Where do you Put the Cheese on a Cheeseburger?

[onthehunt526]

4 minutes ago, Jack Watson said:

Ok.

80-85 

u need that fat,  a cheeseburger is not diet food.

cheese goes on top while the burger finishes cooking.

better question is is a flat top burger or grilled burger better? 

If you don't char it too much. Grill marks are ok, but every "grilled" burger I've ever had has always had too much char. There is a fine line, I little bit is ok, but a lot is unappetizing.

I prefer the flat-top if cooking them out uncovered. I really like to broil mine at home... I really like the taste... It's also in the seasonings. I personally don't use recipes, I just throw stuff together, from experience I know what goes good together.

You're talking to someone who cooks 20-30 burgers a day on Monday and Tuesday and closer to 50 or 60 on the weekend days... But then again I've been doing it for 5+ years.

@iacas Have you ever tried tomato under the cheese? If you haven't you should. You gotta heat the tomato slice a little bit before you do it though, So I usually just put it on the flat-top at work for about 5-10 seconds a side.

[iacas]

24 minutes ago, onthehunt526 said:

You never put bacon on the bottom, EVER. (I've never done bacon under the cheese, on top of the meat, but I get A LOT of stupid assed requests for burgers using lettuce as bread or putting the burger in a wrap).

I don't put the bacon on the bottom. That's how Five Guys does it, unless I ask them to put it under the cheese like it's supposed to be done.

[billchao]

Put me in the 80% camp as well. I'm fine with 75%, but any more that 85% is too lean. I find a lot of the ground meat at the supermarket is too lean for my taste. I don't eat meat everyday so I'm not afraid of eating a bit of animal fat.

21 minutes ago, onthehunt526 said:

You're talking to someone who cooks 20-30 burgers a day on Monday and Tuesday and closer to 50 or 60 on the weekend days... But then again I've been doing it for 5+ years.

I've cooked a lot of burgers, too, and eggs. Man have I cooked a lot of eggs.

I do miss a flat-top though. I have never made a burger at home that I have truly been happy with, although part of that has to do with the meat as I mentioned above. One of these days I'll just start grinding my own.

[onthehunt526]

48 minutes ago, iacas said:

I don't put the bacon on the bottom. That's how Five Guys does it, unless I ask them to put it under the cheese like it's supposed to be done.

I know Five Guys does that here, too, which annoys me, bacon on the bottom really come on, Five Guys.

At Friendly's, they want us to put the bacon on top of the melted cheese. I've never heard of anyone putting bacon on top of the meat underneath melted cheese. Or do you not melt your cheese, @iacas?

[Warren Zevon]

I have nothing to add to this conversation, but just wanted to say this thread is awesome.  And I’ve never thought of insulating the bottom of the bun with lettuce.  It’s sounds brilliant.  

[RussUK]

Always on top of the burger. Its like the whole scone thing, always jam first then clotted cream.......really want a scone now!!

[jamo]

7 hours ago, iacas said:

96%? Nah. That's not a juicy patty. 80-85% is the way to go.

The pesky "96%" got itself caught between the two things I was trying to bold. I regret the error.

And now I really want a cheeseburger.

[DaveP043]

I'll agree with a number of things here:

80% is about right.  Some of the best burgers I've had are a blend of brisket and chuck.

Cheese on top of meat.  Bacon can be either side of the cheese, but never under the burger

I like mayo on the bottom.  Mayo can also help stop the meat juice from saturating the bottom bun.

Use a cast-iron skillet at home to get something like the flat-top texture.

[1badbadger]

I worked at McDonald's when I was in high school, so I might be able to provide some insight on this.(ha!)

Has anyone mentioned toasting the bun?  This takes things to another level, and has several benefits which I'll save for another thread.  Don't want to hijack the cheese thread.

In terms of condiment order, taking the toasted crown of the bun upsidedown (that's the top of the bun for those not in the burger business) it goes mustard, ketchup, onions, pickles, then cheese.  This places the cheese directly on top of the meat.  Quarter pounders get 2 slices of cheese, one on top, one on bottom, and they are "fanned" so the corners are opposite each other. (see pic)

[iacas]

9 hours ago, billchao said:

I do miss a flat-top though. I have never made a burger at home that I have truly been happy with, although part of that has to do with the meat as I mentioned above. One of these days I'll just start grinding my own.

The burgers I've made at home have been some of the best I've ever had, save for a few in San Antonio and some other places.

9 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

At Friendly's, they want us to put the bacon on top of the melted cheese. I've never heard of anyone putting bacon on top of the meat underneath melted cheese. Or do you not melt your cheese, @iacas?

Of course I melt my cheese.

Whether I put the bacon under the cheese or the cheese under the bacon depends, typically, on when the bacon is done. I prefer bacon-under-cheese because, as I noted above, the cheese helps "glue" things together. It stops the bacon from falling out.

Bacon on top can "stick" to the cheese, yes, which is why I don't care that much about the order of the bacon/cheese layers, so long as they're above the "meat" layer.

[Vinsk]

14 hours ago, Buckeyebowman said:

No, no no! You put lettuce on the bottom as well! It acts as a moisture barrier to avoid the bottom bun becoming soggy!

The proper order is bottom bun, lettuce, beef pattie, cheese, condiments, tomato, lettuce, top bun!

Of course if you add bacon, everything goes straight to Hell! And don't even talk to me about onion!

No, no,no. The lettuce is often the wettest thing on there! Bottom bun, Patty, lettuce, tomato,  onion, mustard, ketchup, cheese. That's the only way to do it. Mayo is disgusting and does not belong on a burger. In fact, nothing white ever belongs on a burger. Disgusting, mold-ridden vile substance!

[iacas]

22 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

No, no,no. The lettuce is often the wettest thing on there! Bottom bun, Patty, lettuce, tomato,  onion, mustard, ketchup, cheese. That's the only way to do it. Mayo is disgusting and does not belong on a burger. In fact, nothing white ever belongs on a burger. Disgusting, mold-ridden vile substance!

I'll never kick a fried egg off my burger. Mmmm.

I had an open-faced burger at a place about an hour south of where I live (Rachel's Roadhouse) that was burger, ham, egg, cheese, and bacon. That was good. I think it was called the breakfast burger, but since it had four barnyard animals, I hear the staff calls it the barnyard orgy.

[rehmwa]

Cheese - Over vs Under the meat? - the answer is both.  And mutlple types of cheese as long it's real cheese (let's avoid the solidified veggie oil pattie stuff people call cheese - unless one is really in a hurry - and desparate - and just doesn't really care, and a hermit).

 

"more cheese", frankly, is just a solid life philosophy

Edited October 30, 2017 by rehmwa

[nevets88]

Google to fix cheeseburger emoji

[jamo]

1 hour ago, Vinsk said:

No, no,no. The lettuce is often the wettest thing on there! Bottom bun, Patty, lettuce, tomato,  onion, mustard, ketchup, cheese. That's the only way to do it. Mayo is disgusting and does not belong on a burger. In fact, nothing white ever belongs on a burger. Disgusting, mold-ridden vile substance!

I'd say it depends on what kind of lettuce you're using and where you put your condiments. If you're using shredded lettuce, then that's perfect for going under the patty, because the juices from the burger can get held by the lettuce. But if you're just using a slice of romaine or something, then you're just asking for the juices to slide out the back because the lettuce will act as an impermeable barrier.

I do agree on the mayo. I'm not a mayo fan in general. I do remember seeing an America's Test Kitchen video where they advocate slathering your toasted buns with butter (much more than you'd think), but I've never tried it myself.

One thing I'll say is if I'm making burgers myself in a cast iron skillet, the buns becoming soggy isn't a concern. I'm going to eat them well before that has a chance to happen. It's a slightly different equation if it's a grilled burger, because those I generally make thicker, so they come out juicier. A cast iron skillet burger I make very thin and crispy.

[Vinsk]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

I'll never kick a fried egg off my burger. Mmmm.

I had an open-faced burger at a place about an hour south of where I live (Rachel's Roadhouse) that was burger, ham, egg, cheese, and bacon. That was good. I think it was called the breakfast burger, but since it had four barnyard animals, I hear the staff calls it the barnyard orgy.

Well yeah, but then we get into was this a burger with an egg, or breakfast sandwich with a beef patty? Once you throw eggs and ham on it....it no longer becomes a burger in my deep south origins.,

Edited October 30, 2017 by Vinsk

[NCGolfer]

2 hours ago, iacas said:

Bacon on top can "stick" to the cheese, yes, which is why I don't care that much about the order of the bacon/cheese layers, so long as they're above the "meat" layer.

Properly melted cheese acts as the glue for the rest of the condiment layer.  Especially bacon.

 

3 hours ago, 1badbadger said:

Has anyone mentioned toasting the bun?  This takes things to another level, and has several benefits which I'll save for another thread.  Don't want to hijack the cheese thread.

Hijack away.  Toasting is perfectly acceptable for keeping the bun from becoming too soggy with all the delicious grease.  It also adds some excellent texture.  We normally toast our bread or rolls for any sandwiches we make.

[iacas]

Just now, NCGolfer said:

Hijack away.  Toasting is perfectly acceptable for keeping the bun from becoming too soggy with all the delicious grease.  It also adds some excellent texture.  We normally toast our bread or rolls for any sandwiches we make.

Agreed. Though sometimes when it's more of a quickie meal and I'm doing most of the prep work, I'll skip that step, because a) I'm the only one who seems to care, and b) it's another whole process, and a pan to wash, etc.

Hmmmmm… I wonder if I could very lightly butter a bun and put it in the toaster on the bagel setting?