A discussion about cheeseburgers on my local (NJ) board got me thinking about creating this topic. I remember as a kid the big debate was flame broiled (Burger King) or flat top grilled (Mc’ Donalds) for your favorite burger.
Now far removed from my childhood we have a lot more burger options out there, with chains like white castle - shake shack - smash burger - 5 guys - 25 bugers (typo intentional) - Habit Burger - etc - etc.
So what is it for you?
Ok, I’ll go first…I’m a open flame guy, I think those burgers are the best though I don’t think Burger King does them that way anymore (I could be wrong) but I prefer my burger with a little char hot off an open fire grill. (I also prefer a gas grill I don’t care for the charcoal taste) - however if I’m having a fast food flat top grill burger my two fav’s would be Mc’ Donalds or White Castle, though the latter really doesn’t agree with my digestive system anymore. (that’s as polite as I could word it)
Pretty funny. Its like I moved out of the 'hood and I decide to make a visit and during my drive by and who do I not see? NotJR!
This reminds me of the numerous burger threads from days of yore.
To get to the question, I prefer my cheeseburgers without cheese. Burger - meat, no cheese. Don’t want to detract from good beef with a slice of yellow oil based sliminess. But that’s just me.
We do not have White Castle in this 'hood, so we can’t easily check what we’re about to write. What we think (we think) we remember about White Castle is that the patties are actually “steamed”, sitting on the onions that are spread across the grill, which would making flipping very difficult for a mass market operation? Not quite “grilling”. So, we’ll second your MCD nomination.
I’m with BKeats. I like cheese, but not on my burger. Funny thing happens when on the rare occasion I decide to order a hamburger for a meal at a “we grind our own” restaurant the waitperson asks what kind of cheese I want on it. I’ve learned not to order just a “plain” hamburger, because then I only get the meat and bun. ( I do like mine with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle). At some places we like who make terrific burgers it’s just easier to order the house cheeseburger and “hold the cheese” because the non-cheese hamburgers have all kinds of weird stuff on them like bacon jam or chipotle mayo…
Grilled bun, burger charcoal grilled outside, no pink, cheddar cheese, bacon and avocado . None of those pesky vegetables that pile it up high. That’s home cooked but since you mentioned fast food:
McD’s - the meat is strange and mushy.
BK - A definite step up from McD’s.
Whataburger - 4 steps up from the first two
DQ - my favorite - cooked fresh to order. A belt buster (double patties) with meat cheese and bread only. I can add my own condiments at home. And DQ has the best fast food onion rings imo.
P.s. I watch You Gotta Eat Here. It’s a Canadian takeoff on GF’s Triple D. He visits places where the burgers are so piled up high with things that I personally don’t think should go together but the crowd goes wild. About 8” tall will a knife in them. My Q always is how do you eat a monster like that, Even if you smoosh it down, there’s still a problem.
FF cheeseburgers all fail because they slap a cold piece of cheese on the burger at the end, creating a weird hot/cold combination.
Nothing beats a diner flattop burger with the onions grilled and the cheese all gooey and melted.
And cheddar or Swiss if they really know what they’re doing.
medium rare on the burger. prefer no lettuce or mayo. Thick slab of tomato, sliced yellow onion, pickle on a soft roll. Cheese, I like either swiss or muenster.
At home, I like them grilled to medium. We start with big beef patties, always press our own, and we season the meat well before the grill. Sometimes I’ll smoosh the whole pound with seasoning, but more typically, it’s just both sides of the patty.
To accompany: good sturdy buns that hold up to the burger. My patty brushed with BBQ sauce. Tillamook Medium Cheddar, or occasionally Pepper Jack. Large slices of sweet onion, or red, mayo, ketchup and lettuce.
At specialty burger places I typically get the kind that has BBQ sauce and fried onion straws.
Fast Food: In N Out Burgers, Fatburger, Shake Shack, Carl’s Jr. or BK.
I like mine with lettuce and tomato
Heinz 57 and french fried potatoes
Big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer
Well good God almighty which way do I steer
For my…
Cheeseburger in paradise
So what’s the most important is the bread . Be it a bun or … … ? Texture , flavor . Exactly . To much or little can ruin a great thing . Thoughts ? For myself the bread is just a way to transfer the burger to mouth.
Assuming DQ is Dairy Queen, I didn’t even know they made burgers! I don’t recall ever being to one, but I might look now! OTOH, there are quite a few burger options around here, so maybe not.
For me, making it medium rare is the rate limiting step, which means no “fast food” burgers. If that’s not an option, game over. I make the occasional exception for “in and out”.
After that, toasted brioche bun, mayo, melted chedder, bacon is always welcome, maybe avocado, maybe lettuce, and magbe cooked onion, a knife to cut it in half, and a to go container to finish it after a breather.
Agreed! I eat my burgers bunless most of the time, partially because I follow a low carb lifestyle but also because so few places put adequate thought into their buns. For thinner patties I prefer well-buttered rye toast (patty melt style). For a thick burger, a potato roll (Martin’s) or brioche - soft and sturdy with a hint of sweetness. A good onion roll can work too. I have zero interest in standard white buns, English muffins or any piece of bread that is thicker than the burger itself!
As for cheese, I like different types depending on the patty thickness, type of bun and other toppings. My usual choices are Swiss, Blue, American or Cheddar. MELTED. I have no use for cold cheese on a burger!
Thick patties need to be medium rare with a good crusty sear on the outside (flattop or charcoal grill are my favorite ways to achieve this). I’m open to different toppings but please, no lettuce, raw tomato or raw onion. If I want a salad I’ll eat it on the side.
Fast food is a crushing disappointment for me. Eating at McDonalds, Wendy’s, or Burger King simply doesn’t live up to my teenage memories. I’d rather just cherish the memories of 24 cent burgers (a quarter with sales tax) than ruin them with reality.
I am violently opposed to huge burgers. Definitely think smashburgers are a bad idea. Three smashed patties stacked with junk to be six inches tall should be illegal.
My choice is a gentled formed patty (dimple) medium rare, lightly toasted bun (I have a fondness for Arnold’s wheat buns) so they don’t get soggy, lettuce on the bottom, a couple of rings of onion on top or better caramelized onion, very thinly sliced tomato, homemade pickle, some Indian sweet relish, a little ketchup. You can pick it up without a mess, get it in your mouth without being indelicate, and the condiments don’t overwhelm the flavor of the meat. Sides of Grandma Linahan’s macaroni salad and oven fries.
The mac salad is worthy of a thread of its own. Stand by! grin
I was the first female hired to work night shift at Micky D’s across from the Ohio State University campus in the early 70’s. Cheeseburgers were 25 cents. Drunk frat boys used to come in and buy bags of them. My girlfriends would walk to the restaurant to accompany me home at the end of the shift in the dark and I would always bring a goody bag home for us. I still love McD’s cheeseburgers, but rarely have occasion to access them anymore except on road trips. I always get 2.
and agree on the onion rings.