Eating fresh fruits, vegetables and fish can protect you from getting asthma but burgers can make asthma worse. In the research children that ate more than 3 burgers a week were more likely to be wheezy and have other asthma symptoms.

Whether it is the high level of unhealthy fats found in some fast food burgers or that a higher consumption of burgers is associated with poorer social standing and in general a poorer diet is not clear. But there is a link.

Also, children’s weight is closely linked to asthma, so it could just be that eating too many burgers makes us fat, which increases risk of asthma. Maybe burgers are no the problem, but fast food and processed food.

Burgers can be healthy. Make a burger yourself using lean meat, serve with salad in a wholemeal bun and you have a healthy meal. Seems that these researchers do not know how to make a good burger. What we need to see is another study of the variation in health between people that buy fast burgers (like McDonalds and Burger King) and those who make their own. I reckon in such a study the home made burger eaters will be a much healthier group.

HAMBURGUESA MEXICANA - LA GRANDE

I recently travelled to Zurich and while there came across a fantastic little Mexican restaurant which specializes in burgers. They do all the usual Mexican food, such as chilli con carne, enchilladas, tacos and fajitas, plus some pretty big burgers!

Their big burger is the “HAMBURGUESA MEXICANA – LA GRANDE MUY MUY MUY GRANDE mit 2×200gr Fleisch”. This is a whopping double burger consisting of two 200g burgers, which is the equivalent of 0.88 pounds of meat. More than a 3/4 pounder!

I chose to have the more reasonable single 200g burger. It was good.

The burger was tasty, the meat tender, juicy and full of flavour. The bun it was served in was top notch too, light but tasty with some interesting seasoning on the top. The burger was served with salad in the bun plus a nice piece of corn on the cob. The sauce was good and the chips fantastic. Like curly fries, but not curly.

I certainly recommend that burger fans visiting Zurich seek out one of the Desperado restaurants. Mexican burgers rock!

• Website: www.desperado.ch

However, the shocking fact is, in the 21st Century, us Brits are snubbing the knife, and making do with just a fork. And to make matters worse, some people have been spotted holding the fork IN THEIR RIGHT HAND!!!!

As more people eat ready meals, stews, curries, stir-frys and pasta dishes, we no longer need a knife. Also, when sitting on a sofa with a plate of food in your hand, only one item of cutlery can be wielded at any one time. And it is not proper to put your knife in your mouth.

Ed Watson, spokesperson for Retailer Debenhams was the one that kindly pointed out to us how barbaric we have become.

“Bad table manners can turn an enjoyable meal into an embarrassment. Using both a knife and a fork to eat has held this country in good stead for centuries – it’s one of the mainstays of being British. It’s all about maintaining standards, so we want to act now before the single fork habit becomes ingrained in the next generation.” Ed Watson, a true Brit.

Funny, as the people of England, sorry Britain, are always asking “who are we? have we lost our identity?”. It seems that we always had an identity, we just forgot what it was. It was holding 2 pieces of Sheffield steel while eating our pork chops.

Anyway, do we care? No. Of course not. Because you do not need either knife or fork to eat a burger.

The bed features all the trimmings, with pickle and tomato pillows, lettuce sheets, a cheese slice quilt and a round burger shaped mattress.

Kayla Kromer says that her burger bed was inspired the film Hamburger, in which students sleep in burger-shaped beds. She just could not get the image out of her mind, so decided to embark on a project to build her own.

“Once I get an idea, I have to execute it. So far the hamburger bed is the best bed I have ever owned. Not only does it make me smile, it is insanely comfy.” – Kayla Kromer

Image source: Fun Is Cool
Join the fun: Facebook Fan Page – Burger Bed
Inspiration: Hamburger: The Motion Picture
See also: http://www.hamburgerbed.com/

So, what are the ingredients of the world’s most expensive burger?

• Wagyu beef*
• White truffle
• Pata negra ham slices
• Cristal onion straws
• Modena balsamic vinegar
• Lambs lettuce
• Pink himalayan rock salt**
• Organic white wine
• Shallot infused mayonnaise
• Served in an Iranian saffron and white truffle dusted bun

Celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson simply said that the “It sounds delicious.” I would love to try the burger to be able to provide a review, straight from the horses mouth, but cannot afford the bus fare to the West End, so will have to pass. I am not convinced that “organic white wine” is the best choice however. The ingredients are sourced from all over the world, so a splash of organic wine can only be there to attract the green vote.

But wouldn’t it be great of Burger King, and its rival burger bars and restaurants, made a greater attempt to produce a better burger? I would happily pay six pounds for a high quality burger sandwich (not meal) but we only have the whoopers and Big Macs to choose from, with poor quality bread, bland meat and a garnish that tries to disguise the meat rather than compliment it.

*Wagyu refers to several breeds of cattle genetically predisposed to intense marbling and to producing a high percentage of oleaginous unsaturated fat. Also known as Kobe-style beef, the meat from wagyu cattle is known worldwide for its marbling characteristics, increased eating quality through a naturally enhanced flavor, tenderness and juiciness. Because of the wagyu cattle’s genetic predisposition and special diet including beer and sake, wagyu yields a beef that contains a higher percentage of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids than typical beef. The increased marbling also improves the ratio of monounsaturated fats to saturated fats. (Definition from Wikipedia).

**why not use Maldon Sea Salt?

Blumenthal then went to New York to sample a McDonalds hamburger, which obviously disappointed. He also stopped in on an old friend who served Lady Burgers, or something similar, which were mini bite sized burgers neatly presented, albeit with a bit too much greenery falling out, and not an onion in site.

As we know, the core ingredient in a good burger is the meat. And this is where things started to get interesting for the Burgermeister. Firstly, the steak used is minced, wrapped, and stored for a month. Then when ready, the burgers are sliced directly, rather than moulded by hand. The reason being that the line of the fibres and tissues in the meat is essential to the flavour and texture of the burger. Also, rather than using just one cut of meat, Blumenthal uses three different cuts, to provide the perfect flavour, texture and consistency for the burger. Naturally binding burgers are essential to a good burger, remember the Burger mantra NEVER ADD EGG! For this, he used a combination of beef chuck, short-rib meat and minimum 30-day dry-aged beef brisket. Now, this really is going into new realms of burger-discover, as I always use minced meat as it comes from the butchers. I always use the best minced meat available, but have never minced it myself.

For the rest of the burger, Heston Blumenthal prefers a plain white bun with sesame seeds (the seeds are added using an egg wash). The buns are then covered in cheese slices (made with sodium citrate!) and put under a grill. I am glad to say that this has been my preferred method for sometime now, as it ensures that the bun remains in tact throughout the whole burger eating experience.

His burger sauce obviously has the standard foundation of tomato sauce, mayonnaise and mustard, with the usual extras including onion (sliced thinly and the rings blanched for 20 seconds in boiling water), crisp lettuce and gherkins and other pickles.

The BBC Cooking web page has the full method for making the dough for the buns, the burgers, the cheese slices, the tomato concentrate for the sauce plus a description on how to construct the burger the Blumenthal way. Take a look, try it out and enjoy. Burger perfection is finally here. We bow to Heston Blumenthal, and thank him for dedicating his time and efforts to improving the knowledge and furthering our cause, of making the perfect burger!

The Marriot Burger is an 8oz burger with cheese and crispy bacon, and comes with chips and a salad garnish. At first glance it did look a good burger. It was well presented in a white sesame seed bun, the chips were golden on the outside, and the salad was OK as far as salads go.

Unfortunately it was soon obvious that the first impressions were misleading. The presentation did not make up for what was a very disappointing burger. The first problem was the bun was slightly stale and over toasted. It seemed that the bun may have been frozen, then quickly defrosted. Or it may have just been a bit stale. Either way, not what I would expect from the brand as highly respected as Marriott. The burger was rather disappointing too. The burger itself was slightly over cooked, and bland, there seemed little if any seasoning to the meat, and certainly no spice. There was no juice whatsoever. The bacon was certainly crispy, and the cheese was cheesy, but neither complimented the burger. There was also no burger sauce or relish provided with the burger, just the standard tomato sauce, mustard and mayonnaise.

The Marriott burger was a real disappointment, especially as it came with a price tag of GBP10.45 (about 22 US dollars). Maybe the chefs at Marriott should take a look at the recipes here before putting their burgers back on the menu.

• Tomato sauce
• Mayonnaise
• English mustard

Mix it all up. It should turn into a nice pink burger sauce colour. I sometimes throw in some brown sauce instead, or leave out the mayo. Depends on how I feel. You can also add some spices, such as chili powder or Tabasco sauce. The best burger sauces are prepared once the burger is cooked, as until you cook the burger, you never really know what sort of mood you are in. Some days you may want spicy, some days tomatoey, some with more mayo. So mix it while the burger is cooling down, or the cheese is melting, then enjoy.