Green Hamburgers?
We source our hamburgers from Coleman Naturals. Yep, the same Coleman Naturals you know from Trader Joes and Whole Foods. They work with small family-run ranches whose animals are raised without hormones, antibiotics, nitrates/nitrites, MSG or fillers of any kind. Since our hamburgers have no nitrites (or nitrates) and no artificial preservatives or colors, they can be pretty delicate. Nitrites are used in some meats to prevent discoloration. They protect meats from oxidation, a normal process in cooking. Our burgers don’t have those additives; they have to be cooked in a very particular way. Even a very slight variance can cause the burger to turn a sort of grayish color in areas exposed to air (the rim of the patty which is not covered by the bun, for example).
Through no fault of Coleman, we have had recent complaints of “green hamburgers.” This is unappetizing (but not harmful). No one wants to see any ‘weird’ colors in their lunch!
The good news is that this is just a normal, harmless process when a burger has been cooked and held hot, even for a relatively short period time. The much better news, though, is that we think we have solved the issue!
The kids don’t want to eat ‘green burgers’ and we don’t want to serve them. Green eggs and ham might be ok for Dr. Seuss, but green hamburgers is another bedtime story altogether. No more green burgers for lunch!
