I think veggie burgers can be amazing. But I grew up cringing at them. I’ve had so many that were dry or mushy or tasted bland or bad. But that doesn’t have to be the end of the story.

I’m happy we have such great fake meat options. But a veggie burger is a better choice for the planet than a Beyond or Impossible burger. And it’s more nutritious. And you can actually make it out of incredible seasonal produce from local farms. Eater, you’re right!

We’re introducing a bunch of brand new veggie burger recipes. For those unaware we’ve been loading fridges for veggie Burger Thursdays as part of our new subscription program.

We’re going to start sharing some of our burger recipes. In the meantime If you’re making veggie burgers at home here are my suggestions:

• Use veggie burgers to prevent food waste: they are an amazing vehicle for all sorts of veggies. The perfect thing if you’re like me and have a overwhelming bounty of CSA vegetables this summer
• Umami is king: You can’t just sit back and expect the ground beef to do the work for you the way you would with a meat burger. You’re going to want to use things like mushroom powder (ground up dried mushrooms), caramelized onions, a splash of soy sauce, tomato paste, anything fermented. Layering these flavors makes all the difference.
• Use a strong binder: flour can work, eggs or cheese if you’re not vegan, a combination of these things, starches can help (potato, other). You want something that when cooked will hold everything together.
• Try a wet batter: If you make a burger batter that is somewhat wet you’re going to be able to get better texture definition between interior and crust. I like to go for a crunchy crust and a moist interior.
• Beets are fun: Play with color!
• Plenty of healthy fats: If you leave the fat out something will taste “wrong” and the burger won’t carry the flavor you want. Use healthy fats (unsaturated) in the burger patty and also on the griddle to cook the burger.
• Have fun with the toppings: I think for most people condiments and toppings make the burger. Let your imagination carry you.

If you want to try burgers next week, sign up by (this) Thursday at 5pm. Here’s how.