Name: Cheeseburger review by cotonrey at The Happy Bull, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Item: Cheeseburger
Rating: 4
Author: cotonrey

United States

A beef patty with a slice of cheese melted over it in the last minute of cooking, served in a soft bun with pickle, onion and a sauce: the cheeseburger is the hamburger's more popular child, and it is judged on one extra thing, the cheese, which should be melted into the meat, not sitting on it. Several American restaurants claim the first one in the 1920s and 1930s, with Pasadena, Louisville and Denver in the running, and none has a decisive record; the name was trademarked in Denver in 1935, which settles nothing about who cooked it. The cheese that made the form was processed American, chosen because it melts evenly without splitting, and it remains the default in diners and the smash-burger revival. Cheddar, Swiss and blue cheese are variations, and the plural, the double and triple cheeseburger, is the standard order in fast-food chains.

The patty follows hamburger rules: coarsely ground chuck at around twenty percent fat, loosely formed, salted on the outside and cooked on a hot flat-top or over a grill. The cheese goes on while the second side is still cooking, about a minute before the patty is done, so it melts from the heat of the meat; a lid or a splash of water under the lid speeds it and makes the slice drape over the edges. For a smashed patty, which is the cheeseburger's natural form, the thin disc gets its slice as soon as it is flipped and the whole thing is done in another thirty seconds. American cheese melts in that time; cheddar needs longer and often arrives half-melted, which is why diners that use it often finish under a salamander. The bun is toasted in the patty fat, and the classic build is pickle, raw or griddled onion, mustard and ketchup or a mayonnaise-based sauce, with lettuce and tomato as optional extras.

Look at the cheese before you bite: it should be fully melted, draped over the meat and starting to run down the sides, with no cold firm corners. Then judge it as a burger, crust first, juiciness second, bun third. Mark down cheese that is unmelted or that has broken into oil, a slice that has fused to the top bun instead of the meat, a patty cooked grey to hold a thick cheddar slab, a bun that has gone soft under cheese grease, and a double where the layers slide apart. The ratio of cheese to meat should be close to one slice per thin patty; a single thick patty with one slice is under-cheesed, and a cheese-stuffed Juicy Lucy is a different dish. Fries do not count towards the score, and neither does the quantity of toppings.

Cheeseburger

Netherlands

The Happy Bull

“Mr Mallard Burger”

A cheeseburger with an extra Irish red cheese, the meat was ok, I would prefer more juicy. I didn’t feel the difference between the cheeses. Typical tomato and lettuce base but without fries.

Cheeseburger review by cotonrey at The Happy Bull, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Cheeseburger

The Happy Bull

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