My roommate and I were talking about hamburgers last night, and the question came up as to what the ideal toppings were. I came up with the following list:[ul]
[li] Muenster[/li][li] Bacon[/li][li] Sour cream[/li][li] Dill relish[/li][li] Guacamole[/li][li] Tabasco sauce[/li][li] Sauerkraut[/li][li] Barbecue sauce[/ul][/li]I can’t remember my roommate’s list, and I might post it once he gets back from class.
Of course, my list of toppings is probably different from yours. So how about it? What’s the ideal list of toppings for a hamburger?
First, Ultrafilter, you put all that stuff on at the same time? Urgh.
For me: [li]pickles []lettuce []mayo []ketchup []mustard[]ripe, juicy tomatoes []grilled onions[/li]Will do nicely. I have simple tastes.
Oh, and a herring!
All of the above sound good - I can’t decide which is the best! But noone’s mentioned one of my favorites yet:
Pepperjack cheese
Onions
Roasted Green Chili - as in, a whole roasted chili, not green chili sauce
Ketchup, just a little to add some acid to bring out the other flavors.
The best burger I ever had at a restaurant topped with cajun spices, blue cheese and bacon. There’s a small local chain which has nearly every topping imaginable; I usually get one with cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickles, mustard, ketchup, and A-1.
Red onion slices, though grilled onions are also acceptable
Mushrooms
Swiss cheese
Bacon
Mayo & ketchup
A well-done burger, too. I’ll take mine sans E-Coli, thanks.
“I like mine with lettuce and tomatoe. Heinze 57 and french-fried potatos. Big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer. Good God almighty which way do I steer, for a Cheese Burger in Paradise.” -Jimmy Buffett
A perfect burger has raw onion, a slice of tomato, medium cheddar cheese, mustard (yellow or dijon depending on my mood), a dab of HP sauce and :gasp:… a touch of Kraft Hamburger sauce (the fake Big Mac stuff). I once went to a burger place that had 50 topping you could put on your burger…they included peanut butter, asparagus (!) and escargot (!!).
Red onions - optional
Mushrooms – Must have
Bacon – mmmmm bacon
Cheese – not picky, but no swiss or american
BBQ Sauce & Mustard (Spicy brown)
Lettuce – optional, though I kinda like the crispness
Thick sourdough toasted bun
Well done.
I revise my opinion every year or so. Currently, ketchup is on the outs (too sweet) and the Ukuleleburger is served on a lightly toasted roll, garnished with
Dijon mustard
Mayonnaise
Raw onion
Sliced dill gherkins
…which actually makes it a hamburger variant on the classic Sheboygan Double-Bratwurst Sandwich. With Grey Poupon instead of whatever it is they use out there in Wisconsin.
What is it that people have against mayonnaise on hamburgers? I often see the practice derided as “sissy,” or, even worse, “Californian.”
Is it a simple matter of taste, or is it something deeper and darker and more primal, like Unca Cecil’s declaration regarding ketchup on a Chicago hot dog?
Allow me to quote John Thorne, the best food writer in the USA since M.F.K. Fisher died:
“The hamburger, the real hamburger, is trash. When we’re in the mood for that kind of trash, however, nothing else will do. Bite into one and succulent juices immediately start dribbling down the chin. The teeth sink into the yielding softness of the bun, break through the crisp resistance of the pickle, close around a satisfying mouthful of meat. Melted cheese coats the roof of the mouth; the sweet-sour tang of ketchup, velvetized by mayo, smothers the taste buds in pleasure, lubricates the tongue…”
