Ever tried a microwave burger?

Me neither – until last weekend. Now they’re my new best friend.

microwave burgers

I’m not quite sure how I’ve managed to miss the nifty invention that is the microwave burger, but it wasn’t until BritMums asked us to take part in their Rustlers burger hacking challenge that I tried one for the first time.

Our task was simple: head to our nearest Tesco, buy a twin-pack of Rustlers Southern Fried Chicken burgers, hack it by buying everything we fancied to pimp it up, then rustle up a meal for the whole family and tell you lovely lot all about it.

I must admit I didn’t even know where to look for microwave burgers in Tesco, so a friendly assistant pointed BB and I in the right direction (next to the sausage rolls, in case you were wondering) and off we went.

microwave burgers

There’s a lot to be said for the humble burger, so we played it straight with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and cheese with carrot sticks and dip on the side (putting extras like onion rings inside a burger is wrong on so many levels, although I’m not judging…) Then it was back home to hack our burgers.

microwave burgers

I have to say the whole experience was a revelation, and as a result microwave burgers are my new best friend.

5 reasons microwave burgers are my new best friend

1. They’re easy peasy. All you have to do is stick them in the microwave for 90 seconds – bun and all – and bingo: they’re ready to eat. What with school, nursery, after school clubs and weekend clubs this is one speedy school night hack I’d never thought of before – and it beats the default eggy bread hands down.

microwave burgers

2. They’re not just beef. I (naively) assumed microwave burgers mean beef burgers, but in fact there’s a whole range available. For the purposes of the #RustlersHack challenge we used Rustlers Southern Fried Chicken burgers with a sesame seed bun and peppered mayo.

microwave burgers

3. They’re healthy. Microwave burgers might not sound like they tick boxes on the health front, but the Rustlers Southern Fried Chicken burgers we used in our challenge are smaller than the average burger at just 140g each, so the perfect size for little hands, and portioned-controlled too. Plus the chicken used in the burger is traceable back to the farm of origin.

microwave burgers

4. You can hide food in them they wouldn’t otherwise eat. Like green. If I served up lettuce, carrot sticks, cucumber and tomatoes on a plate the kids would look at me like I was mad. But serve them up alongside a burger and give them the chance to make toppings and sides and they’ll suddenly eat the lot.

microwave burgers

5. They’re a meal the whole family will actually eat. Having three kids the chances are at least one of them will turn their nose up at whatever it is I produce at meal times, but nope. To my amazement all three of them happily tucked in to their Rustlers burgers because they were able to make them just how they like them. Clean plates all round.

microwave burgers

Are you a fan of microwave burgers in your house? What’s your favourite way to pimp up a burger? (I won’t be offended if you say onion rings!) If you fancy taking part in your own #RustlersHack challenge – or you’re just looking for a speedy school night hack – head to Tesco and you’ll find Rustlers next to the sausage rolls!

This collaborative post is an entry for BritMums’ Rustlers Burger Hacking Challenge, sponsored by Rustlers.