Cheeseburger facts for kids
A normal cheeseburger
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| Course | Main Course |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Ground Beef, Cheese, Bread |
| Variations | Multiple |
A cheeseburger is a yummy hamburger with cheese on top! Usually, a slice of cheese is put on the meat patty while it's cooking. This makes the cheese melt perfectly. Just like other hamburgers, cheeseburgers can have lots of extra toppings. These might include lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, mayonnaise, ketchup, or mustard.
In fast food places, the cheese is often a type called processed cheese. But any cheese that melts well can be used! Some popular choices are cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella, blue cheese, and pepper jack.
The Cheeseburger's Story
Cheeseburgers became popular in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Many people claim to have invented the first one!
One story says that a 16-year-old named Lionel Sternberger made the first cheeseburger in 1926. He was working at his dad's sandwich shop in Pasadena, California. He supposedly put a slice of American cheese on a hot hamburger to try something new.
An early menu from 1928 shows a cheeseburger at O'Dell's restaurant in Los Angeles. It was served with chili and cost 25 cents. Another restaurant, Kaelin's Restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky, also says they invented the cheeseburger in 1934.
In central Connecticut, there's a special kind of cheeseburger called a steamed cheeseburger. It's believed to have been created at Jack's Lunch in Middletown, Connecticut, in the 1930s.
The biggest cheeseburger ever made weighed over 2,000 pounds! It had 60 pounds of bacon, 50 pounds of lettuce, 50 pounds of onions, 40 pounds of pickles, and 40 pounds of cheese. This giant burger was made in 2012 by Black Bear Casino in Minnesota.
In the United States, people celebrate National Cheeseburger Day every year on September 18.
What's in a Cheeseburger?
Most cheeseburgers start with a ground beef patty. The most common cheeses used are American and Swiss. But many other cheeses that melt well can be used too.
There are so many toppings you can add! Popular ones include lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, avocado or guacamole. You might also find sautéed mushrooms or onions, cheese sauce, or even chili. The choices are almost endless!
A cheeseburger can have more than one meat patty or more than one slice of cheese. If it has two patties, it's called a double cheeseburger. A triple cheeseburger has three patties. Sometimes, the cheese is even put inside the ground beef patty instead of on top. This special kind of cheeseburger is known as a Jucy Lucy.
Images for kids
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A Burger King "Quad Stacker" cheeseburger, containing four patties and bacon
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A cheeseburger at a restaurant in Camden Town, London
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A half-eaten McDonald's Big Mac, showing the contents of the burger.
See also
In Spanish: Hamburguesa con queso para niños
