Best burgers in the U.S.

Jess Lander

At the West Coast chain In-N-Out Burger, get a messier, more indulgent experience by ordering your burger "Animal Style" for extra sauce and chopped grilled onions.

By Food & Wine

?Burgers are one of America?s most iconic foods and everyone has a different definition of a perfect burger,? says?Food & Wine?s Daniel Gritzer. ?You can talk to 10 different people and find there are 10 different takes on what is a perfect burger.?

Slideshow: Best burgers in the U.S.

In?New Haven, Conn., Louis' Lunch?grills its burgers in 100-year-old cast-iron broilers; Craigie on Main in Boston steams burgers in state-of-the-art ovens.?Palena Caf? in Washington, D.C.,?specializes in burgers crafted from Kobe beef imported from Japan, while California?s Healdsburg Bar & Grill makes its burgers with beef from just down the road. Danny Meyer?s now global chain, Shake Shack, tops its classic burgers with super-melty American cheese, while star chef April Bloomfield prefers to smear statement-making Roquefort on her signature burger at New York?s Spotted Pig.

Chef Laurent Tourondel?s special contribution to the burger scene at BLT Burger (now controlled by his former partner) is patties brushed with butter while they're on the grill. The natural sugars caramelize, making the meat extra-delicious. The signature burger he created is topped with bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion and tarragon Russian dressing.

"People might think it's crazy, but butter has better flavor than oil and a natural sweetness that caramelizes on the griddle. I cook burgers over moderately high heat to just medium-rare. To me, that makes the juiciest burger," says Tourondel.

Haute burgers aren?t necessarily better than fast-food-style ones. Even superstar chef Thomas Keller is a fan of the West Coast chain In-N-Out Burger ? and with good reason. The cooked-to-order burgers are made from Harris Ranch beef and served with hand-cut fries. For a messier, more indulgent experience, In-N-Out buffs order burgers "Animal Style" for extra sauce and chopped grilled onions.

While some delicious burgers are stacked with bacon or eggs, specialty cheeses and?artisanal condiments, some of the most cult contenders are minimally adorned. The popular no-frills cheeseburger at Miller?s Bar in Dearborn, Mich., has been served the same way since the late 1940s: simply topped with pickles and onion.

What makes the best toppings may be based on personal preference, but most aficionados agree that using a great beef blend is crucial.

Gritzer explains: ?For every component of a burger, all sorts of decisions have to be made, but beef is a huge decision because each cut has a different flavor, texture, tenderness and fat content.?

More from Food & Wine

?

Source: http://itineraries.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/09/29/8040435-best-burgers-in-the-us

gardasil usnews new york special election windows 8 2pac kabul build