What is the burger about – it is about the experience, this first bite which makes your senses explode. The sweet aroma coming from the bun, the crunch when you bite in it; the juices leaking from the patty, the tanginess of the pickles and mustard; the creaminess of the melted cheese.
Everything is about this perfect first bite and it is fairly easy to describe when the burger is fresh, but what about this – imagine you had bought a couple of burgers, but your dog kept barking when you came home and you had to walk him out.
Now that you are home again, excited for the burgers, it turns out that they have gone cold and dry. You are not going to throw them away – you will try to reheat them instead. But the question is how – what is the best way to reheat a burger? Microwave, stove, oven?
3 Ways On How To Reheat A Burger
In this article, we will look up all of these methods and in the end, we will tell you why, according to us, the best way to reheat a burger is on the stove.
Let’s start with the probably the most controversial method of the bunch and the one most people would like to use too:
1. Reheating Burgers in the Microwave
It is possible to reheat the burgers in the microwave, the tricky part is getting them to stay just as juicy and fresh as before.
You can do that by firstly removing both buns. Try to wipe off as much of the condiment as possible and then set them aside for now.
If there are any tomatoes or pickles, we can reuse them later on. Now get about 2 oz or 50 g of butter and melt it in the microwave. With the use of a silicone brush for cooking, smear some of the butter on the top and bottom sides of both buns and microwave them for 15-20 seconds.
This should make them nice and fluffy again.
Do the same with the patty – brush it over on all sides with some butter and reheat it for 15 seconds – what we are doing by this is trying to keep it as moist as possible.
You can use the old veggies for assembling again, what we recommend is to poach an egg (you can also do it in the microwave) and put it on top of the veggies, right below the bun. When you take a bite, the runny yolk will compensate for any dryness left in the patty, because of the uneven heatwaves, coming from the microwave.
Now let’s say that you do not just want to reheat your burger, you want to elevate it’s taste as well – in this case, the stove is the right choice for you!
2. Reheating Burgers on the Stove
If you are ready to use the stove to reheat your burger, we guarantee you, in the end, it will taste better than when you bought it from the store!
Let’s start with the buns. Turn on your grill pan, drizzle some olive oil and let it to a medium-high to high temperature. Put the buns on the pan for a couple of minutes.
While they are on the grill, smash two garlic cloves and give them a quick chop. Grab some rosemary and heat up another pan. Put 4 oz or 100 g of butter in and brown it. Add the garlic and rosemary, stir for about a minute. Be careful, because the garlic can burn very easily, so if you notice it getting crispy, pull the pan off the heat for a minute and stir.
Lower the heat to medium. Now get the patty – it goes in the pan. Gently tilt the pan so the patty slides in one of it’s ends – start coating it with the browned butter. We are now not only ensuring the patty gets extra juicy, but we are also infusing the aromas of garlic and rosemary, making the meat extra flavourful!
Remove the patty from the pan and make sure it rests for 5-8 minutes. The buns should be ready – we do not want them burnt to back, we just want some extra crunch.
Tip: If you have the time, quickly get an onion and chop it into strips. Go to the pan where you reheated the patty and add some more butter, a splash of honey, soy sauce and salt. Add the onions and cook them until they are soft and caramelized.
Assembling the Burger
Now assemble the burger again and make sure to add those sweet and sour onions on top of the patty – they will entirely elevate the taste of the dish!
What we achieved here is – crunchy buns, extra juicy patty, infused with herbs and garlic and finally something sweet in the end. Perfection!
If you like experimenting and have some time on your hands, you can use this last method and create a great burger with a roasted salad on the side.
3. Reheating Burgers in the Oven
Preheat your oven to 320°F or 160°C. Separate the buns from the patty and melt some butter. With a silicone brush, coat both buns with some butter and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. For the patty – drizzle some olive oil on all sides.
Place the buns and the patty on a metal tray, covered with baking paper. On another tray put some sliced tomatoes garnished with olive oil, salt, pepper and onion powder on top.
Burger goes in the oven for no more than 5-8 minutes, the tomatoes, you can leave for about 15 minutes more. The olive oil will protect the juices on the inside, but it is very important to leave the meat to rest for about 5-10 minutes, otherwise the juices will leak out.
Tip: Unlike the microwave, the heat coming from the oven gets evenly distributed, but we cannot control it as easy, so we must be careful not to dry out the patty even more.
Instead of the old veggies that were in the burger, you can use some of the roasted tomatoes and sliced pickles.
To Sum How to Reheat A Burger
The best way to reheat a burger would be on the stove – you can entirely control the temperature by leaving the pan on or taking it off the heat, meaning that your buns will get evenly crunchy and your patty will be super juicy. You can even infuse more flavours, if you are up to it!
Reheating a burger in the microwave can dry it out quickly because of the uneven heat distribution, while the oven can overcook the patty and burn the buns, if left for too long.
