If an obsession with the "scientifically proven," most delicious way to cook a dish is part of someone’s DNA, it definitely runs in my family. When we get an idea to cook something for a special occasion, we do our research.

My mom handed around an article on grilling hamburgers during one planning meeting. "Potato buns," we all agreed, after reading up.

My dad showed me the vacuum-sealed meat he had in the freezer, and I said hamburgers taste better with freshly ground meat, and they’re barely supposed to press it together. He challenged my book knowledge with his experience, and we agreed to have a hamburger cook-off.

While he kneaded in egg, panko and soy sauce, I barely patted my hamburgers together and sprinkled them only with a simple salt and spice mixture.

Before researching "the perfect hamburger" this summer, I just assumed there were only a few varieties of recipes. Truly, there are a million hamburger recipes out there. Even when I talked with a butcher at the meat counter a few weeks ago, he divulged his secret ingredient for flavorful hamburgers: croutons. I did pick up a few tips that I think are applicable to any hamburger recipe.

» Press a dimple in the middle. Hamburgers do get smaller as they cook, but the middle section domes outward and the dimple helps keep it flat.

» Do NOT press your patties with a spatula. Flip only once. Otherwise, the insides will be overcooked. Pressing the meat causes precious juices to leak.

» Put salt and pepper (and whatever other dry seasonings you like) on the outside only. There’s no need for seasoning inside the patty. Be liberal with the salt and pepper.

» Brush the cut sides of the bun with a little melted butter and put them face down in a hot pan or on the grill to toast. Not only is it divine with its crunchy crust, the toasted surface provides a little barrier so condiments don’t immediately soak the bread.

I tried both Dad’s soy-sauce burger and my bleu cheese-stuffed burger. I won’t tell you who won. Let’s just say we were divided in opinion. The thing we agreed was true: American cheese slices are good for nothing except melted on hamburgers.

Because of our hamburger experiments, I needed to cut back on red meat for a while, so I bought ground turkey.

Turkey burgers have a bad reputation for being dry and tasteless, but I was surprised with this alternative. It’s juicy, and the filling adds a creamy element. Once you put stuffing into a burger, you’re opening a whole new door of folklore.

STUFFED TURKEY BURGERS

1/2 roasted red bell pepper
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese, loosely packed
2 tablespoons crumbled bleu cheese, or to taste
1-1/4 pounds ground turkey
Salt and pepper
5 potato buns
5 teaspoons mayonnaise
Baby spinach
1 large tomato, sliced

Dice bell pepper and, in small bowl, toss with cheeses. Divide into 5 parts.

Divide turkey into five equal parts without forming patties.

Heat frying pan or grill pan over medium-high heat. Spray with olive oil.

When pan is hot, quickly form burgers. Form loose ball without squeezing meat. Press large pocket into meat and push in filling. Seal over the top and then gently press whole ball flat. Gently seal all edges and pat top several times. Make sure you cannot see filling.

Season both sides of burger with salt and pepper. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, flipping once. Do not press down on burger with spatula.

Toast buns. Spread teaspoon of mayonnaise on bun, layer turkey patty with sliced tomatoes and spinach. Serves 5.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving (not including salt to taste): 400 calories, 17 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 75 mg cholesterol, greater than 600 mg sodium, 32 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 4 g sugar, 32 g protein

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Mariko Jackson blogs about family and food at www.thelittlefoodie.com.