A Burger to Believe In

Starred review from March 5, 2018
Once readers have made it through Kronner’s lengthy introduction to this excellent collection of burger-and-sides recipes, they’ll understand why the author’s signature Kronnerburger (also the name of his popular Oakland restaurant) is a force to be reckoned with. Although Kronner offers up perfectly fine recipes for patty melts, pork, lamb, and veggie burgers, the showcase of the book is the Kronnerburger. A DIY labor of love from the ground up (he even makes his own buns), the umami-packed marriage of beef, charred onions, pickles, cheddar, mayonnaise, and roasted bone marrow is outstanding. Readers who take their burgers seriously would do well to note the sometimes time-consuming entries on cooking the perfect fries (“Kennebec potatoes that are fried at low temperature, frozen, and then fried at high temperature”), DIY dry-aging beef, and assembling a breakfast burger that is topped with bacon, pimiento cheese, and an egg custard patty (the recipe suggests making biscuits, pimiento cheese, and pickled cucumbers from scratch). Rounding out the collection are recipes for pickle-brined fried chicken, and two of his restaurant’s other famous items, the rich and salty honey pie and a carbonated margarita. Backyard grillmasters eager to amp up their burger game will find that Kronner’s debut lives up to its title.