Cheeseburger Explained

Cheeseburger
Caption:Cheeseburger with lettuce and a slice of American cheese
Country:United States
Course:Main course
Served:Hot
Main Ingredient: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.

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 . It is said to have included " of bacon, of lettuce, of sliced onions, of pickles, and of cheese." This record was set in 2012 by Minnesota's Black Bear Casino, smashing the previous record of .[18]

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

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

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Book: Ozersky, Josh. The Hamburger: The History. Yale University Press. 2008. 9780300117585. New Haven Conn.. 12, 14.
  2. Web site: Plaque commemorating invention of the cheeseburger in Pasadena dedicated at LA Financial Credit Union . Pasadena Chamber of Commerce .
  3. News: Pasadena claims its slice of burger history . Piasecki . Joe . January 16, 2012 . . October 15, 2017 . 0458-3035.
  4. News: Steve . Harvey . Only in L.A. . . B2 . March 27, 1991 . 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. News: Charles . Perry . It's an L.A. Thing; Our burgers are the best with good reason: We made them here first . . F1 . June 9, 2004 . May 13, 2012 . October 25, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121025200223/http://articles.latimes.com/2004/jun/09/food/fo-hamburger9/2 . dead .
  6. News: January 13, 2012 . Yes, it was invented in Pasadena! Probably. Tracing the cheeseburger from inception to Bob's Big Boy . . May 13, 2012 . Joe . Piasecki . January 29, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120129180714/http://articles.pasadenasun.com/2012-01-13/entertainment/30625308_1_bob-s-big-boy-pasadena-museum-menu . dead .
  7. News: June 23, 1999 . The Tale of the Cheeseburger . . https://web.archive.org/web/20030412174753/http://www.culturefreak.com/tale.html . dead . April 12, 2003 . May 13, 2012 . Evan . Henerson.
  8. News: January 15, 2004 . Old Menus Tell the History of Hamburgers in L.A. . . May 13, 2012 . Roger M. . Grace.
  9. News: Were Cheeseburgers Invented in Pasadena? . . September 18, 2013 . Katherine . Spiers . December 8, 2014.
  10. Web site: O'Dell's menu . 1928 . Menu Collection . . October 28, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171028222955/http://dbase1.lapl.org/dbtw-wpd/exec/dbtwpub.dll?AC=GET_RECORD&XC=http%3A%2F%2Fdbase1.lapl.org%2Fdbtw-wpd%2Fexec%2Fdbtwpub.dll&BU=http%3A%2F%2Fdbase1.lapl.org&GI=&TN=menus&SN=AUTO5261&SE=724&RN=0&MR=20&TR=0&TX=1000&ES=0&XP=&RF=web+tab+report+maya&EF=&DF=Pin&RL=0&EL=0&DL=0&NP=3&ID=&MF=&DT=&ST=0&IR=264&NR=0&NB=0&SV=0&SS=0&BG=&FG=&QS= . October 28, 2017 . live . mdy-all .
  11. Web site: Louisville Facts & Firsts - LouisvilleKy.gov. July 29, 2006 . City of Louisville, Kentucky . . https://web.archive.org/web/20141006110825/http://www.louisvilleky.gov/Visitors/Louisville%2BFacts%2Band%2BFirsts.htm . October 6, 2014 . dead.
  12. Web site: History of the Cheeseburger . October 2, 2008 . Cheese-Burger.net (blog) . . https://web.archive.org/web/20180802034111/http://www.cheese-burger.net/history . August 2, 2018 . dead .
  13. Web site: Flick Fact 2/20/2012 Monday . https://archive.today/20120911232907/http://www.pantagraph.com/blogs/flick/facts/flick-fact-monday/article_0c2bccea-58c6-11e1-abe1-001871e3ce6c.html . dead . September 11, 2012 . February 21, 2012 . Bill . Flick . . February 20, 2012.
  14. Web site: Our 'Top 5 List' of little-known facts about Bloomington-Normal . February 21, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111202194437/http://wjbc.com/our-top-5-list-of-little-known-facts-about-bloomington-normal/ . December 2, 2011 . . July 29, 2011 . WJBC-FM.
  15. Web site: Steak 'n Shake vs Burger King, Memorandum and Order . February 21, 2012 . United States District Court Eastern District Missouri Eastern Division . July 7, 2004 . Perry . Catherine D. . Catherine D. Perry . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130928003530/https://ecf.moed.uscourts.gov/documents/opinions/STEAK_N_SHAKE_ET_AL_V_BURGER_KING_ET_AL-CDP-57.PDF . September 28, 2013. (7 July 2004) 323 F. Supp.2d 983 (E.D. Mo. 2004)
  16. News: Jason. Jason. 14 Things You Didn't Know About A&W Restaurants. September 9, 2016. Thrillist. June 22, 2015.
  17. Book: George Motz. Hamburger America: Completely Revised and Updated Edition: A State-by-State Guide to 150 Great Burger Joints. 10 May 2011. Running Press. 978-0-7624-4234-8. 70.
  18. Web site: World's Biggest Cheeseburger Clocks in at 2,014 Pounds . September 4, 2012 . . March 2, 2017 . Gabe . Ulla.
  19. Web site: Free cheeseburgers! Where to find the meal deals for National Cheeseburger Day Tuesday . USA Today . Tyko . Kelly . September 18, 2018 . February 25, 2019.
  20. News: In-N-Out Burgers: With an emphasis on quality, this fast feeder shows its rare appeal. (Regional Powerhouse Chains) . January 28, 2002 . . Tice . Carol . https://web.archive.org/web/20141207152522/http://business.highbeam.com/409700/article-1G1-82334282/nout-burgers-emphasis-quality-fast-feeder-shows-its . dead . December 7, 2014 .
  21. Web site: Society's fast food intake reeks . February 13, 2010 . Hall . David . October 24, 2006 . Daily Skiff . Texas Christian University School of Journalism.
  22. News: Flower . Justin . Boller . Jay . Burger Battle . . 13 March 2008 . October 31, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090710175218/http://www.mndaily.com/2008/03/13/burger-battle . July 10, 2009 . dead .

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