Learn How To Make Hamburger Patties

     There are a lot of ways to make a good hamburger patty. They can be made out of ground beef, pork, lamb, sausage, turkey, or more. They can be stuffed full of garlic, cheese, spices, peppers, or virtually anything small enough to fit inside. They can be mixed into the ground meat, eggs, bread crumbs, cream, and everything but the kitchen sink. Regardless of what is put inside (and simpler is usually better), it all starts with making the perfect patty.

     What I have here is a coarse ground beef and some salt and pepper but you can choose any burger recipe you want. I also prefer a high fat content in the meat, something in the 85/15 range. Extremely lean meat will not produce the flavor desired in a good burger. Of course, the higher the fat content the more shrinkage of the patties will occur. Before getting started, you will need to be aware of a few of things:

• Keep the meat cold as much as possible
• Do not over work the meat. Handle it as little as possible
• Keep your hands and work area clean
• Wash everything as soon as you are done

Ingredients:

·  1 lb (454 g) lean ground beef

·  1 egg

·  2 tbsp (25 mL) water

·  1/4 cup (50 mL) dry bread crumbs

·  1 small onion, grated

·  2 tsp (10 mL) Dijon mustard

·  1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt

·  1/2 tsp (2 mL) Worcestershire sauce

·  1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper

·  2 tbs olive oil

Dividing the Meat

     The size of the patties should be determined by the size of the bread you will be putting them on. Also remember that the higher the fat content of the meat the more the patties will shrink as they cook. If you are using 85/15 lean/fat or higher, make the patties larger than the buns, otherwise the same size as the buns will work best.

     Another thing to be aware of, is that all the patties to be the same size so they cook at the same rate. If not, you will end up with small overcooked burgers and large undercooked burgers. By taking a ball of the ground meat and holding it in your hand you will get a feel for the size and be able to make all the burgers the same size.

Shaping the Patties

     So you have a ball of ground meat in your hand. If you simply press the meat into a patty it will crack and break up around the edges. What you want to do is press down in the middle and in from the sides, turning the burger around in your hand until it is even and uniform. It should be a solid disk of meat that is tightly compacted.

Depressing the Center

     When hamburger patties cook, they shrink. As they shrink the edges tend to break apart causing deep cracks to form in the patty. To combat this you want the burger patty to be thinner in the middle than it is around the edges. Slightly depress the center of the patty to push a little extra meat towards the edges. This will give you an even patty once it is cooked.

Seasoning the Patties

     Now that the patties are formed, it is time to season them the way you would a good steak. Remember that a good burger isn't any different than any other piece of meat you are going to grill. Since the ground meat has fat uniformly spread inside the meat you don't need to oil the surface like you might with a pork chop, but a nice sprinkling of herbs and spices will give you burger added flavor. Personally, I prefer just a little salt and pepper, the same way I like my steaks.

Finished Hamburger Patties

     Once the patties are formed and seasoned they are ready for the grill. I know people who like to prepare the patties way ahead of time and keep them in the refrigerator. You really don't want your hamburger patties to spend too much time exposed to the air. If you are not going to cook them right way then they need to be wrapped tightly, otherwise they should hit the grill right away. Don't allow ground meat sit around to grow bacteria.

     To wrap burger patties, stack them up with pieces of wax paper between each patty. Wrap tightly in foil and refrigerate.

REFERENCES:

http://bbq.about.com/od/hamburgers/ss/aa082507a_6.htm

Read more: http://www.pinoyrecipe.net/filipino-beef-burger-recipe/#ixzz2vSbifZNe
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Learn How To Make Skinless Longganisa

     Skinless longganisa is another cured product that is usually served during breakfast. it can be produces from beef, pork, chicken or any other meat depending upon the preference of the consumer. There are several flavours of this meat item. the present formulation of sausages is done for flavour and variety. Vigani's sausage, Lucban's sausage, Pampanga's Best and many others have their own peculiar characteristics and flavour.

     This product is comminuted to proper selection of meat prior to grinding should be practiced. Meat with high amount of soluble protein, high water holding capacity, and emulsifying capacity is a must to have a good product. Lean and fat trimmings which could not be sold can be used for the purpose. However, it could not be denied that good quality meat speaks for the quality of the product. Likewise proper proportion of lean and fat must be considered.

Materials:

The ingredients, utensils and packaging materials needed for conducting the exercise are as follows:

A. Ingredients:

     1. Meat (fresh ground lean meat and back fat)

     2. Salt

     3. Brown sugar

     4. MSG

     5. Prague Powder

     6. Black pepper

     7. Garlic

     8. Anisado wine

     9. Pineapple Juice

     10. Corn Starch

B. Utensils needed:

     1. Knives

     2. Chopping Board

     3. Basin (enamel or stainless)

     4. Measuring cup and spoon

     5. Mortar and Pestle

C. Packaging materials:

     Plastic Labo cut in small piece

Methodology:

     1. Select good quality meat such as pork,beef, chevon, poultry, and back fat from pork.

     2. Remove the skin (pork), bony portion, lymph nodes, and clothed blood.

     3. Slice the meat and pork back fat by cubes prior to  grinding.

     4. Grind meat and back fat

     5. Measure the ingredients according to the proportion required.

     6. Mix first the solid ingredients very well before mixing with ground meat.

     7. Add the liquid ingredients and mix very well.

     8. Add the corn starch to the mixture and mix very well until tacky.

     9. Weigh the mixture to determine the yield.

    10. Weigh 250 gram of the mixture and divide into 8 or 9 parts depending on the desired size.

    11. Wrap in a pre-cut plastic cut wrap or plastic labo and shape as that of the commercially available.

    12. Package in pastic bag, cure for two (2) days inside the refrigerator.

    13. After two days freeze or market the product.

References:
     IBARRA, PERLITO I. Meat Processing for Small and Medium Scale Operations. Institute of Animal Science, UPLB.
     PCARRD. The Philippines Recommends for Meat Processing.
     TLRC. Modules

PHEDAMAZING!! (Physical Education is Amazing!!!)

     Being an Agriculture student, not only we encounter courses related to agriculture we also meet  minor subjects. Like for instance, Physical Education class.

     Playing volleyball is very fun and exciting. Being one of the new addition to this class, I have a chance to meet  new friends.

     It is easy for me to enjoy this class, because I really do love sports. I like table tennis, soccer and more.

     When I was in high school I used to play volleyball in our barangay. It is called  "Inter-barangay"  sports event. Various sports are played, including volleyball, against other barangays here in Indang, Cavite.

     When I heard my instructor said that our Physical Education class is volleyball...at first I was excited because, with my experience in high school, I can say that this game is for me. But later on, I felt so bad, why? Because since I am the "new person" in their section, I haven't make friends in their class yet. And how can I even choose my teammate for this activity, I don't even talk to them because I'm shy at them. I'm a little intimidated with their personalities.

But one of my classmates said that "You are the poorest person when you can't afford to smile in this class when in fact, smiling is for free" I smiled at her and she said "That's nice!!". And I'm happy because I now have my 1st nice friend. Afterwards,  I also get to meet my other classmates formally and they introduced themselves.

     Finally, I now have the confidence playing with them and learned more about volley ball from my instructor.

I like learning how to serve the ball properly and different ways of serving ball, how to block the ball, how to rotate, the rules, the different violations in volley ball and the proper length of the court for this type of sport..and many more.

     I have many things to learn about volleyball. Things that I don't know,  because I was just playing it as a hobby or past time.

     And before the end of the semester I assured myself that I have all the information I need about volleyball.

I enjoy this sport and I won't really forget the memories I had in this class. I have new friends to play volleyball with.

     So what are you waiting for? Let's play volleyball and have fun with people that matters.

And just like a word by Audrey Hepburn:

"The most important thing is to enjoy your life -to be happy- It's all that matters."  :)