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.