Potstickers - Toronto style

When I was last in Toronto, I went to a dumpling house in China town.  Yeah, the one in the picture below.  They have these amazing dumplings that come with a little whispy crunchy thing.  

Adds some great texture to some already amazing dumplings.  I've been messing with how to create this same effect for way more months than I'm willing to admit.  And tonight I'm pretty damn close.  I think if I had turned up the heat sooner or if I had let it go just 2 or 3 more minutes I would have it.

Here is my latest conditions.  Use hardly any oil at the start.  Add 3/4 cup boiling water to dumplings in a medium hot pan.   Let the water boil for about 8 to 10 minutes covered.  Mix up 3/4 of a teaspoon of corn starch in <1/4 cup of hot water.  Add the cornstarch to the pan and turn up the heat.  wait until you start to see some browning.  Get it out of hte pan by fliping upside down on a plate.

I think maybe a bit less water in the cornstarch, maybe 2/3 of a teaspoon and just a tad bit more heat will do it.

Burgers

You know what?  I just don't seem to make burgers as good as some of the dives I like to go to.  I try and try but it is never just right.  I think it is the flat top.  I need a flat top grill!  I want a good juicy greasy burger with cheese.  My ideal is "In and Out" but they just aren't on this side of the world.  There are two decent places who's burgers I like in the area, The hob nob and the shake pit.  These are good decent burgers and are not the $8 burger or $10 burger you see at some places.  Just some small place turning out yummy grease.   I don't want a 1/2 lb burger with 8 topings either.  I want something small and tasty.

So I'm not going to show you how to make a burger yet, but it would be great if you told me what you look for in a burger.  I do have a place in my memory and emotional touch stones for places like white castle or the Wheel bar, which were both places my dad would bring burgers home from.  The wheel bar was some little dive in Michigan that had some great grease.  Haven't been there in 20 years and don't even know if it still exists.