I have mentioned before that I have a love hate relationship with vegetables. I love cooked ones, hate most raw ones. Usually I will only eat raw with dip or on top of a sandwich.

I am one of those Neanderthals who believe that certain teeth were shaped in my mouth for the chewing of meat. I also believe that in the succession of this planet, animals and plants were provided so that humans could sustain life.

I am an omnivore!

This all came up last night as I prepared my bacon cheeseburger. I started questioning if I was overdoing the meat. How big the patty was, how many pieces of bacon and how much cheese all played into my head. I believe a hamburger should be no smaller than a quarter pound, but no bigger than a third pound. Cooked that is, not raw weight. A burger weighing a quarter pound raw can lose a lot of size during the cooking process depending on the fat to meat ratio.

The type of meat is very important to a good tasting hamburger. If you are concerned about too much fat in your diet, you are better off not having the hamburger than making one that is made with less fat. Ground Sirloin is great for meatloaves, pasta dishes and casseroles where you don’t want too much fat or grease developing. But it makes for a dry burger. A hamburger needs the fat, for flavor and for bonding. Ground Chuck is the best for hamburgers.

You want your meat to fat ratio to be 83 – 17 or 85 – 15. This ratio will hold the meat together, give you very good flavor and the reduction from raw size to cooked size is minimal. As long as you don’t overcook.

Regular ground beef with a ratio of 80 – 20 create a lot of grease and shrink a lot in size from raw to cook. Some argue, though, that it creates the best flavor. I haven’t seen that.

As for flavor, the type of meat and style of cooking add a lot. The best, of course, is over a charcoal grill, followed by broiling and then frying. Remember, though, toppings can also add to your fat content, such as my bacon and cheese last night. I am sure my preparation is a nutritionist’s nightmare. But I included raw vegetables. That’s if you consider lettuce, tomato, pickles and onions a good source of vegetables!