The Scoop

One of the most misunderstood tools in the hamburger cook’s arsenal is the salad scoop (also referred to as a “baller” or “disher,” depending on where you’re shopping). In order to successfully make consistently sized smashed burgers (the base for many of the burger recipes in this book), you will need a #12 scoop (2½ ounce or 75 g capacity). You may also need a #16 scoop (2 ounce or 60 g capacity) for making sliders. Most of the recipes in this book call for you to shape heaping scoops of ground beef with these dishers, so, in effect, you’re almost doubling the capacity (4 ounces or 120 g for hamburgers, 3 to 3½ ounces or 90 to 105 g for sliders).