sprout chips, crispy baked Brussels sprout leaves that have a sprinkling of olive oil and sea salt. Make more Mexican or Italian food. These are the most healthiest and also the most tastiest. Tacos can be made low cal by adding grilled fish or chicken along with fresh sliced tomatoes and lettuce.Nix the sour cream and just add homemade salsa and guacamole. Quesadillas can be made  with soy cheese and low calorie sour cream . Pasta is always a favorite. Use soy crumbles instead of beef for a better, heart healthy version.Also try whole wheat pasta and different types two to three times a week .

Another resolution is expanding your kitchen and knowledge. Look at your appliances, especially the smaller ones and see if they;re up to snuff. If not, take advantage of the January white sales to pick up a replacement. 2016 may also be the year you may want to expand your kitchen or get new cabinets. Meet with a remodeling rep now because it will probably be around early spring when the remodeling happens. Also be prepared for this, Look at different magazines and websites, talk to family and friends who have had their cooking areas redone  along with researching contractors and checking out their backgrounds.This is the year to expand cooking knowledge too. There is a whole wide world of cuisines out there , just waiting to be discovered. Now is the time to go globe trotting culinary style. Buy cookbooks, go to restaurants , take cooking classes. Doing all this is a great way of expanding your knowledge. Another resolution accept mistakes and failures. Cooking new dishes  will take an infinite number of times.It will not be perfect on the first time. It could be but , prepare for  some failure. Also try new methods . Buy a sous vide or a mandolin. It'll open up your repertoire with a few more recipes.A sous vide will give your tender meat dishes the family will love and the mandolin can help in creating extra crispy home made potato chips or perfectly formed slices for scalloped potatoes. it;s also the year to finally buy that pasta or ice cream maker too, or a different kind of grill for the ultimate barbecue.

Yes, these are the days for resolutions, Make ones that will make you and your family feel better  and expand your culinary knowledge. Make this new year  a year of growth!

Black Friday Kitchen Deals

Even though Black Friday is almost done with , home chefs can still cash in on the day's deals. This is the time to replace those iffy smaller appliances along with buying new pans and tins.The deals are amazing  right now. so take advantage of them. This is the time to invest in good quality kitchen ware at bargain basement prices.

One of the best places to get good bargains is Sur La Table both on line and at their many stores. They offer free shipping for $59.00 and over orders.They have a Sansaire Sous Vide Immersion Circulator for $149.00 , fifty dollars less than the usual price.Sur La Table has a great bargain on the Staub Cocotte cookware, $99.00 for a set of four cast iron Dutch ovens. Pick these up if you're planning to make a lot of chili or stewed chicken for the holidays. The store also has good bargains on carving knives sets, .along with special offers on chef's knives.  Williams-Sonoma isn't normally known for lowering their prices but they now are offering some good sales items. They're offering their name brand Thermo clad stainless steel fry pan set for half price at $150.Their Calaphon eleven piece elite non stick cookware set usually goes for a whopping $1,000 and it's on sale for $599.00 This will last a long time and the suggestion is buy it.Another boon is that all of their copper cookware is being sold for 20  percent off. Again this is a good buy because of the quality  and workmanship put in them. Williams -Sonoma also have good deals on all sorts of knives as well as cutting boards and wood containers.

The big box stores such as Target and K-Mart can offer even better bargains.If you need fancy dinnerware then head over to the bull's eye store. Target has excellent prices on Corelleware Strawberry Street, Gorham Willow Creek and Threshold. The best part is that there is a huge variety of colors and patterns so you're not limited. They're also having a sale on toaster ovens as well along with Calaphon  cookware starting at $99.00. Even if there's no sale , Target Red card holders (the store credit card) always receives 5% off all purchases. For even lesser prices try K-Mart. They are offering a BOGO - buy one get one free on all their kitchen utensils and gadgets. Scarf up their balloon whisks and choppers for yourself and your favorite home chef.K-Mart has the amazingly low price of $15 for mandolins.These are usually quadruple or quintuple the price so get them while they're hot.It's great for slicing potatoes for scalloped potatoes and home made potato chips.It can also be used for shredding and grating other veggies like cabbage and carrots. Eighteen dollars will get homes chefs an entirely new twelve piece utensil set with a decorative tub. to store them. This has everything from  a pasta fork to tongs to various blending paddles to a spatula. They will get anyone through the busiest baking and cooking season of the year with ease.

Black Friday is a home chef's dream. It's time to stock up on what you and what you want to create the perfect holiday kitchen. Get out the credit card and shop, shop, shop!