Article at a Glance:
- Different types of cheese are used in various gourmet burgers to enhance their overall flavour.
- Here’s a guide to burger-to-cheese pairings you would love to read about.
The selection of cheese plays a significant role in enhancing burgers’ flavour. Cheese adds a rich, creamy flavour to the overall taste of burgers. The type of cheese you use for your burgers can complement and enhance the flavours of other burger ingredients, making burgers an intriguing affair for burger enthusiasts. Different cheeses bring distinct flavour characteristics to a burger. For instance, Swiss cheese adds a mild, nutty flavour, cheddar brings a sharp, tangy flavour, while mozzarella brings a distinct milky, floral kick to burgers.
A wide range of cheese goes into gourmet burgers, and the cheese selection equally defines the type of burger. In this culinary guide, we will explore various types of cheese and their unique flavour characteristics that make a specific type of burger a mouth-watering experience.
Some Popular Burger and Cheese Combinations for Foodies
Classic Beef Burger (Sharp Cheddar or American cheese)
Classic beef burgers feature a juicy beef patty topped with slices of either sharp cheddar or American cheese. Cheddar adds a rich, tangy flavour to the burger that pairs well with the savoury profile of a beef patty. When melted on a beef patty, cheddar cheese adds a creamy and salty element to the burger that provides an exceptional mouthfeel.
American cheese on a classic beef burger brings a mild, slightly tangy taste to burgers. It does not contain any kind of flavour enhancer, allowing the natural flavour of beef patty and other burger ingredients to shine equally. American cheese also has a mild saltiness which enhances the savoury notes of the patty, making the burger more satisfying and pleasing to the palate.
Bison Burger (Blue Cheese or Swiss Cheese)
Bison burgers are known for their lean, flavourful meaty element, offering a satisfying and delicious alternative to beef burgers. Bison meat (that comes from American buffalo) has a low-fat content yet is rich in flavour. Blue cheese or Swiss cheese work exceptionally well with bison burgers.
Blue cheese is a popular choice for bison meat because of its pungent, tangy, and slightly salty flavour. This flavour profile complements the robust taste of bison meat, adding a delightful contrast to the bison meat patty.
Swiss cheese, on the other hand, offers a nutty and earthy flavour to the bison burger, allowing the meat to shine on its own. Swiss cheese slices are used in bison burgers to add a subtle cheesy richness that enhances the overall flavour profile of burgers.
Chicken Burger (Mozzarella cheese or Pepper Jack cheese)
Mozzarella cheese adds a mild, milky flavour to chicken burgers. When you melt Mozzarella cheese on a patty, it forms a luscious, stretchy texture, providing a comforting element to burgers. The cheese complements the tender and juicy chicken patty, creating a creamy richness in burgers.
Meanwhile, Pepper Jack cheese brings a vibrant and spicy kick to the burger. Pepper Jack has a smooth, slightly tangy flavour that blends well with the chicken, offering a satisfying contrast of flavours. The contrast of flavours from chicken meat and Pepper Jack cheese slices creates a decedent fusion of flavours that offers an amazing aftertaste.
Veggie Burger (Feta or Goat Cheese)
The veggie burger, made from plant-based patties, benefits from the salty and tangy flavours of feta or goat cheese. Feta cheese has a characteristic briny taste and a crumbly texture which adds a rich, savoury element to veggie burgers. While goat cheese brings a creamy element to the burger. Goat cheese has a distinctive tangy flavour that compliments the earthy flavours of a veggie patty, creating a luxurious mouth feel in the burger experience.
Mushroom Swiss Burger (Swiss cheese)
The Mushroom Swiss burger is a popular choice among burger lovers, featuring sauteed (cooked to a higher temperature) onions and Swiss cheese. Swiss cheese, which is known for its nutty and slightly sweet taste, pairs well with earthy and savoury mushrooms. The buttery flavour of Swiss cheese also complements the juicy patty, creating a lovely balance of flavours between sauteed mushrooms, juicy patty, and cheese.
Mexican Burger (Pepper Jack Cheese)
Mexican burgers featuring Pepper Jack cheese offer a delightful fusion of flavours inspired by Mexican cuisine. This burger includes Mexican spice jalapenos that offer a vibrant and spicy element to the burger. Pepper Jack cheese infused with jalapeno peppers brings a kick of Mexican flavours to your regular burgers. The cheese has a creamy and slightly tangy taste that adds depth and complexity to the overall flavour profile of the burger. The hot spicy element of jalapenos amplifies the overall spiciness of burgers, resulting in a bold and flavourful burger experience.
Haloumi Burger (Haloumi Cheese)
Haloumi burgers featuring Haloumi cheese offer a delicious twist to a simple burger. This firm and salty cheese exceptionally improve the overall flavour of burgers. The salty element of Haloumi cheese intensifies the taste of the patty, resulting in a more robust and satisfying flavour in burgers. The tangy and slightly nutty flavour adds a depth of flavour to burgers, resulting in a more indulgent experience in burger eating.
Conclusion
It is important to choose a suitable cheese for burgers that can elevate the taste of burgers, creating a memorable burger experience. The cheese you select should complement or contrast with the burger’s flavour, creating a vibrant blend of flavour or something unique for burger lovers. You should keep experimenting with different cheese types to improve your burger range and their flavour profile which never misses the mark in impressing your customers. Enjoy the journey to creating diverse and delectable burgers by souring high-quality cheese types for your burgers!