What's your favorite burger?

I never put cheese on a meatloaf, although a little parm might be good. On the flip side, I guess I've never had a hamburger plain that I didn't think that cheese would have made it better.

Longhorn Chedder or Colby Chedder would be my choice, er...back when I could still, well, you know.

And a burger without cheese is like going deer hunting with an empty gun - what's the point?

I can understand that sentiment. And I do think cheese is ideally associated with hamburgers (or cheeseburgers specifically)

Yet my thinking is still that the "burger" is the key half of the word. I'm always craving a burger for the meat first and foremost. But I'm also speaking of a burger that has a wonderful balance with condiments and (preferably for me) diced/tender onions. If all those things are present, then I find cheese to honestly be the "odd man out". Assuming something has to be left off. Cheese doesnt necessarily ruin the burger for me. Though some indeed can! Maybe that's what I mean by it inevitably being the "odd man out", in certain situations.

Perhaps my logic is somewhat similar to why I love meat loaf and yet never think of cheese with it. Not exactly a same comparison but similar perhaps. Though I do need ketchup...

Jeff

Hi Jeff,

I am with you on that, as have said. I sometimes feel like a rube in liking the taste of just plain beef, with salt, pepper, a little garlic and maybe onions, as in hamburgers and meatloaf, about as much as anything. Putting cheese on it changes beef into a cheeseburger, which is good in its own right, but not nearly as good as a plain hamburger, in my opinion; with ketchup, of course, which I use as a dip, to keep the beef in a purer state. I know that most people prefer cheeseburgers, including our past President, Clinton.

I had an epiphany once in New York City. I had gone to the best Vietnamese restaurant (according to reviews) to sample some of their authentic cuisine. As I was dining, a team from the kitchen came out into the dining area to eat their lunches. They had fat hamburger patties, with a delicious looking grilled crust , and ketchup in a side bowl, and a ball of white rice. It looked so much better than what I was eating that I realized at that point that it might be my absolute favorite food.

Covert

Not going to "favorites" but to tomorrow. This evening was a vegetarian dinner so tomorrow for lunch I will, despite the 95 degree temperature and 95% humidity in Tel Aviv, hie myself off to a local hamburger joint, there for a 350 gram all beef burger on a well made seeded bun, the burger topped with two slices of cheddar, on that a generous quantity of fried onions. On the first half as I eat it the joint's fine home made ketchup and on the second half when I get to it, Dijon mustard. As side orders there will be French fries, coleslaw and kosher pickles. As a beverage, to start with a demi (half a liter) of draught Guiness and Tuborg half and half. After that has been quickly downed a seond demi of the same. Oh yes..and a side order of 6 (perhaps even 9) slices of bacon!

Best
Rogov

So here is a question.

What cheeses are OK for burgers?

The judges on Top Chef clearly didn't like Hubert Keller's blue cheese on a recent show (I think I'd have liked it better than they did).

Should cheese be cheddar, or Swiss (Ementhal), the classics, and not much else? Can it be Camembert, or Mozza or any of the blues, or.......?

Yes to cheddar, swiss, or bleu cheese from me.

Yes to cheddar, swiss, or bleu cheese from me.

Pepperjack works well also.

Yeah, I'd throw any Monterey Jack in with the 'good' white cheeses.

Not a big fan of soft cheese - some yuppie targeting 'goumet' burgers use Camembert etc., which pretty much disappear with heat, or mozza, which tends to be a) rather tasteless, and b) stringy to eat.

Yes to cheddar, swiss, or bleu cheese from me.

I would add Provolone...especially on a Mushroom Burger.


Yum!

And a burger without cheese is like going deer hunting with an empty gun - what's the point?

I can understand that sentiment. And I do think cheese is ideally associated with hamburgers (or cheeseburgers specifically)

Yet my thinking is still that the "burger" is the key half of the word. I'm always craving a burger for the meat first and foremost. But I'm also speaking of a burger that has a wonderful balance with condiments and (preferably for me) diced/tender onions. If all those things are present, then I find cheese to honestly be the "odd man out". Assuming something has to be left off. Cheese doesnt necessarily ruin the burger for me. Though some indeed can! Maybe that's what I mean by it inevitably being the "odd man out", in certain situations.

Perhaps my logic is somewhat similar to why I love meat loaf and yet never think of cheese with it. Not exactly a same comparison but similar perhaps. Though I do need ketchup...

Jeff

Hi Jeff,

I am with you on that, as have said. I sometimes feel like a rube in liking the taste of just plain beef, with salt, pepper, a little garlic and maybe onions, as in hamburgers and meatloaf, about as much as anything. Putting cheese on it changes beef into a cheeseburger, which is good in its own right, but not nearly as good as a plain hamburger, in my opinion; with ketchup, of course, which I use as a dip, to keep the beef in a purer state. I know that most people prefer cheeseburgers, including our past President, Clinton.

I had an epiphany once in New York City. I had gone to the best Vietnamese restaurant (according to reviews) to sample some of their authentic cuisine. As I was dining, a team from the kitchen came out into the dining area to eat their lunches. They had fat hamburger patties, with a delicious looking grilled crust , and ketchup in a side bowl, and a ball of white rice. It looked so much better than what I was eating that I realized at that point that it might be my absolute favorite food.

Covert

Hi Covert,

Yes, burgers seem to be one of those foods I just have an internal radar for...LOL.

I think I mentioned in another post awhile back how you never know where you may run into a good burger. A lot of times it can be by accident. In other words, some of the nicer burgers I've had are from restaurants where I wasn't even "supposed" to be ordering a burger! Or, rather, the place doesn't necessarily specialize in them.

That's why I find burgers to be such a wonderful food. With the exception of using truly bizzare toppings or outright burning it etc, it's actually difficult to find a truly bad burger! Whereas, a lot of other great foods you have to particularly seek them out (or specifically prepare them). There's less room for error with other foods it seems.

But there's rarely a bad time or way to have a burger!

Jeff