anybody else have the hardest time making home made hamburgers?

you aren't flattening them enough and you play with them too soon after putting them in the pan. As to flavor, you aren't seasoning them either.

ALL easy stuff to fix.

flatten more, stop playing with the burgers as they fry and season more.

there, wasn't that easy?

Utilize your hands to delicately combine the ingredients, just until joined. At that point shape into 4 patties around 1/2-inch thick. Utilize your thumb to frame a well inside the focal point of each patty, to prevent the burgers from swelling once they cook. Also, utilize your thumb to shape little space inside the center of each patty. Why? it'll guarantee even thickness subsequent to cooking. I hope this was of help. :)

The ONLY reason a burger would fall apart when you try to flip it is that it's undercooked.

If you're using a packaged burger seasoning, there is no reason to use other seasonings. If you're seasoning your beef on your own, I'd suggest you also use some salt and worchestershire sauce. Add an egg to the beef mixture.. Egg is a binder and will help hold your patties together.

Cook them in a hot cast iron skillet and do NOT try to flip the burger until it's releasing itself from the skillet. When meat is ready to be turned, it will no longer stick to the skillet.. how flat they are has nothing to do with whether or not they fall apart.. but trying to flip them before they're ready does.

Seems you’re having trouble shaping them. Begin by portioning the blend out equally, then while pressing them flat into your work surface, shape the sides to form at least an inch thickness while turning the meat and supporting the edges with the side of your palm. There are also hamburger presses available where the portioned mix is placed in the center of the hinged press and simply pushed down to form the burger.

Add fat to them the mix should be 80/20 for a burger. This helps then stick together. Salt the burger hamburger takes lots of salt. Spice them mix in bowl. Not to hard, hand mix. Lay hand scoop of burger on plastic board. Press down on it with hamburger press by hand Nice round flat burger. Some meat should press out holes in top. twist once remove press. You may need see your local blacksmith to make the hamburger press the size & depth you wish.

i got a burger shaping utensil from Dollar Tree. Love it.

I usually just use some salt and pepper but sometimes I'll put some cheese in the middle.

Don't make them so large.

As for shaping, make them thinner in the middle, to counteract the tendency for the burgers to shrink more on the edges when cooking.

Buy a "grill pan" .. the type with ridges on the bottom ... and cook your burgers in that (5 burgers will fit into one pan).

Add some bread crumbs or panko to help absorb some of the fat (fat is "flavor" when it comes to beef). So to avoid getting too much (which dilutes the flavor) buy "extra-lean ground beef". And then retrain some of the fat by adding the breadcrumbs.

If you have a stand mixer with a meat-grinder attachment, the BEST beef for flavor is blade steak/roast. I use it for all stews, too. Tender AND flavorful. Far better than sirloin or other cuts of beef. And relatively inexpensive too.

I like to chop up some onions, rather fine, and add them to the beef before forming the patties. This works much better than onion powder (I would never add onion powder) The only seasonings I use on my burgers are salt and freshly-ground black pepper (I use Tellecherry peppercorns).

The right beef carries the flavor, the breadcrumbs help retain the flavor, the onions add a bit of tang, and the salt and pepper round it out. And cooking them in a grill pan lifts the OUT of the grease, so they aren't greasy.

Roll them into a ball first then mash them actually pat them rather than mashing them, do not let them completely thaw, put them back in the freezer for a little while if you did. Do not make a really big ball with them and let them cook enough on one side before you try and flip them, and do not have the heat up so high, medium heat, a cast-iron skillet is ideal for cooking hamburgers. Use 1 teaspoon of salt for each pound of ground beef.

You're over seasoning them. A good burger only needs salt and pepper. Cast iron sucks. Get a good non stick pan. Only turn a burger once.

Get a metal burger press to weight them down.