Cooking hamburger indoors on a temperature-controlled electric griddle saves the range top for cooking side dishes while it prepares the meat without added fat. Ground beef cooks in patties directly on the griddle without added cleanup. Electric griddles need no seasoning and little assembly and cook hamburgers correctly right out of the box. Although a plug-in electric griddle won't replace a traditional stovetop griddle or skillet in most kitchens, it adds an extra cooking surface when needed.
Mix the ground beef with beaten egg and seasonings to taste in a bowl. Form into patties approximately 3/4- to 1-inch thick. Place the patties between sheets of wax paper and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour, up to overnight.
Preheat the electric griddle to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. If the electric griddle doesn't indicate when it's fully preheated, test it after a few minutes by dropping a few water drops on the hot surface. A properly heated griddle immediately sizzles and evaporates the water droplets.
Place hamburgers on the preheated electric griddle and cook for 4 minutes. Using a silicone spatula to avoid scratching the surface of the electric griddle, flip the burgers to the other side and cook for another 3 minutes for medium well.
Pull the hamburgers from the griddle and unplug the griddle. Allow the burgers to rest for 5 minutes before serving.