Hamburgers will never go out of style. But the toppings? They could use an upgrade. Why do we feel confined by cheese, lettuce, tomato, and red onion (a.k.a. “the works”) when there are so many other ingredients that can complement — or better yet enhance — the burger patty?
To help us think outside of the burger box, we asked nine professional chefs for their favorite unconventional burger toppings. From pantry staples to luxury items, here are seven ingredients you should consider adding to your next burger.
‘Nduja
“I like to keep my burger pretty simple, but with a twist that makes it unforgettable,” says 1990 F&W Best New Chef Roberto Donna. “I spread a layer of spicy ‘nduja sausage, which melts right into the patty, adding a deep, smoky heat.” He tops the patty with a generous spoonful of sweet red onion jam and caciocavallo, a semi-hard Italian cheese similar to provolone. “It melts beautifully and brings a nutty, slightly tangy flavor that ties everything together.”
French fries
2014 F&W Best New Chef Gregory Denton has a genius way to eat fast food … faster. “I like to dump my fries on my burger and eat them together,” he says. “I’m not sure why this technique is better or different than eating fries after a bite of burger, but it is.”
Kimchi
When you want to punch up the acidity of your burger or add a hit of umami, try adding some kimchi. 2004 F&W Best New Chef Melissa Perello tops her burgers with store-bought or housemade kimchi to balance out the rich, beefy flavors. Same goes for 2010 F&W Best New Chef Jonathan Sawyer. “I like to think of burgers as handheld flavor bombs, so I’ll throw on things that wake up the palate,” he says. If not kimchi, he’ll add black garlic aïoli, pickled green strawberries, or a sheet of nori.
Foie gras
For 2020 F&W Best New Chef Trigg Brown, the ultimate burger topping isn’t necessarily one he’s indulging in at home, but one he’ll book a plane ticket for. At Can Paixano, a traditional tapas bar and sandwich shop in Barcelona, Brown orders the burger with foie gras. The seared piece of fatty duck liver adds a touch of sweetness and ups the luxuriousness of an otherwise standard patty.
Anchovies
Anchovies upgrade everything from Caesar salad to pasta sauce, and they also bring mouthwatering umami to burgers. But instead of layering them directly on top of the patty, 1998 F&W Best New Chef Michael Symon sneaks them into the sauce. “I mince [the anchovies] and fold them into the mayo,” he says. This subtle upgrade will make your burger so much more complex.
Ramen noodles
“I’ve eaten some weird food combinations in my life, but this one is just fun,” says 2013 F&W Best New Chef Justin Cogley. Inspired by MOS Burger, a McDonald’s-style fast-food chain in Japan, Cogley tops his burger with cooked ramen noodles. Unlike the viral Ramen Burger, where two pucks of crispy noodles act as the bun, Cogley’s burger is still sandwiched between bread. This fusion hamburger might not be an everyday affair, but for Cogley, it transports him right to Japan.
Anything but the bread
2017 F&W Best New Chef Jordan Kahn’s unconventional spin on the burger isn’t so much about what’s added to the patty — it’s about what’s removed: the bun. “My wife and I make ‘fork and knife’ burgers at home,” he says. “The ‘fork and knife’ element refers to the absence of bread. In other words, we build it like a Hamburg steak, with large salad or vegetable assortments on top.” Some of his past combinations have included lamb with eggplant confit, smoked tomatoes, and dates; and beef with caramelized onions, endive, radish, and green peppercorn Dijonnaise.
