NEW YORK CITY – Three home cooks are being honored as having created the most inventive and delicious blended burgers in the nation this summer thanks to a competition hosted by Mushroom Council and Bon Appétit.
Bon Appétit Test Kitchen Editor Chris Morocco cooked and presented the top burgers in a special “virtual” cook-off.
Blended burger patties are made by blending meat with at least 25% finely chopped fresh mushrooms for dishes that are more delicious, nutritious and sustainable. Throughout the summer and for the second year, Mushroom Council and Bon Appétit’s“Blended Burger Project: Home Edition” competition called on home cooks nationwide to develop and share their own blended burger recipes.
<script async src="//player-backend.cnevids.com/script/video/5f5b7dcebcdfff215a47af82.js?iu=/3379/bonapp.dart/share"></script>With nearly 500 entries received, judges selected the top recipes based on flavor profile, originality, crowd appeal and presentation:
- Tyler Norby, Portland, Ore., “Maitake Red Hamburger,” a blend of beef and white button mushrooms with additional spices and sauces, treated with a dry rub mix, cooked over the outdoor grill with toppings including maitake mushrooms and bacon.
- Lauren Holley, Atlanta, Ga., “Chili Maple Brunch Burger,” a breakfast-inspired dish featuring hot Italian ground pork sausage and lean ground turkey blended with pan-roasted shiitake, oyster and crimini mushrooms. The burger is topped with a fried egg, chili-spiced maple syrup, arugula and mushroom “bacon.”
- Stephanie Surowiec, West Bloomfield, Mich., “French Bistro Smashburger,” made from ground chuck blended with crimini mushrooms – precooked with garlic, thyme and sherry – topped with Gruyère cheese and served on brioche buns.
Bon Appétit test kitchen director Chris Morocco put the three recipes to the test for taste and usability, speaking to each of the finalists live via video chat as he prepared and tasted each recipe. In the finale, Chris selected the Chili Maple Brunch Burger as the top contender, with Holley named the grand prize winner of $10,000 from the Mushroom Council.
“Holley set the bar high with her blended burger,” Morocco said. “I was just completely swept off my feet by this burger. You get mushroom, you get heat and you get richness. It just had everything for me.”
Mushroom Mania Continues to Take Hold in Home Kitchens
Home cooks devoting the summer to adding mushrooms to their burgers for the “Blended Burger Project: Home Edition” come as mushrooms continue to realize near record sales at grocery stores. Throughout the summer, shoppers were spending at least 20% more on mushrooms than the same time last year. A recent survey of mushroom consumers conducted by Mark Lang, MBA, Ph.D., University of Tampa, found that 88% of those polled said they will continue to cook with the same amount or even more mushrooms “after things get back to normal.”
Ready to blend? More blended burger recipe inspiration can be found at blenditarian.com.
About the Mushroom Council:
The Mushroom Council is composed of fresh market producers or importers who average more than 500,000 pounds of mushrooms produced or imported annually. The mushroom program is authorized by the Mushroom Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act of 1990 and is administered by the Mushroom Council under the supervision of the Agricultural Marketing Service. Research and promotion programs help to expand, maintain and develop markets for individual agricultural commodities in the United States and abroad. These industry self-help programs are requested and funded by the industry groups that they serve. For more information, visit mushroomcouncil.com.
About Bon Appétit:
Bon Appétit is where food and culture meet. The award-winning food lifestyle brand covers food through the lens of cooking, fashion, travel, technology, design and home. Our home-grown talent and tireless dedication to recipe testing separates us from the competition by miles. We make a big brand feel small with a collection of like-minded food lovers our audience wishes they could hang out and cook a meal with. For more, visit bonappetit.com and follow us on Instagram @bonappetitmag.
