My favorite McDonalds burger has become the Double McDouble Cheeseburger.  It's a secret and not on the menu, so I buy 2 for $3, cheap, like me and I combine them.  No ketchup, no mustard, heavy onion.  Then I ask for 2 packets of mayo and make my burger, by discarding one of the tops and putting the other burger on top.

Well I decided I wanted one of those today but did not want to go to town.  So I tried to make one, I can honestly say, it was not as good as the McDonalds.  I am told that they get 10 patties to the pound, which equates to 1.6 oz. or 45 grams.  So off I went to duplicate the pattie.  I really wish I knew how fast food joints or even store bought burgers like Members Mark keep the burger from deforming?  As much as I think I have thinned the burger out, even taking into account shrinkage, it never fails to bunch up in the middle.  Even when I make the middle a depression...So I give you this.  They took 45 seconds per side to cook, and I could not remember if each pattie at McD's has cheese so I only put one on what would have been the top burger on each McDouble.  If you get a chance to make one at McDonalds, i highly recommend it, just dont order any fries for yourself...

A double McDouble!

A McQuad!  I'd eat that.

That is definitely a burger I would eat!

That's...really...special.

Looks like an in&out burger "animal style" also not on the menu.   

More Onion!

I thought I saw a video of McDonalds doing burgers in a large panini type griddle. I would think a bacon press on top while cooking would keep them flat.

I honestly think that what sets McDonalds apart the most is their onions. It's probably been at least 10 years if not more that I've had McDonalds, but I used to love their cheeseburgers with onion only (they would get the order right approximately 30 to 40 percent of the time). Those little dehydrated suckers are good! 

I just got a dehydrator awhile back. Maybe that is a good quarantine project. Recreate McDonald's onions...

As far as the burgers go, maybe try a rolling pin. When I used to make sliders, I would smash a half pound of burger between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Then roll it out with a pin nearly flat. It worked well, and I didn't notice much change when cooked. If you want to keep the round shape, possibly cut them out with a biscuit cutter after rolling.

McD's uses what we used to call(when I worked at Rally's 30 years ago) a topsider grill. It has a nonstick electrically heated top that presses down on the burgers and cooks them from both sides. If you want to replicate them, maybe preheat a cast iron grill press?

Something like a weight would help.  Dehydrated onions are the best, I was sure I was the only freak on that front.  I did use a rolling pin on these, were so thin they were hard to get off the cutting board.  The type of cooking unit ylr describes is probably exactly why they come out the way they do.

I finally figured out one thing that was wrong with this, no middle bun!

We were gonna go out to a local restaurant for the 1st time in 3 months, but 20 minute wait, and we aint the waiting type!

So, I had a real McQuad!  That is one fine $3 Cheeseburger!

t would be neat to find a double sided electric grill like a topsider grill for home use.

Looking around I found a few, but none specify the minimum thickness of whatever you're trying to cookand appear to be more geared to making paninis

Something that would make contact with both sides of a few 2-3 oz patties.

The only one I could find that might handle thin patties is the IMUSA USA GAU-80102

Would a George Foreman grill work?