TGI Fridays – Fridays Glazed Burger DIY

Admittedly it has been a few years since I have been inside a TGIF, but there was a time they set the standard for what has become a more common restaurant format.   When I think of TGIF, I think of fajitas, nachos, ribs and drinks, lots of drinks.  But I don’t remember going for burgers.  So, when I saw they had a DIY kits, I thought if they are good at other American fare, then why not try?  Read on to find out how they were.

The Bun: 18/20

This is a really, really good hamburger bun.  A lovely, buttery brioche that smelled delicious.  Sometimes brioche buns can get a little oily when you heat them, but this toasted nicely.  Maybe just a tad dry on the top with no additional toppings, and perhaps a smidge small for the patty, although that’s better than the other way around.  But I appreciate that it wasn’t covered in seeds and came pre-sliced.  And it held firm even with burger glaze soaking in

The Toppings: 6/10

Good, but not great.  The kit comes with pre-cooked bacon, and it tasted very good, but only one slice of bacon for these large burgers wasn’t quite enough.   The pickled onions were not a hit around here.  We have some big pickle fans and some big onion fans in the house, but they were just a little too pungent for either camp.  The tomato was big and fresh, although made the burger a little slippery.  The kit came with burger seasoning, but we had a small sauce leak in the kit and the seasoning was too wet to use, so cannot comment (we used salt and pepper in place). 

The Condiments: 8/10

The “burger mayo” actually seemed to have more mustard than mayo in it, but we really liked it.  Take the usual burger sauce blended from mayo, ketchup and relish and add a decent dose of mustard and you would be pretty close to what TGIF does.  It works though.  Might have been better to put on both buns instead of just the bottom as the instructions said, but still good.

The kit also comes with their Legendary Glaze, which we can say makes a right mess when the container is broken in the kit.  It seems to be a slightly sweet (and thick) soy sauce or a slightly salty teriyaki.  I am not a huge fan of that sort of flavour but I have to say it really worked in the end product.  Didn’t really impact total flavour, but did waken the umami taste buds so I think actually raised the other flavours on the burger.  Don’t cook too long though or it makes a right mess of your griddle.  The instructions tell you to boil water in the pan to clean it for a reason!

The Cheese: 11/20

Okay.  Seems like a mild/medium cheddar, and a moderately thick slice.  But just didn’t seem to be enough on the big patties, and got lost in the end flavour with the onions and sauces.   American cheese, or maybe just more, might have improved things. TGI Fridays are certainly more knowledgeable than this particular cheese in a stack.

The Patty: 15/20

I was quite surprised to get frozen patties. Of the 20 or so DIY kits we have tried this year, this was the first one with frozen beef.  However, we thawed overnight and they were perfectly ready for cooking the next day.  They were pre-formed and still weighed exactly 6 oz after thawing so a good size.  Being frozen made them easier to handle, although they did start to break apart a little after the first flip.   They are very wide and reasonably thin, so cooked nice and fast, with just a moderate amount of fat running out.  Good beef, okay on juiciness, but maybe just needed a little more flavour. That could be the negative side of freezing, but we prefer the slightly plain to the excessively gamy.  I will add that I think it was just about the perfect portion size for me.  Quarter pound patties too small, half pound sometimes too much, this was just right!

The Taste: 14/20

Above average for sure.  Beef flavour a little lost in the mix (onions were strong), and cheese flavour hard to spot, but still a pleasing taste overall, especially for the second half once I replaced their onions with some plain ones and added burger mayo to the other side.  

Our Verdict: 72/100

This was a pretty good cheeseburger.  Not among the elite of our top, but I have to say that it was probably the easiest to cook of all the kits I have tried.  Patties pre-formed, buns pre-cut, bacon pre-cooked…all made it simple. Plus the patties cooked fast.  Loved the mustard in the burger sauce, and the glaze was unique.  I think if you were cooking for a large group, this would be the way to go due to ease, plus it appeals to the masses, and will fill everyone up.