The Unconventional Way Gordon Ramsay Adds Cheese To His Burgers

Superstar chef Gordon Ramsay loves a good cheeseburger — who doesn't? And, he has a distinct way of getting burgers melty and gooey that's all his own. Though he has a definite reputation for being a tyrant in the kitchen (his show is literally called "Hell's Kitchen," after all). Ramsay shows his generous side when it comes to sharing cooking tips with his fans, such as in this viral hack for prepping avocados. He likewise lets viewers in on a personal cheeseburger secret in this video short on his YouTube channel.

To start out, Ramsay tosses a slice of cheese directly into a hot pan, letting it begin to melt. Defining the process as caramelizing the cheese, he then sprinkles on salt. Once the slice is melted, Ramsay grabs the base of his hamburger bun and places it directly onto the gooey contents of the pan, rubbing the bun around to gather up all the melted cheese. He then removes the bun from the pan, sets it aside, and moves onto the next stages of building his burger. Though it's a very quick process, it's one Ramsay says is the starting point for taking a burger, "next level."

Gordon Ramsay's hamburger tips go beyond the bun, and he has lots of advice for achieving a truly great burger. When taking the popular smash burger approach, Ramsay recommends using portions of meat that are golf ball-sized and no larger. It's also important to get them very flat for a thin, crispy final patty, which he does directly in the frying pan using an oiled and seasoned handheld meat press. (FYI: Patty thickness is also important if you're pairing a smash burger with wine.) After flattening and cooking the meat, Ramsay once again uses the press, again directly in the pan, to achieve three things: further flattening the patties, pressing out some of the liquid, and adding flavor and crispiness to the outer meat.

When it comes to toppings, one of Ramsey's tips for serving a hot burger is to prep the toppings ahead of time. The culinary icon shares that he favors using red onion on burgers, never white. His reasoning is that white onions are more bitter and create an onion breath factor that red onions don't. The cooking star also religiously seasons evenly and throughout the cooking process, and that includes veggie toppings like onions and tomato. In fact, Ramsay salts his tomato after slicing it, and then again after placing it on top of a burger patty in the final plating.