YumSugar

Saturday Night Live Parodies Burger King's "Whopper Virgins"

partysugar — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:30:15 -0800

This weekend's Saturday Night Live featured a spoof of the controversy Whopper Virgin ads by Burger King. In the mock version of the commercial host Neil Patrick Harris acts as a spokesperson for Burger King. It's hilarious, crazy, and kind of sad watching the rural European farmers take apart the burgers, act out an American-style game show, and beg to take the burgers home because it's enough "food to feed his village for the whole month." Check out the skit's video below and tell me what you think. Now that it's being made fun of by SNL, should Burger King pull the ad?

Source

Burger King's "Whopper Virgins" Film Causes Controversy

partysugar — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 09:00:23 -0800

As far as controversy goes, one would have thought Pepsi's Suicidal Calorie ads would be hard to top, but a new campaign from Burger King is generating just as much buzz. On a new website, Whoppervirgins.com, Burger King is showing footage of Thai villagers and Transylvanian farmers taking their first bite ever of a hamburger. The film, which was made by Stacy Peralta, the director of acclaimed documentaries like Riding Giants, is being dubbed the world's "purest taste test." But so far, the campaign created by Crispin Porter + Bogusky has received negative backlash from bloggers and even the advertising media. "These people would probably prefer schools and hospitals to prefab burgers," said Adweek's Barbara Lippert. Brian Morrissey of AdFreak called it "embarrassing and emblematic of how ignorant Americans still seem to the rest of the world." To check out a trailer of the ad, read more.

Do you agree with these remarks? Is this production funny, just plain stupid, or insensitive to these developing areas? Is it a good thing that these villagers are being introduced to America's fast food culture?

Source

Bobby Flay's Burger Tips

partysugar — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 10:15:22 -0700

One of the seminars I attended while at the Food and Wine Classic in Aspen was Bobby Flay's "Grill It!" The Food Network star was incredibly entertaining, rowdy, and funny. His demo consisted of a surf-and-turf theme: first he made lobster and clams then he made three types of burgers. The master of the grill, Bobby is particular about creating the perfect burger.

To check out his seven tips to burger heaven, read more.

The type of meat in the patty is important. Do not use extra-lean meat. Instead look for meat that is 80 percent meat and 20 percent fat. The ideal size for a burger patty is 6 ounces.
When forming the patty, make an indent with your thumb in the middle. This will ensure that the meat plumps nicely. Flatten the patty before placing on the grill. Never press down on the patty or flatten it while cooking. This will release the precious juices that are essential to a burger's flavor.

The best burgers are all beef. He prefers the purity of ground beef and dislikes "meatloaf burgers" in which vegetables and other ingredients are mixed with the ground meat. Use the toppings and condiments to make the burger more exciting.
Only flip the burgers one time. To form a good crust, set the patty on the grill and leave it alone for several minutes. Over high heat, a burger usually cooks in about four minutes per side.
Properly melt the cheese. There is nothing worse than a burger with half melted cheese. Trap the heat by closing the grill over the patties. If cooking indoors, place a metal bowl over the burgers to melt the cheese.
Don't overlook the rolls. Ideally, the rolls should be soft and chewy with a light toast.
Be aware of the four main factors - thickness of the patty, the fat content of the meat, the heat of the grill, and the condiments - that affect the burger. Take care when controlling these factors and you'll end up with sheer burger bliss.

What are your tips for making the best burger? Share your secrets with us below!