The best cheeseburger means different things to different people, but I think there are some things we can all agree on: The burger patty itself should be tasty, substantial, and well seasoned. The cheese should be melty—making a cheeseburger and not melting the cheese is a crime punishable by death in some states. The bun should be squishy, pleasant, and not too bready. And, lastly, the whole shebang should be topped with things that enhance the burger’s overall flavor rather than detracting from it.
If you’re planning on hosting a cookout this summer, we have good news. We’ve taste tested all the elements of a great cheeseburger—patties, cheese, buns, sauce—and can now tell you exactly which products combine to make the best cheeseburger going. Serve with caution; guests may be reluctant to ever leave.
You may be dubious that the best cheeseburger involves a frozen burger patty. Some of you are butcher shop purists. I hear that! But I also hear that working smarter not harder is an excellent M.O., particularly when you’re hosting a cookout and would rather be pounding beers than standing in the kitchen making burger patties by hand. These Angus patties from Bubba are exceptionally delicious—rich, beefy, and clean tasting—and they can be thrown on the grill straight out of the freezer. The Angus burgers are a couple bucks more expensive than regular ol’ Bubba burgers, but the flavor and texture makes them worth the splurge.
The best cheese for a cheeseburger is American cheese. Yes, other cheeses obviously taste good with chargrilled beef—cheddar, Swiss, provolone—but there’s a reason why even fancy smash burger places use American. It’s salty. It’s melty. It was born (in a laboratory, of course) to ooze into the crannies of a burger patty. And if you’re still using regular Kraft Singles, we have a hot tip: Kraft Deli Deluxe American is way better. These slices are thicker and melt like a dream without becoming grainy. I know, I know—American cheese isn’t actually cheese, but it makes the best cheeseburger all the same.
Here’s the thing about the best bun for a cheeseburger: It should taste good, but it shouldn’t be something you think about a whole lot. Burger buns are vehicles for meat, cheese, and toppings. We want something unfussy and not too big and dense—I hate eating a burger and filling up on bread—and that’s why these Francisco Deli buns make the best cheeseburger buns. Sporked contributor Danny Palumbo described Francisco Deli as a “utilitarian hamburger bun for a cookout,” and that’s honestly high praise when it comes to buns. Did I mention they’re cheap, too?
You may generally like your cheeseburgers with some combination of mayo, mustard, or ketchup, but, hear us out, burger sauce is the truth and the way. This Kroger burger sauce in particular covers all the flavor bases: It’s sweet like ketchup, tangy like mustard, and creamy like mayo. It’s brilliant stuff in one convenient bottle. Honestly, you might want to grab a couple to get you through the summer.
To kick off summer, we’re highlighting all the best foods and drinks you should be buying for cookouts, BBQs, grilling seshes, or any other type of al fresco partying and eating you’ll be doing this season.
Howdy! I’m Gwynedd, Sporked’s managing editor. I live in Los Angeles and have access to the best tacos the U.S. has to offer—but I’m a sucker for a crunchy Old El Paso taco night every now and then. I’ve been at Sporked since 2022 and I’m still searching frozen mozzarella sticks that can hold a candle to restaurant sticks.
Why you should trust me: I’ve been a journalist for 20 years (yikes), a consumer of food for 40-plus years, and I’m truly hard pressed to think of foods I don’t like (or that I can’t tolerate at the very least). Oh and one time I cooked my way through Guy Fieri’s cookbook and wrote about the journey through Flavortown.
What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s Original Savory Thins. Fat free plain yogurt (usually Fage or Nancy’s). Honeycrisp apples. Sweet cream coffee creamer for my at-home Americanos. A frozen cauliflower crust pizza and some jarred mushrooms to top it with. Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells and Gardein Ground Be’f, even though I think “be’f” is a nightmarish contraction.
Favorite ranking: Stouffer’s frozen dinners. I don’t own a microwave (I get my cancers the old fashioned way!), so I love taste testing things that I don’t really buy to eat at home.
Least favorite ranking: Soy sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I love soy sauce—but consuming that much sodium in one sitting is probably illegal in some countries. Our frozen enchilada taste test was a close second; the smell of microwaved corn tortillas still haunts me.
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!
Gwynedd Stuart
Jordan Myrick
Luke Field
Joe Rumrill
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!