Mince: burgers, meatballs, cabbage rolls and meatloaf — the rules for each

The commonest reason for dry patties and burgers is mince that's too lean. Fat melts during cooking, bastes the meat and holds in the juice. The ideal fat content for most dishes is 15–20%, and 20% for burgers.

Lean beef or turkey gives a dry result. Mix: beef and pork 1:1 is the classic for patties and meatballs. Mix chicken breast with thigh meat or add 50 g butter per 500 g.

Salt dissolves meat proteins, and when kneaded they bind into a sticky, springy mass. Whether that's good or bad depends on the dish.

For patties, meatballs and meatloaf, salted mince is kneaded for 2–3 minutes: it becomes uniform, holds its shape and doesn't fall apart. A burger needs a loose, meaty texture. Salt burger mince in advance and the patty turns dense like sausage. Burgers are salted only on the outside, just before cooking.

A panade is bread soaked in milk. The starch in the bread soaks up meat juices and stops them running out during cooking. Patties and meatballs with a panade are more tender and juicier.

Per 500 g mince: 80–100 g crustless white bread soaked in 100 ml milk and squeezed. Or 3–4 tbsp breadcrumbs with milk. Grate or mince the onion — 1 onion per 500 g. More on patties in our article on juicy cutlets.

Meatballs with rice (Russian tefteli) are baked or simmered in sauce. Per 500 g mince: 1 onion, 1 egg, 80 g rice cooked until half done (it finishes in the sauce), salt and pepper.

With wet hands, roll walnut-sized balls, dust them in flour and brown quickly on all sides — 3–4 minutes. Pour over sauce to come two-thirds of the way up: tomato (400 g tomatoes, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 200 ml water) or sour cream (200 g sour cream, 300 ml stock, 1 tbsp flour). Simmer covered over low heat for 25–30 minutes or bake at 180 °C for 30 minutes.

The filling is mince with rice: per 500 g mince, 100 g raw rice cooked until half done, 1 onion, 1 carrot (fried if you like), salt and pepper. Raw rice draws out the juice and stays hard; fully cooked rice turns to mush.

For cabbage rolls: cut out the core and lower the cabbage into boiling water. Peel off the leaves as they soften — 2–3 minutes per layer. Trim the thick rib at the base of each leaf. Put 1–2 tbsp filling on each leaf and fold it into a parcel.

Pack the rolls or peppers tightly in a pan, pour sauce (tomatoes, sour cream, stock) halfway up and simmer covered on low heat for 40–50 minutes, or bake at 180 °C for 50–60 minutes.

Per 1 kg mince (beef and pork): 2 eggs, 100 g bread soaked in milk, 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1.5 tsp salt, pepper, herbs. Knead as for patties.

Spread the mince on cling film into a 1.5 cm thick rectangle, add a filling — boiled eggs, cheese, fried mushrooms, spinach — and roll it up using the film. Transfer to a tray seam-side down.

Bake at 180 °C for 50–60 minutes to 71 °C in the centre. 10 minutes before the end brush with a glaze: 3 tbsp ketchup, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tsp mustard. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing, or it falls apart.

A steak can be eaten rare; mince can't. Grinding spreads bacteria from the meat's surface all through it, so mince must heat right through.

Fresh mince keeps in the fridge for only 1–2 days — it spoils faster than whole cuts. If you won't use it in time, freeze it the day you buy it.

Flatten the mince in bags to a 1–1.5 cm layer and press out the air. It freezes and thaws faster, and you can snap off a portion. Label with the date — it keeps up to 3 months.

Thaw overnight in the fridge or in a bag in cold water for 30–60 minutes. Never refreeze raw mince. You can freeze cooked patties and meatballs, or shaped raw ones — on a tray, then in a bag.