Man’s passion for the proper way to build a burger will change the way you eat

I suppose every at-home chef puts their special touches on the meals they prepare. But this burger enthusiast has had enough of it.

According to Chris Thompson, there’s a right way to grill and assemble a burger. And if you’re not doing it his way, you’re doing it all wrong.

But, before you completely dismiss the idea that you’ve been eating a burger the incorrect way your entire life—hear him out. Because he’s very passionate and makes some valid points.

Burger Pet Peeve Is All About The Cheese

In an article published on Adequate Man, Chris Thompson explains his first pet peeve in burger preparation, which begins on the grill.

He can’t stand the way some grill masters add cheese to the burgers while they’re still over the flame. If you’re guilty of this—he’s begging you not to do this anymore.

“The cheese does not need a lot of heat to melt, and there will certainly be enough residual heat in the patties to melt the cheese when the patties go into the sandwiches,” he wrote. “When you turbo-charge the melting process, all you wind up with is a burger with cheese that is melted too thinly over the top and is all folded up and congealed on the side of the burger. So you get a nice big cheesy bite of burger when you bite into the sides, but the middle of the burger—which should be the most delicious part—is shamefully cheese-less. And your damn grill is now covered in charred cheese scraps. Awful,” he writes.

Instead, he has an alternative method to propose:

“Here’s what you do: right before you pull the burger off the grill, put however much cheese you want onto the inside surface of the top bun; pull the burger patty off the grill and lay it down onto the cheese; then load up the bottom bun with condiments and vegetation; then put the top half of the burger down onto the bottom half.”

That way, there’s no slipping and sliding, and the cheese is perfectly melted and adhered to the patty and the bun. Seems like sound logic to me.

A Counter-Cheeseburger Argument

Although, this isn’t necessarily the method every chef uses. Famous chef Gordon Ramsay adds the cheese to the patty while it’s still on the grill, as you can see in this video.

He does seem to be a fan of assembling in the same way, though. He adds the condiments and most of the toppings stacked under the patty. Ramsay even adds a step—toasting the bun, which is an excellent tip, in my opinion.

But, what do you think about these contradicting methods? Is there a different method you prefer using at home?

I’m of the mindset that there’s really no wrong way to eat a cheeseburger. But, who knows—maybe this whole time I’ve been wrong.

One thing’s for certain—I’ll be happy to taste test any burger creations you come up with!