Are Homemade Hamburgers Healthier Than Fast Food or Store Bought?

Good question! You can probably figure it out by weighing how much meat you use for one burger (or evenly dividing a 16oz package, etc.) and calculating the calories (along with the bun and whatever else you put on it.) If you keep your burger a reasonable size, use smaller buns (not the big gourmet rolls), and not dress it with cheese and bacon (i.e., all the good stuff - ha!) then I have to imagine it's at least fewer calories. Restaurant burgers are obscene with their calorie content!

Tuesday, June 5, 2007, 6:38 PM

Good question! You can probably figure it out by weighing how much meat you use for one burger (or evenly dividing a 16oz package, etc.) and calculating the calories (along with the bun and whatever else you put on it.) If you keep your burger a reasonable size, use smaller buns (not the big gourmet rolls), and not dress it with cheese and bacon (i.e., all the good stuff - ha!) then I have to imagine it's at least fewer calories. Restaurant burgers are obscene with their calorie content!

Tuesday, June 5, 2007, 6:38 PM

There's more to health than calories, though. For instance, if you are buying free-range beef it probably has no residual antibiotics in it -- in contrast to what you get at Burger King. If you buy kosher meats the standards of cleanliness are higher than the USDA standards.

Tuesday, June 5, 2007, 6:41 PM

i bought "laura's lean beef" hamburger patties yesterday- they are 92% lean and were wonderful the calorie difference was amazing too- they were 170 calories per serving vs. 280 for the 80/20 patties. grilled on my gas grill they fit perfectly into my healthy eating habits.

Tuesday, June 5, 2007, 8:41 PM

True, there is more to health than calories, but those free-range options that were suggested all result in fewer calories. Grass fed beef has the fat content of skinless chicken - a great choice, but if I load it up with cheese, bacon, mayo, etc. it's marginally better than something I get at a restaurant. Sometimes people over do the 'healthy' foods and wonder why they can't take off weight. It's all relevant.

Tuesday, June 5, 2007, 9:02 PM

you could also make ground turkey/chicken burgers (Rachel Ray has a million recipes for these) or use vegan boca burgers. yum!

Tuesday, June 5, 2007, 10:37 PM

If you don't like turkey burgers, but want lower fat content than beef, buy ground beef and ground turkey, and make burgers that are half turkey, half beef. You really can't taste the turkey then!

I buy the premade patties of ground beef that are around 170 cals per patty. I'll girll a patty and put a slice of cheese on top (another 80 cals), then eat it with a fork and knife, with ketchup and mustard and pickle slices. The whole meal is under 300 calories. I'm not sure about the free-range, etc., I've never paid attention to that, but maybe I will start.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007, 10:06 AM

Turkey burgers on the grill are fantastic with lots of pre-bottled canjun spices mixed in. Throw on some lettuce and tomato and use a whole-wheat bun...you won't miss the beef. Be careful not to overcook and it will be juicy enough that you can skip any condiment.

yummy!

Wednesday, June 6, 2007, 12:10 PM

Turkey Burger People

OP Here

Do you have to add extra olive oil or egg to the mix to keep it moist or from falling apart? In my homemade beef burgers I add 1 egg and abot 1 tsp of olive oil.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007, 1:39 PM

Really? I add nothing to my burgers (beef), even when I just buy the package of ground beef, except maybe a little onion powder and garlic powder. I've never had a problem with them not being juicy or falling apart. Same for turkey. But if you like your combination for beef, then do it for turkey too, just be sure to account for the extra calories! And remember, unlike beef, you do need to cook turkey all the way to "well done."

Wednesday, June 6, 2007, 2:48 PM

for beef burgers, I add just a bit of ketchup of barbecue sauce if I'm using extra lean beef.

Other than that, just a bit of steak spice works nicely.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007, 2:51 PM

try buffalo instead

I gave up on regular ground beef a long time ago in favor of buffalo meat. You can get in ground and make it into a patty and grill. No falling apart. Taste great! It's got a little sweet taste to it. Much healthier than ground beef. I haven't tried ostrich, but it's supposed to be very good for you.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007, 2:58 PM

I make my own ground chicken breast in the food processor and add shredded carrots and zucchini, A little onion soup mix and an egg white. Sometimes it nees a little bread crumbs. Last time I just used the plain chicken and seasoned it and it stayed together great.
As for cheese, I really like smart beat. They are 25 calories and melt really well. No fat or cholesteral.
The bun, I love onion buns so I scoop out as much of the inside of the bread as possible and then toast it in the oven I do that with french bread and sandwich rolls too. It really cuts down on the calories.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007, 3:32 PM

Wow, I love the bun idea 3:32, I'm going to use that one

Thursday, June 7, 2007, 8:16 AM

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