Cheese Burger

The hamburger's origin is famously disputed, American towns from Hamburg, New York to Hamburg, Texas claim credit, but most food historians trace the meat patty in a bun to German immigrant communities in the American Midwest in the 1880s and 1890s. The cheeseburger is a later invention: food lore credits Lionel Sternberger, a 16-year-old working at his father's California sandwich stand in the 1920s, with accidentally dropping a slice of cheese on a cooking burger and discovering that it improved everything.

The melted cheese on a burger is not merely decorational. Heat causes the cheese proteins to denature and the fats to release, creating a sauce-like layer that coats the meat and bun, contributing both flavour and moisture. American-style processed cheese slices were engineered precisely for this function, they melt evenly, quickly and completely, without the oil-splitting that can occur with natural cheeses. Our Cheese Burger uses two slices for maximum coverage.

Caramelised onions and tomato sauce complete the combination, the sweetness of the cooked onion balancing the salt of the beef and cheese, the acid of the sauce cutting through the fat. A cheeseburger done properly is a study in balance.