![]() Patty melt sliced to show layers of fried onions, cheese, and beef patty | |
Type | Burger |
---|---|
Place of origin | United States |
Serving temperature | Hot |
Main ingredients | Seeded rye bread, hamburger patty, grilled onions, North American-style Swiss cheese |
Variations | Sourdough bread, Texas toast, Thousand Island dressing, American cheese |
A patty melt is an American grilled hamburger consisting of a ground beef patty topped with melted cheese and caramelized onions between two slices of griddled seeded-rye bread.
The patty melt is variously described as a variant of the traditional American cheeseburger, topped with fried onions and served on sliced bread instead of a traditional bun, or as a variant of a grilled cheese that includes a hamburger patty and fried onions. [1] [2] [3]
The sandwich consists of a ground beef patty topped with melted cheese (traditionally Swiss cheese) and usually with caramelized onions between two slices of griddled bread (typically caraway-seeded rye or marbled rye, though sourdough or Texas toast are sometimes substituted in some regions, including the Southern U.S.) [1] [4] It is typically made without condiments or garnishes. [5]
Like a grilled cheese, the patty melt maintains its structural integrity when eaten, as all ingredients are grilled at the same time and assembled while still hot, which melds the grilled bread, hamburger patty, cheese, and onions into a single unit that does not fall apart while being eaten. [1]
Sandwiches calling for hamburger patties to be placed into two slices of bread, rather than into a bun, date to the mid-1800s and were referred to as hamburger sandwiches. [6] It is unclear when the patty melt was invented, but it was most likely the mid-20th century, either during the Great Depression or the postwar economic boom. Several culinary writers have suggested that Los Angeles restaurateur Tiny Naylor may have invented the patty melt sometime between 1930 and 1959, depending on the source; [7] [8] [9] it was on the menu at Tiny Naylor's in the early 1950s. [10] Even if Naylor did not invent the sandwich, it is agreed that he and his family helped popularize the sandwich in their restaurants and in restaurants where they worked, which included Tiny Naylor's, Du-par's, and Wolfgang Puck's Granita. [11]
Home cooks typically make patty melts in a cast-iron skillet or pan in steps by separately grilling the patties, caramelizing the onions, assembling the sandwich, and then grilling it as for a grilled cheese sandwich. [10] [6] Gentleman's Quarterly called it "the great indoor burger". [6]
According to New York Times food writer Pete Wells in 2024, the sandwich is "virtually unknown" outside of the United States; Wells theorizes that the amount of space on a flattop grill required to grill onions, patty, and bread at the same time has restricted its appeal outside of typical short-order restaurants. [1] It is typically on the menu of diners, coffee shops, and lunch counters, but in the early 2020s it started to appear on some upscale menus. [1]
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. Under some definitions, and in some cultures, a burger is considered a sandwich.
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.
A grilled cheese, sometimes known as a toasted sandwich, cheese toastie (UK), or jaffle (AU-en), is a hot cheese sandwich typically prepared by heating slices of cheese between slices of bread with a cooking fat such as butter or mayonnaise on a frying pan, griddle, or sandwich toaster, until the bread browns and the cheese melts.
The McChicken is a chicken burger sold by the international fast food restaurant McDonald's. It consists of a toasted wheat bun, a breaded patty, shredded lettuce and mayonnaise.
A melt sandwich is a type of hot sandwich containing a suitable meltable cheese and a filling of meat or fish. The sandwich is grilled on the stovetop until the cheese melts and the bread is toasted, or heated in an oven.
The Filet-O-Fish is a fish sandwich sold by the international fast food restaurant chain McDonald's. It was created in 1962 by Lou Groen, a McDonald's franchise owner in a predominantly Catholic neighborhood of Monfort Heights in Cincinnati, Ohio, in response to declining hamburger sales on Fridays due to the practice of abstaining from meat on that day. While the fish composition of the sandwich has changed throughout the years to cater to taste preferences and address supply limitations, the framework of its ingredients have remained constant; a fried breaded fish fillet, a steamed bun, tartar sauce and pasteurized American cheese.
A&W is a fast-food restaurant chain in Canada, franchised by A&W Food Services of Canada, Inc.
The BK Stacker sandwiches are a family of cheeseburgers sold by the international fast-food restaurant chain Burger King.
A patty is a flattened, usually round, serving of ground meat or legumes, grains, vegetables, or meat alternatives. Common ground meat used include beef, bison, elk, turkey, chicken, ostrich, and salmon. Patties are found in multiple cuisines throughout the world.
A chicken sandwich is a sandwich that typically consists of boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh, served between slices of bread. Variations on the "chicken sandwich" include chicken on a bun, chicken on a Kaiser, hot chicken, or chicken salad sandwich.
When In-N-Out Burger first opened in 1948, the company only provided a basic menu of burgers, fries and beverages. The foods it prepared were made on-site from fresh ingredients, including its french fries which were sliced and cooked to order. Unlike other major competitors in the hamburger fast food restaurant business, as the chain has expanded over the years, it has not added products such as chicken or salads to its menu since 1976 and has never changed its preparation methods.
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of fast food restaurants, serving around 68 million customers daily in 119 countries. McDonald's traces its origins to a 1940 restaurant in San Bernardino, California, United States. After expanding within the United States, McDonald's became an international corporation in 1967, when it opened a location in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. By the end of the 1970s, McDonald's restaurants existed in five of the Earth's seven continents; an African location came in 1992 in Casablanca, Morocco.
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.
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.
The roast beef sandwich is a sandwich that is made out of sliced roast beef or sometimes beef loaf. It is sold at many diners in the United States, as well as fast food chains, such as Arby's, Rax Roast Beef, and Roy Rogers Restaurants. It is sold in many pubs in the UK and at festivals. This style of sandwich often comes on a hamburger bun and may be topped with barbecue sauce and/or melted American cheese. The roast beef sandwich also commonly comprises bread, cold roast beef, lettuce, tomatoes, and mustard, although it would not be uncommon to find cheese, horseradish, fresh/powdered chili pepper and even in some cases red onion. Roast beef sandwiches may be served hot or cold, and are sometimes served open faced.
A Bøfsandwich, is the classic Danish version of a hamburger. It contains the hamburger elements of a cooked ground beef patty placed inside a sliced bread roll.
Bondiola sandwich or bondipan is a sandwich made with thick slices of pork shoulder. They are commonly sold by street food vendors and restaurants in Argentina. The meat consists of slices of roasted or cured pork shoulder and it is usually served on crispy brioche bread. It can be topped with a variety of condiments and vegetables.
A fried onion burger, also called an Oklahoma onion burger, is a regional burger style and specialty of Oklahoma cuisine. The dish was created in El Reno, Oklahoma, in the 1920s by a restaurateur searching for a way to stretch ground beef with a less expensive ingredient in order to cheaply feed striking railroad workers during the Great Railroad Strike of 1922. Its primary ingredients are thinly-sliced onions and ground beef.