Gordon Ramsay's Simple Advice For Better Cheeseburgers

As far as culinary preparations go, cheeseburgers are pretty basic. Grab your cooked patty, top it with your choice of cheese, and wedge it between two slices of bread. You may opt to add toppings such as lettuce, tomato, or a squeeze of ketchup. You could also choose to toast your bun, or leave it soft and fresh. Otherwise, there aren't many steps.

Of course, if you were a professional culinarian, you probably wouldn't be satisfied with this pedestrian approach. You might want to optimize and improve on the formula, pay a little more attention to small details that have the potential to make a big difference. This is exactly what celebrity chef, cookbook author, and TV host Gordon Ramsay did with his cheeseburgers in a YouTube video. His major advice for bettering your burger? Melt the cheese in a pan first.

This may seem counter to everything you've learned about the progression of putting together your burger. But, by premelting the cheese, it becomes caramelized and even more flavorful. Additionally, you wind up with extra textural contrast, as you have that standard gooey quality as well as some crispy, bubbly bits that result from contact with direct heat. All you have to do is set a slice in your skillet with a little salt, then watch your cheese transform.

While this cheesy trick is a major upgrade all on its own, what comes next for Gordon Ramsay's burger is a true game changer; he takes the base of the bun and places it cut side down onto the slice. With a little flourish, Ramsay moves the bread in a circular motion, which helps to "mop up" the cheese. When he lifts it back out of the pan, the bread has been fully coated in this caramelized, perfectly melted dairy.

From there, you can pile on your patty and the top of your bun to enjoy a totally new type of burger without adding a single ingredient. You can easily combine this pro tip with a trick to create the most tender patties from your ground beef, or even go for a leaner, half vegetarian patty. But whether you opt for American or cheddar, you are guaranteed a delicious, toasty, super complex cheeseburger experience by simply following Ramsay's easy tip.