London - You might think creating the perfect burger would be a pretty simple affair.
But if you really want to hit the fast-food heights, it seems you will need a ruler as much as a grill.
For according to one chef, the ideal hamburger is precisely 7cm high and made up of nine separate layers.
The filling should account for no more than 5cm, while a fluffy bun should make up the other 2cm – allowing it to be squashed before taking a bite.
Charles Michel – who has experience in Michelin-starred restaurants and is now a sensory researcher at Oxford University – believes this is the ideal size to allow plenty of filling without rendering it impossible to eat.
And the contents don’t escape his exacting standards either.
He says the meat itself should be a 1cm patty of wagyu beef – which is known for its quality – with toppings including a lettuce leaf, a slice of gherkin, a 1cm slice of tomato, two slices of ham, fried onion slices, two pieces of camembert cheese, ketchup and precisely two splashes of soy sauce.
The bun must also be warm, and the whole thing served wrapped in paper – never on a plate – before being eaten with your hands.
Michel says that we eat with our “nose and ears” as well as our mouth, and claims this recipe creates the ideal balance between salty, sweet, sour and bitter flavours, while stimulating all our senses with a good crunch and appealing smells.
“Taste is just one element,” he said. “The perfectly balanced burger is actually a multi- sensory experience.”
He believes that the majority of our enjoyment comes from the smell of our food, at around 30 percent, while texture accounts for around a quarter.
The actual taste is relegated to joint bottom of the list at just 15 percent, the same as our meal’s appearance, and appetising sounds such as crunching and sizzling.
Daily Mail
* What goes on your perfect burger? Use our comment form below to share your secrets...