Soup Dumpling Burger

November 10, 2012 6:03 AM

Burger Of The Future by Dave Arnold, Director of Technology at the French Culinary Institute in 22 steps & Voilà
posted by growabrain (82 comments total)

OMG, I don't understand it, but I would totally eat that.
posted by TurkishGolds at 6:18 AM on November 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

What a great recipe. If you have not tried cutting your ketchup gel into rings before chilling it in an alginate bath and cooking your burgers in an immersion circulator at exactly 55.5c you you have not lived. I used to skip the alginate bath and my burgers always lacked a certain je ne se qua.
posted by Ad hominem at 6:19 AM on November 10, 2012 [26 favorites]

I.... would not call that a burger. I would call that a beef kiev.
posted by subbes at 6:20 AM on November 10, 2012 [3 favorites]

As fine as it may be (that particular version wouldn't be to my taste because it includes some things I just don't like), it'll never be better than a really simple, plebeian burger cooked to one's own taste with a few fresh things on it. Different, perhaps equal in charms; but even in the future I'll want simple things, too.
posted by Wolfdog at 6:29 AM on November 10, 2012 [3 favorites]

Previous ultimate burger. Clearly we are witnessing a burger arms race. First one to genetically alter a cucumbers and pigs to provide the perfect size circular pickle chips and bacon will most certainly win, cuz that ring mold technique is pretty lo-tech, even with the transglutaminase meat glue.
posted by Ad hominem at 6:31 AM on November 10, 2012

5) Cut the ketchup gel into rings and drop into alginate bath and leave for 40 seconds. The calcium in the gel interacts with the alginate to form a fairly tough (usually bad but useful here because of the rough treatment it with withstand) heat-proof coating on the gel. Remove gel from bath and store on a silpat in fridge.

I don't understand modern art.
posted by R. Mutt at 6:31 AM on November 10, 2012 [3 favorites]

So this is the burger of the future because it applies every "futuristic" preparation technique they could think of? I guess that's fine in a concept-car sort of way, but when all that prep still makes a sauce too runny to stay in the actual burger, I reckon there's quite a long way to go.

Or people could just add their own ketchup.
posted by howfar at 6:31 AM on November 10, 2012

This is one of those situations where you can say "oh... sorry I forgot to mention... please hold the pickle". And the entire future has to go backwards in time.
posted by twoleftfeet at 6:31 AM on November 10, 2012 [4 favorites]

Also the bacon isn't actually any more stuck together than it would be if you had just thrown it in the oven between the sheets.
posted by howfar at 6:32 AM on November 10, 2012

Served with a side of over-engineered plate of beans.
posted by Daddy-O at 6:35 AM on November 10, 2012 [2 favorites]

The other day I was hanging out with Nathan Myhrvold, just talking and shit, and I said "hey Nathan, I'm hungry. Want to grab a burger?"

And he said "I don't have three days to spare right now. Can we find a time to be hungry in December?"
posted by twoleftfeet at 6:41 AM on November 10, 2012 [8 favorites]

I bet they could make a Russian dressing using linear sulfated polysaccharides that would melt in the burger like cheese.
posted by Ad hominem at 6:42 AM on November 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

What have you come to show me, O Chef of the Future?
posted by Egg Shen at 6:46 AM on November 10, 2012 [3 favorites]

Highly pretentious burger is highly pretentious.
posted by sexyrobot at 6:47 AM on November 10, 2012 [4 favorites]

That burger is wrong because it has ketchup and not mayo.
posted by ian1977 at 6:50 AM on November 10, 2012 [2 favorites]

Also the bacon isn't actually any more stuck together than it would be if you had just thrown it in the oven between the sheets.
posted by howfar at 6:32 AM on November 10 [+] [!]

Well, it just sounds dirty when you say it like that.
posted by OHSnap at 6:58 AM on November 10, 2012

I'm disappointed because this does not actually include any soup dumpling. If anyone creates a burger that tastes like soup dumpling it will be a great burger indeed.
posted by capricorn at 6:58 AM on November 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

I LIKE MINE WITH LETTUCE AND TOMATO
HEINZ 57 AND FRENCH FRIED POTATO
BIG KOSHER PICKLE AND A COLD DRAFT BEER
GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY WHICH WAY DO I STEER
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:59 AM on November 10, 2012 [5 favorites]

Everybody is all excited about the burgers of the future, but nobody remembers the burgers of the past.
posted by twoleftfeet at 7:07 AM on November 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

Everybody is all excited about the burgers of the future, but nobody remembers the burgers of the past.

I remember.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:11 AM on November 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

The burger that always lost.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 7:12 AM on November 10, 2012

I LIKE MINE WITH LETTUCE AND TOMATO
HEINZ 57 AND FRENCH FRIED POTATO
BIG KOSHER PICKLE AND A COLD DRAFT BEER
2 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF CALCIUM LACTATE GLUCONATE
GOOD GOD ALMIGHTY WHICH WAY DO I STEER

(Shush. "Rhyming" is pathetic and antiquated.)
posted by Wolfdog at 7:15 AM on November 10, 2012

You know, when I saw the post title, "Soup Dumpling Burger", I immediately thought of shoronpo. Yes, it's a dumpling, an actual dumpling, with actual soup and ground pork inside. Ahh, shoronpo! And I'm here to tell you right now, shoronpo is mighty damn tasty.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:20 AM on November 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

Wow. With all the shit that gets cut off and thrown away, that is one wasteful burger.

And, like, oh, good, when I bite into it I unleash a tsunami of boiling ketchup into my face and lap.

No thanks.
posted by Sys Rq at 7:20 AM on November 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

You can simulate the taste of this burger with a couple of joints and just about any burger on earth.
posted by srboisvert at 7:21 AM on November 10, 2012 [4 favorites]

The burger actually originates with the traditional cuisine of the French, who called it pate de foie gras, which translates as "a patty cooked in grease." Or so I believe.
posted by twoleftfeet at 7:22 AM on November 10, 2012 [2 favorites]

There is no chance, absolutely none, that a food of the future will involve that much waste.
posted by mhoye at 7:24 AM on November 10, 2012 [3 favorites]

(If I wanted it to rhyme, I would have used the old standby of ending a line with "gluconate, oh!" like a lot of your old folk songs about calcium compounds.)
posted by Wolfdog at 7:24 AM on November 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

That doesnt really look tasty. Im usually more of a 'ketchup on the outside of the patty' kind of guy.

Also, if you're not using a nearly imperceptibly thin layer of homemade mayonaise to protect the bottom bun from getting saturated with meat juice, you're burgering wrong.
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 7:26 AM on November 10, 2012

Oh, here's the soup dumpling.

(I've been watching through the whole sound bites series. It's very good. I enjoy watching experts do what they are experts at. I also enjoy food.)
posted by capricorn at 7:27 AM on November 10, 2012

if you're not using a nearly imperceptibly thin layer of homemade mayonaise to protect the bottom bun from getting saturated with meat juice, you're burgering wrong.

But it doesn't matter with that burger. You'd need to cover the whole bun in mayo.
posted by howfar at 7:27 AM on November 10, 2012

Im usually more of a 'ketchup on the outside of the patty' kind of guy.

Logically speaking I suppose I am, too, since "not even in the same room" should (under most plausible circumstances) imply "outside of the patty". The parenthetical comment feels necessary since there's probably some molecular reason why 8oz of ground beef tastes its very best when it is formed with at least one linear measurement greater than 30 feet.
posted by Wolfdog at 7:30 AM on November 10, 2012

I've eaten that burger, and even done my own video about it, and I'm sorry to say that it sucks. Down the road sous-vide might be doable, but now it just makes the burger mushy and characterless. CVAP is a much better technology, but even that is only an expedient for restaurant service. A cast iron pan or wood fired grill is still far and away the best method.
posted by Balok at 7:31 AM on November 10, 2012 [5 favorites]

The burger actually originates with the traditional cuisine of the French, who called it pate de foie gras, which translates as "a patty cooked in grease." Or so I believe.

I've always assumed that the hamburger originates with the traditional cuisine of the Hamburgers, who called it hamburger, which translates as "originates with the traditional cuisine of the Hamburgers."

(The actual invention of the hamburger seems to be quite contentious among late-19th Century American food stall operators, if the Wikipedia article is to be believed.)
posted by Sys Rq at 7:33 AM on November 10, 2012

The burger of tomorrow! Locked in mortal combat with the burger of today!

And the only thing better than shoronpo are the kind that are fried on a heavy iron skillet, making the bottom of the dumpling thick and chewy with a solid crunchy base. Those things are freaky good.
posted by Ghidorah at 7:41 AM on November 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

The burger of tomorrow will be made of krill
posted by mcstayinskool at 7:48 AM on November 10, 2012 [4 favorites]

That's about 19 steps too many.
posted by tommasz at 7:50 AM on November 10, 2012

The burger of tomorrow will be made of krill

SWIM AWAAAAAAY!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:53 AM on November 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

I've always assumed that the hamburger originates with the traditional cuisine of the Hamburgers, who called it hamburger, which translates as "originates with the traditional cuisine of the Hamburgers."

Sys Rq no get joke. Someone explain him joke, please.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:54 AM on November 10, 2012

Dock 1 point for lazily grinding the meat instead of carefully cutting it into perfect 1.25mm cubes.
posted by BrotherCaine at 7:58 AM on November 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

No, I got it. Really. Pâté de foie gras. Hilarious.
posted by Sys Rq at 7:59 AM on November 10, 2012

Oh man his patty melt looks delicious.
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 8:02 AM on November 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

I'm pro-molecular gastronomy, but this is a big no. First, the product is ugly. Totally unappetizing.

It will apparently shoot hot ketchup (wretch) like a super soaker when you take a bite.

The transglutaminase serves no purpose. Bacon sticks together anyway, and doesn't need it's texture enhanced. The circle he cuts out is soggy.

He mashes the hell out of his beef. It'd be the texture of a McDonald's patty.

He puts pepper on it before cooking. Pepper burns.

I'm not seeing a fat on the bottom bun. You'd end up with a floppy mess after your first ketchup shower.

I guess this is supposed to be a demonstration of techniques in the way that the modernist Cuisine burger was, but this is what the director of technology at the might French Culinary Institute is producing?
posted by cmoj at 8:10 AM on November 10, 2012 [7 favorites]

You can tell this is not the burger of the future because it is made of meat.
posted by sutt at 8:15 AM on November 10, 2012 [6 favorites]

And as an explanation, I point to the previous comment: "There is no chance, absolutely none, that a food of the future will involve that much waste." Exactly.
posted by sutt at 8:16 AM on November 10, 2012

Pâté de foie gras. Hilarious.

Bah humburger.
posted by twoleftfeet at 8:18 AM on November 10, 2012 [4 favorites]

You can tell this is not the burger of the future because it is made of meat.

The winner.
posted by mrgrimm at 8:22 AM on November 10, 2012

I've actually been reading Dave Arnold's blog and enjoying it, even though I'm not fond of "molecular gastronomy" in general. It's usually very down to earth in exactly the way that someone like Ferrnan Adria et al is not. He digs into the homebrew aspect of amateur molecular gastronomy in a fun way, like explaining the steps one goes through if you want to buy a centrifuge off of ebay and decontaminate it for kitchen use.

But stuff like this burger leaves me cold. It's like "look at this fucking concept burger." Not food.
posted by werkzeuger at 8:31 AM on November 10, 2012

Molecular gastronomy is no longer fashionable. Now it's all about quantum gastronomy.

In quantum gastronomy you can say that dinner is in the oven, but you can't be certain when it will be done.
posted by twoleftfeet at 8:38 AM on November 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

Or, you can say when it will be done, but you can't be certain where the hell it is.

It's all about choices!
posted by Wolfdog at 8:49 AM on November 10, 2012 [3 favorites]

It's strange that the Burger of the Future requires a large amount of manual labor to make a product that looks like it was extruded out of the Food-O-Matic 3000.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:55 AM on November 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

twoleftfeet: "Everybody is all excited about the burgers of the future, but nobody remembers the burgers of the past."

Forget that 22-step bombsville, Old Blue Eyes's got your burger of the past RIGHT HERE. And only 3 steps, pussycat!
posted by radwolf76 at 9:04 AM on November 10, 2012 [3 favorites]

you can say that dinner is in the oven, but you can't be certain when it will be done.

Sounds like every classic Thanksgiving turkey
posted by achrise at 9:06 AM on November 10, 2012

Am I the only one who was a little surprised there wasn't some sort of magical high end ultra-chefy version of ketchup and that the guy just threw in some Heinz? I mean, I really like Heinz as far as ketchup goes (sorry, Hunts, you weak sauce), but... I would think there's just *something* higher grade than that, you know, if you're gonna be taking the time to make ketchup gel patties and do everything else all fancy,
posted by symbioid at 9:26 AM on November 10, 2012

/NOT HAMBURGER-IST

the single best burger i've ever had/made was when i was on the deck, smoking joints, grilling meats.

threw the thick bacon right next to the burger on the grill. basted with a bit of bbq sauce and salt on each side before the flip to crust. toast bun approx one min before serving.

fin
posted by ninjew at 9:29 AM on November 10, 2012

According to some Heinz cannot be improved upon. I sometimes add adobo from canned chipoltle though, especially for meatload.
posted by Ad hominem at 9:35 AM on November 10, 2012

No lettuce or Tomato.. or mustard? And thin slices of sourdough doesn't really appeal to me for a burger. Why not use a Sour Dough Bun / Roll instead?

Really, its just not a very appealing burger to me. And I don't know why he bothered putting the Meat Glue on the bacon either. It seemed rather pointless.
posted by mary8nne at 9:47 AM on November 10, 2012

MetaFilter: OMG, I don't understand it, but I would totally eat that.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:54 AM on November 10, 2012

These comments remind me of watching a Ted talk about comparing and contrasting liberal vs. conservative morals.

The presenter said something about how (paraphrasing) "on some 'issues' liberal morals are actually more conservative than conservatives'."

And because the context was political I immediately thought "PSSSHHH, name one instance where that could even be remotely true."

And then he said "for instance, food."

Reader, I shut up and listened to him.
posted by Mr. Anthropomorphism at 10:04 AM on November 10, 2012 [3 favorites]

Can I order a perfectly spherical gel of Pabst Blue Ribbon to go with that burger?
posted by peeedro at 10:12 AM on November 10, 2012 [3 favorites]

especially for meatload is my new favorite typo ever.
posted by BrotherCaine at 10:14 AM on November 10, 2012 [5 favorites]

my complaint is that this less about food and more about professionals refining and/or advancing their craft which is fine but also still show-offy
posted by ninjew at 10:15 AM on November 10, 2012

I think many people are missing the point. This is really more of a concept piece than anything else. "How can I apply these modernist techniques to something as quotidian as a hamburger?" I don't know that Dave would suggest that this is necessarily a "perfect burger." Personally, it looks disgusting to me for the same reason Kenji's "flood burger" seems disgusting. I like a juicy hamburger as much as the next guy, but the idea of a hamburger literally gushing juice when you bite into it is revolting to me. But, hey, as they saying goes: de gustibus non est disputandum. I might be more interested to see how the super-reduced veal stock could have been incorporated into the burger mix itself (maybe using methocel).

The Modernist Cuisine burger may seem equally over the top (and it is), but most of the techniques can easily be applied in a simpler way. This is borne out in the newly-released Modernist Cuisine at Home, which features a much less complicated "modernist burger." You can benefit from the Modernist Cuisine techniques simply by understanding how to grind meat, the effects of salting, how to align the meat strands, and a minor application of sous vide techniques (which you could do with a ziplock bag, the kitchen sink and a thermometer) to make an excellent burger. You can, of course, go further should you decide to make your own "American cheese" (which is easy to do) or whatever. Dave's burger is less interesting to me because seems a bit more gimicky. The only modernist techniques he uses in this example that seem to have an impact are encapsulation and sous vide (I tend to agree that the use of Activa on the bacon is probably superfluous). But, again, I think it looks fun and I think that's the point.
posted by slkinsey at 10:40 AM on November 10, 2012 [2 favorites]

I like a juicy hamburger as much as the next guy

Not me. I prefer the burger every time, unless the next guy is cooked to perfection.
posted by twoleftfeet at 11:09 AM on November 10, 2012 [11 favorites]

This is really more of a concept piece than anything else.

I get that, but the techniques are employed here in unnecessary and disgusting ways. Who wants a hot ketchup Gusher (you know the fruit candy things) in the middle? Basics, like not cooking pepper over high heat and not turning your beef into playdough are ignored. And the result is ugly and unappetizing.

The Modernist Cuisine burger showcases relavent techniques and has an end product that, yeah it'd be ludicrously labor intensive, would be a good thing to eat.

I know this guy's blog... I know he knows his stuff, but this is bizarre and incompetent in nearly every way. I don't know how this happened.

Metafilter: especially for meatload
posted by cmoj at 11:54 AM on November 10, 2012 [2 favorites]

I kind of agree with cmoj, but I'm sure it's a fairly edible burger despite having techniques employed just to showcase the techniques rather than to further the quality.

The high heat isn't employed very long, so the pepper may not be totally burnt. The beef and grinder both chilled should make for a less 'mushy' result than you'd expect, but maybe he got hurried and didn't let it chill long enough for the video.

Still, there's no reason at all to make the bacon into a disk or put the ketchup inside the patty.
posted by BrotherCaine at 1:38 PM on November 10, 2012

I love hamburgers.

I love modernist cuisine.

This is the dumbest thing I have ever seen, hamburger wise.
posted by flippant at 1:57 PM on November 10, 2012

IF YOU DON'T STOP PLAYING WITH YOUR FOOD YOU WON'T GET ANY DESSERT.
posted by islander at 3:49 PM on November 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

Ha! I know this guy, he's one of my best friends' cousin. A couple years back I was at the FCI with him and we were capturing him sabring bottles of champagne in super slow motion. Also him and my friend slapping each other. Also him shaking his head around like an insane person, throwing spittle everywhere. We ate at his place, where he has a deep fryer big enough to submerge like two turkeys.

This burger looks awesome.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 3:52 PM on November 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

Where's the beet root?
posted by gomichild at 4:02 PM on November 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

The burger of the future will only cost you $10,000 in equipment expenses.
posted by outlandishmarxist at 4:02 PM on November 10, 2012 [1 favorite]

Actually, the technique of making everything uniform in size and as flat as possible could be applied to burger checklist places like Slater's 50/50, where people end up checking off everything and basically making a burger that every ingredient can only be tasted by a boa constrictor.
posted by FJT at 4:28 PM on November 10, 2012

Does it come with fries?
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 7:09 PM on November 10, 2012

it comes with one fry. topped with a cube of cheese foam, bacon confetti and a single drop of truffle oil.
posted by ninjew at 8:11 PM on November 10, 2012 [3 favorites]

Really? The final product looks disgusting and spurty.
posted by bardic at 8:41 PM on November 10, 2012

Oh guys if you're going to do a Dave Arnold post why link to this and not this food & wine profile of him or his delicious cocktails or his painstakingly researched info on sous-vide temperatures, cocktail science, tortillas and nixtamalization, or american country hams(part of his soon-to-come museum of food and drink),

not to mention his excellent weekly radio show on the heritage radio network

last taste: Dave on the term "Molecular Gastronomy" spoiler: he hates it as much as you do
posted by zingiberene at 12:13 AM on November 11, 2012 [2 favorites]

and previously previouslier previousliest (full disclosure, I know him)
posted by zingiberene at 12:23 AM on November 11, 2012

Yeah, Dave Arnold is great! His podcast (Cooking Issues) is very good as well, even for home cooks like me with no real interest in modernist cooking at home.
posted by rossination at 12:59 PM on November 11, 2012

Ad hominem: je ne se qua.

Je ne sais quoi.

I can tolerate laxness in English grammar and spelling - it is merely idiomatic. But for god's sake - get your foreign quotes* right!

(* Unless you say "qua", in which case je ne care.)
posted by IAmBroom at 10:04 PM on November 11, 2012 [1 favorite]

mhoye: There is no chance, absolutely none, that a food of the future will involve that much waste.

Welcome to Earth! Been here long?
posted by IAmBroom at 10:10 PM on November 11, 2012

Welcome to Earth! Been here long?

The conceit being that if we continue to waste that much food, we won't be here in the (ill defined) "future."
posted by mrgrimm at 3:22 PM on November 12, 2012

Actually, mrgrimm, I believe it's that there won't be enough food to waste. And that is almost certainly not true: if there are no wardens/emergency aid personnel to limit portions in a famine, some will get more and some will get less. Dictatorships will still exist.
posted by IAmBroom at 7:44 PM on November 12, 2012