Cheeseburger

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Cheeseburger
Cheeseburger.jpg
Cheeseburger with lettuce and a slice of American cheese
Course Main course
Place of originUnited States
Serving temperatureHot
Main ingredients Ground beef patty, cheese, bun

A cheeseburger is a hamburger with a slice of melted cheese on top of the meat patty, added near the end of the cooking time. Cheeseburgers can include variations in structure, ingredients and composition. As with other hamburgers, a cheeseburger may include various condiments and other toppings such as lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, avocado, mushrooms, mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard.

Contents

In fast food restaurants across the United States, processed cheese is usually used, although other meltable cheeses are used, such as cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella, blue cheese, or pepper jack. Virtually all restaurants that sell hamburgers also offer cheeseburgers.

Origins

By the late 19th century, the vast grasslands of the Great Plains had been opened up for cattle ranching. This made it possible for many Americans to consume beef almost daily. The hamburger remains as one of the cheapest forms of beef in America. [1]

Adding cheese to hamburgers became popular in 1920. There are several competing claims as to who created the first cheeseburger. Lionel Sternberger is reputed to have introduced the cheeseburger in 1924 at the age of 16. He was working as a fry cook at his father's Pasadena, California, sandwich shop, "The Rite Spot", and "experimentally dropped a slab of American cheese on a sizzling hamburger." [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] An early example of the cheeseburger appearing on a menu is a 1928 menu for the Los Angeles restaurant O'Dell's, which listed a cheeseburger smothered with chili for 25 cents. [8] [9] [10]

Other restaurants also claim to have invented the cheeseburger. For example, Kaelin's Restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky, said it invented the cheeseburger in 1934. [11] One year later, a trademark for the name "cheeseburger" was awarded to Louis Ballast of the Humpty Dumpty Drive-In in Denver, Colorado. [12] According to Steak 'n Shake archives, the restaurant's founder, Gus Belt, applied for a trademark on the word in the 1930s. [13] [14] [15]

An A&W Restaurants franchise in Lansing, Michigan, is credited with inventing the bacon cheeseburger in 1963, putting it on the menu after repeated requests from the same customer. [16]

The steamed cheeseburger, a variation almost exclusively served in central Connecticut, is believed to have been invented at a restaurant called Jack's Lunch in Middletown, Connecticut, in the 1930s. [17]

The largest cheeseburger ever made weighed 2,014 pounds (914 kg). It is said to have included "60 pounds (27 kg) of bacon, 50 pounds (23 kg) of lettuce, 50 pounds (23 kg) of sliced onions, 40 pounds (18 kg) of pickles, and 40 pounds (18 kg) of cheese." This record was set in 2012 by Minnesota's Black Bear Casino, smashing the previous record of 881 pounds (400 kg). [18]

In the United States, National Cheeseburger Day is celebrated annually on September 18. [19]

Ingredients

Some cheeseburger ingredients At Dot's Diner - Alpine Burger.jpg
Some cheeseburger ingredients

The ingredients used to create cheeseburgers follow similar patterns found in the regional variations of hamburgers, although most start with ground beef. Common cheeses used for topping are American, Swiss, Cheddar and other meltable cheeses. Popular toppings include lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, avocado or guacamole, sliced sautéed mushrooms, cheese sauce or chili, but the variety of possible toppings is broad.

A cheeseburger may have more than one patty or more than one slice of cheese—it is reasonably common, but by no means automatic, for the number to increase at the same rate with cheese and meat interleaved. A stack of two or more patties follows the same basic pattern as hamburgers: with two patties will be called a double cheeseburger; a triple cheeseburger has three, and while much less common, a quadruple has four. [20] [21]

Sometimes cheeseburgers are prepared with the cheese enclosed within the ground beef, rather than on top. This is sometimes known as a Jucy Lucy. [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

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A hamburger, or simply a burger, is a dish consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. The patties are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon or chilis with condiments such as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, relish or a "special sauce", often a variation of Thousand Island dressing and are frequently placed on sesame seed buns. A hamburger patty topped with cheese is called a cheeseburger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Mac</span> Hamburger sold by McDonalds

The Big Mac is a hamburger sold by the international fast food restaurant chain McDonald's. It was introduced in the Greater Pittsburgh area in 1967 and across the United States in 1968. It is one of the company's flagship products and signature dishes. The Big Mac contains two beef patties, cheese, shredded lettuce, pickles, minced onions, and a Thousand Island-type dressing advertised as "special sauce", on a three-slice sesame-seed bun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patty melt</span> Type of burger

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luther Burger</span> Burger with glazed doughnuts as the bun

A Luther Burger, or doughnut burger, is a hamburger or cheeseburger with one or more glazed doughnuts in place of the bun. These burgers have a disputed origin, and tend to run between approximately 800 and 1,500 calories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quarter Pounder</span> Hamburger sold by McDonalds

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big King</span> Hamburger sold by Burger King

The Big King sandwich is one of the major hamburger products sold by the international fast-food restaurant chain Burger King, and was part of its menu for more than twenty years. As of March 2019, it is sold in the United States under its 1997 Big King XL formulation. During its testing phase in 1996–1997, it was originally called the Double Supreme and was configured similarly to the McDonald's Big Mac—including a three-piece roll. It was later reformulated as a more standard double burger during the latter part of product testing in 1997. It was given its current name when the product was formally introduced in September 1997, but maintained the more conventional double cheeseburger format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A&W (Canada)</span> Canadian fast food restaurant chain

A&W is a fast-food restaurant chain in Canada, franchised by A&W Food Services of Canada, Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BK Stacker</span> Sandwich line sold by Burger King

The BK Stacker sandwiches are a family of cheeseburgers sold by the international fast-food restaurant chain Burger King.

The Big Classic sandwich was a hamburger sold by the international fast-food restaurant chain Wendy's. The sandwich was intended to present a larger burger that appealed to the 18- to 36-year-old male demographic that desired a "heartier" product. It is one of only two named hamburger products sold by the company and was designed to compete against the Burger King Whopper sandwich.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steak sandwich</span> Type of sandwich

A steak sandwich is a sandwich prepared with steak that has been broiled, fried, grilled, barbecued or seared using steel grates or gridirons, then served on bread or a roll. Steak sandwiches are sometimes served with toppings of cheese, onions, mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, and in some instances fried eggs, coleslaw, and french fries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendy's</span> American international fast food chain

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A hamburger is a specific type of burger. It is a sandwich that consists of a cooked ground beef meat patty, placed between halves of a sliced bun. Hamburgers are often served with various condiments, such as dill relish (condiment), mayonnaise, and other options including lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, and cheese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bacon Deluxe</span> Hamburger sold by Wendys

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jucy Lucy</span> Burger with cheese inside the meat

A Jucy Lucy is a stuffed cheeseburger with the cheese inside of the meat instead of on top, resulting in a melted core of cheese. It is a popular, regional cuisine in Minnesota, particularly in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Two bars in Minneapolis claim to have invented the burger, while other local bars and restaurants have created their own interpretations of the style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big N' Tasty</span> Hamburger sold by McDonalds

The Big N’ Tasty is a hamburger sold by the international fast food chain McDonald's. It is designed to compete with the Whopper sandwich. A similar variation called the Big Tasty, without the center "N'", which was first released in Saudi Arabia, is sold outside the United States in parts of Europe, South America, South Africa, The Middle East, and Taiwan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McDouble</span> Hamburger sold by McDonalds

The McDouble is a hamburger sold by the fast-food restaurant chain McDonald's. It is a variation on the double cheeseburger, with only one slice of cheese placed between the two beef patties. It was introduced in 1997. It is one of the cheapest products sold by the company, and for this reason is often included in the chain's budget menus.

References

  1. ↑ Ozersky, Josh (2008). The Hamburger: The History. New Haven Conn.: Yale University Press. pp.  12, 14. ISBN   9780300117585.
  2. ↑ "Plaque commemorating invention of the cheeseburger in Pasadena dedicated at LA Financial Credit Union". Pasadena Chamber of Commerce.
  3. ↑ Piasecki, Joe (January 16, 2012). "Pasadena claims its slice of burger history". Los Angeles Times . ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  4. ↑ Harvey, Steve (March 27, 1991). "Only in L.A." Los Angeles Times . p. B2. Cooking at his father's short-order joint in Pasadena in the early 1920s, [Sternberger] experimentally tossed a slice (variety unknown) on a hamburger...
  5. ↑ Perry, Charles (June 9, 2004). "It's an L.A. Thing; Our burgers are the best with good reason: We made them here first". Los Angeles Times . p. F1. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  6. ↑ Piasecki, Joe (January 13, 2012). "Yes, it was invented in Pasadena! Probably. Tracing the cheeseburger from inception to Bob's Big Boy". Pasadena Sun . Archived from the original on January 29, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  7. ↑ Henerson, Evan (June 23, 1999). "The Tale of the Cheeseburger". San Gabriel Valley Tribune . Archived from the original on April 12, 2003. Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  8. ↑ Grace, Roger M. (January 15, 2004). "Old Menus Tell the History of Hamburgers in L.A." Metropolitan News-Enterprise . Retrieved May 13, 2012.
  9. ↑ Spiers, Katherine (September 18, 2013). "Were Cheeseburgers Invented in Pasadena?". KCET . Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  10. ↑ "O'Dell's menu". Menu Collection. Los Angeles Public Library. 1928. Archived from the original on October 28, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Louisville Facts & Firsts - LouisvilleKy.gov". City of Louisville, Kentucky. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2006.
  12. ↑ "History of the Cheeseburger". Cheese-Burger.net (blog). Archived from the original on August 2, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2008.
  13. ↑ Flick, Bill (February 20, 2012). "Flick Fact 2/20/2012 Monday". Bloomington Pantagraph . Archived from the original on September 11, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  14. ↑ "Our 'Top 5 List' of little-known facts about Bloomington-Normal". WJBC-FM . July 29, 2011. Archived from the original on December 2, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  15. ↑ Perry, Catherine D. (July 7, 2004). "Steak 'n Shake vs Burger King, Memorandum and Order" (PDF). United States District Court Eastern District Missouri Eastern Division. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2012. (7 July 2004) 323 F. Supp.2d 983 (E.D. Mo. 2004)
  16. ↑ Jason, Jason (June 22, 2015). "14 Things You Didn't Know About A&W Restaurants". Thrillist. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
  17. ↑ George Motz (May 10, 2011). Hamburger America: Completely Revised and Updated Edition: A State-by-State Guide to 150 Great Burger Joints. Running Press. p. 70. ISBN   978-0-7624-4234-8.
  18. ↑ Ulla, Gabe (September 4, 2012). "World's Biggest Cheeseburger Clocks in at 2,014 Pounds". Eater . Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  19. ↑ Tyko, Kelly (September 18, 2018). "Free cheeseburgers! Where to find the meal deals for National Cheeseburger Day Tuesday". USA Today. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  20. ↑ Tice, Carol (January 28, 2002). "In-N-Out Burgers: With an emphasis on quality, this fast feeder shows its rare appeal. (Regional Powerhouse Chains)". Nation's Restaurant News . Archived from the original on December 7, 2014.
  21. ↑ Hall, David (October 24, 2006). "Society's fast food intake reeks". Daily Skiff. Texas Christian University School of Journalism. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
  22. ↑ Flower, Justin; Boller, Jay (March 13, 2008). "Burger Battle". Minnesota Daily . Archived from the original on July 10, 2009. Retrieved October 31, 2017.

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