And for me that means two things: a break from school and lots of good food.

To start off the summer right I want to talk about hamburgers – about the kind you make and the kind you buy.

First, the kind you make. Everyone has their favourite burger patty recipe. And I’m sure we could spend the next three months just talking about that. And since (as it comes to no surprise to all of you) that I don’t make my own, what I’m going to talk about is the bun. A bad GF bun can and will ruin the burger no matter how good it is.

Husband and I were shopping at Whole Paycheck Foods last week and came across Udi’s hamburger buns. At first I wasn’t all that excited because I’ve only found one hamburger bun I liked. ~cough GF Patisserie cough~ That being said, how was I going to be the one to turn down an opportunity to try something new. I mean, it’s not much of a blog if I don’t put myself and my taste buds out there right?!

So we went for it, and as soon as we got home I decided to make some turkey burgers. (actually Trader Joe’s made the burgers, I just thawed them and put them in the pan) When all was said and done, it was time to try it all together. And guess what people, I was really impressed! They were great. They were perfectly sized, they didn’t compete with the burger patty or the millions of toppings that I put on it. And best of all, they didn’t crumble, which means getting to eat my burger WITHOUT a fork and a knife. Sometimes it’s the little things that matter the most!

If you’re unable to find Udi’s in your neck of the woods, try THIS link. It may be of some use.

After all the work of heating up our own pre-made burgers, we moved on to eating burgers completely made by others.

In the last few weeks there has been a lot of talk around DC about this place called Shake Shack. It’s a burger joint with it’s own little schtic; they keep it simple with burgers and hot dogs and fries, oh and milkshakes. After a quick google search we discovered that they had GF options. And I was really excited to learn that they took it seriously and that they knew what the challenges are for people like us.

From the menu, I chose a cheese burger with lettuce and tomatoes – no bun. Husband had a double cheeseburger with the works. For those that are wondering, Shake Shake offers a wide range of milkshakes that are GF, and for a list of the ones that aren’t, just go to their webesite(or you can ask someone that works there – they know what they’re doing). I chose to forgo the milkshake because of that whole lactose intolerant thing, but if any of you have tried one, please let us know what you thought.

And there is some caution to be had with the fries. On their own they are gluten-free and they are cooked in a separate oil from other things. However, at the end of every night the different oils are cleaned together, which means there is potential for a little cross-contamination. I don’t chance that kind of stuff because I suck and my body will tell me when the smallest piece of gluten is in my food. So if you’ve tried the fries and havent had an issue (or have tried them and have) please let us know your thoughts.

Okay, with all that being said, I’m sure you want to know if it was any good. And it was, it was one of the best fast food burgers I’ve had in a long time. It wasn’t greasy, it had flavour and the toppings were fresh, very fresh. The best part, was that all of their condiments were Heinz and GF. Hell ya. (Shake Shack is located is the US only, sorry Canada, I still love you. Please keep it on the list for when you travel!)

It’s happy summer time everyone. So get your burger on!

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A staple of most people’s diets; the burger provides a quick and easy way to feed the family and not feel guilty about it. Burgers, when done right, can be a very well balanced meal: Meat = patty, Grains = bun, Dairy = cheese, Fruit and Vegetables = Ketchup.

Here is where this can go very wrong for a Celiac – the bun and the patty binding. Let me talk about the bun first. I’ve tried a couple bun options. Celimix makes a boxed bun mix that you can make at home. It was okay, very heavy and soaks up ketchup and mustard like those little sponge pocket guys on TV. It’s also labour intensive, and involves things like yeast and oil mixing. Totally way too much work for me!

Kinnikinnick Products also makes a hamburger bun. It comes pre-made and frozen. The buns are okay. Like the Celimix buns, they are really heavy, and when they thaw out they tend to crumble. Not the best scenario for hamburgers. (Note: As I write this, I am learning that Kinnikinnick has heard peoples complaints about their buns and have reformulated the recipe. I look forward to seeing what they roll out and if they improvements are just as they say.)

I knew that I had to keep looking. Okay wasn’t going to be good enough, there had to be better. And there is. GF Patisserie to the rescue again. They make a great hamburger bun. It’s light and fluffy, holds together and has a great crust. Fiance thinks that they are just as good as ‘normal’ buns, so now we don’t bother buying two different types – it’s all gluten free all the time. My only complaint, if you can call it that, is that the buns are small. This is okay when you mix your own patties because you can tailor make them to size, but when you buy the pre-made burgers the buns tend to be a little small.

And let’s talk about the patties. Binding patties can be difficult. Adding too much egg can make them a little slimy, and using rice crackers leaves them a little dry and crunchy. Your best bet is to use GF bread crumbs. I have found that if you save the ends of your GF loaves and dry them out, you have the perfect binding agent for burgers, meat loaves etc.

If you’re at all like me, you think that mixing your own burger patties is still too much work. Ideally, you’d be able to buy the pre-made burgers and just pull out a few at a time so that you are not committed to eating 8 patties or trying to find a way to reinvent them as left overs. Superstore to the rescue. Superstore now sells pre-made GF sirloin burgers that are to die for. They are not the cheapest, but wow they are worth it. So juicy, very thick and easy to BBQ. Yummy, yum, yum is all I can say about it.

Burgers are possible, and you don’t have to settle for just okay. Trust me, once you find your winning combination, your gluten eating friends will be jelous of you, jelous of the great hamburger you’re eating.

And just incase you don’t believe me – here is a picture of my hamburger wonder!

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