How to properly select, handle ground beef
- col-kate-shumaker
- May 14, 2025
- 405
It’s burger time!
We have officially entered the season of graduation parties, cookouts, picnics and grilling. Mother Nature has not received the memo 100% yet; however, she is joining the party slowly. One of the things many of these events might have in common is the classic hamburger. That might explain why May is National Hamburger Month.
There are so many ways to make hamburgers, but many of them start with ground beef. What type of ground beef do you like to use?
Selecting ground beef
—70-79% lean ground beef (70/30, 73/27, 75/25 lean-to-fat ratio) can be used for burgers but will lose a fair bit of fat.
—80-89% lean ground beef (80/20, 85/15 lean-to-fat ratio) is best used when cooking in a pan. It will lose less fat and be slightly firmer in texture.
—93% or higher ground beef (93/7, 96/4 lean-to-fat ratio) is defined as “lean.” This is a smart choice if you are trying to reduce fat. You may want to add other ingredients to prevent dryness.
Preparing safely
—When shopping, place packages of ground beef in plastic bags to prevent juices from leaking onto other foods. Separate from ready-to-eat foods in the cart. Refrigerate quickly upon returning home.
—Store ground beef in the refrigerator and use it within two days. Freeze if longer storage is needed. Original packaging is acceptable for short-term freezing.
—Follow the steps to keep food safe including the basics of clean, separate, cook and chill when preparing ground beef.
—Harmful bacteria present on meat are typically found on the surface. However, when meat is ground, the “surface” is now mixed throughout the entire portion of the ground meat. This is why ground meat is required to be cooked to a higher temperature than whole muscle cuts. E. coli is the biggest concern with ground beef.
—When it is time to make your burgers, get the thermometer. The only way for you to know your hamburger is cooked safely is to cook it to an internal temperature of at least 160 F. Color is not a reliable indicator and can be influenced by fat content, aging and cooking methods.
—Any leftover burgers should be refrigerated (or put in cold storage if you are away from home) within two hours or one hour if the temperature is above 90 F. If left at room temperature longer than two hours, throw them away.
Want to prevent your burgers from shrinking when cooked? You cannot prevent all shrinkage, but you can reduce it. To retain the most size and moisture, avoid cooking at high temperatures and overcooking. Burgers with a high lean-to-fat ratio also may shrink more as the fat is cooked out.
Kate Shumaker is an OSU Extension family and consumer sciences educator and may be reached at 330-674-3015 or Shumaker.68@osu.edu.