National Hamburger Day Review

Image Source: Pixabay

Date Celebrated:  May 28

Memorial Day and the 4th of July wouldn't be the same without a juicy hamburger, so it is appropriate that a national day has been set aside to celebrate this favorite picnic food. There is no official origin for 'hamburger day', but we are glad someone picked out a day to celebrate it. 

Cook your burgers on an outdoor grill or fry them up inside.  Add your favorite fixings and enjoy!  If you add cheese, you suddenly have the popular cheeseburger, which has it's own day (National Cheeseburger Day ~ September 18).

(c) Wednesday Elf

If you don't want to cook your own, or are out-and-about on “Hamburger Day”, then stop by a local Five Guys Restaurant for a tasty burger fixed in a homemade style. 

A Few Hamburger Facts

• The hamburger was originally created in Hamburg, Germany (thus the name), but eating a hamburger on a bun is an American idea.
• The hamburger was originally made from ground up meat scraps from cutting up other meats.  First it was made with beef, but today it can be found in other forms, such as ground chicken and ground turkey for those who prefer a non-meat burger.  Other meats, such as Buffalo Burgers, have also become popular. 
• Seymour, Wisconsin has a 'Burger Fest' each year and in 2001 they made the largest hamburger ever – weighing 8,200 pounds. Burger Fest is held each August and includes a parade, a hot air balloon rally, and, of course, lots of hamburgers to eat. Check out their website Home of the Hamburger for details.
• Americans eat about 50 billion burgers every year, which equals approximately three burgers a week for every person in the U.S.

Handmade Hamburgers

The title of this paragraph indicates that here I will give you a lesson in making the perfect hamburger patty – so I will.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Take a ball of meat the size you wish your burger to be.  Some like them big served on large hamburger buns; some like them a bit smaller.  The choice is yours.

Press the meat into a patty, pressing down in the middle and patting in from the sides as you turn the burger around in your hand.  Continue until the patty is even and uniform.  It needs to be a solid disk of meat that is compacted tightly

A tip I read online at EATS – How to Make Hamburger Patties said to prevent the cracks around the edges as the burger cooks (caused by shrinking due to the cooking process), slightly depress the center of the patty when you are finished shaping it to make it thinner in the middle than it is around the edges.  The depression tends to push a little extra meat towards the edges, making an even patty once it is cooked.

More Handmade Hamburgers

Now, since I am a craftsman of handmade items, I shall continue a bit with my 'Handmade Hamburger' theme and show you a few clever handmade items representing this favorite food.

Hamburger Cookies

Homemade Hamburger Cookies

Mona Flood of Orlando, Florida makes homemade cookies.  Her Hamburger Cookies are adorable and perfect for a picnic-themed party or to celebrate Hamburger Day in a fun way. Each cookie is roughly 3 inches in size and is individually packaged in a FDA compliant clear cellophane baggie and heat sealed to ensure freshness and a safe arrival. 

They are a made with a Shortbread cookie recipe, a rich buttery cookie that melts in your mouth.  

The ingredients list is in the listing in her Etsy Shop called Merci Bakery.  Each cookie is individually decorated. 

Hamburger Apron

Handmade Hamburger Design Apron - Etsy

This hamburger design apron is perfect for those backyard BBQs, especially when burgers are on the menu.  Handmade by a crafter from Clare, Michigan and featured in her SweetApronzNCupcakes Etsy Shop, this is an adult size apron made of a black fabric with large hamburgers on it. Some of the hamburgers are singles, others are double deckers, some have bacon on top, others have lettuce and tomatoes.

Hamburger Playfood Crochet Toy

Crochet Amigurumi Hamburger/Cheeseburger Play Food

Kimberlie of Redlands, California created this cute hamburger/cheeseburger play food 7-piece toy for kids who love to play in a pretend kitchen. The set contains 7 separate play-pieces to stack the perfect burger.  They include the Top bun, Tomato, Lettuce, Onion, Cheese, Patty, and Bottom bun. 
All the pieces are soft and squishy, especially the top bun, which has been stuffed with polyester stuffing. 
The entire stacked burger measures about 3.5" tall, and about 3.5" wide. 

It can be found in Kimberlie's Etsy Shop she calls ShopKimberlie.


Related Links:

Handmade Crochet Hamburger/Cheeseburger Potholders Tutorial

And for my fellow crafters, here is a free tutorial to crochet a set of potholders which look like a hamburger or cheeseburger when stacked together. 

Hamburger Month

In addition to May 28th being a DAY to celebrate the humble hamburger, The entire month of May is is known as National Hamburger Month. 

So get those burgers grilling, pile on the condiments, and enjoy National Hamburger Day and Month with a tasty hamburger! 


(c) National Hamburger Day Review by Wednesday Elf

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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