What do you like on your burger?

[CoreySamson]

My ideal would have these toppings.

- Lettuce (plenty)
- Cheese
- Onions (preferably fried)
- Pickles
- Ketchup
- Mayo
- BBQ Sauce (if no ketchup or mayo)
- Jalapeños (if I'm in the mood for them)

I do not like tomatoes or bacon on a burger; tomatoes because their flavor overpowers the rest of the burger, and bacon because you can hardly taste it on one.

But what I truly despise on a burger is mustard, especially a lot of mustard. Blech.

[kphoger]

An entire onion slice is the only way to enjoy onions on a burger, change my mind. Cooked, grilled, caramelized, raw, what have you. There's hardly a way to screw onions up.

most burger places, again, put way too much onion on, to the point that you can taste nothing but onion.

[Roadgeekteen]

An entire onion slice is the only way to enjoy onions on a burger, change my mind. Cooked, grilled, caramelized, raw, what have you. There's hardly a way to screw onions up.

most burger places, again, put way too much onion on, to the point that you can taste nothing but onion.

News flash people have different opinions.

[kkt]

cheese, gruyere is fantastic but cheddar will do.  If all you've got is American ersatz cheese, leave it off.
lettuce
tomato if it's ripe and in season, otherwise don't bother
pickles
onion
bacon, if I feel like disregarding dr.'s advice
olives, sometimes
ketchup
sometimes mayo

[interstatefan990]

My ideal burger:

Medium-rare beef patty, grilled onions, bacon (occasionally), lettuce, tomato, lots of ketchup, a dash or two of BBQ sauce, and a sprinkle of salt.

[1995hoo]

Cheese and bacon, nothing else.

I'm very much not a condiments/toppings person. Don't dip my fries in anything. Prefer my sandwiches to have only bread, meat and cheese

I generally agree with this, and I vote for Gouda for the cheese. I do season the burger meat before grilling, though. Also, depending on the sandwich I might want mustard if I'm having corned beef or pastrami. To be clear, I do not use mustard on a burger.

If I'm at Five Guys, however, I will ask for grilled onions and mushrooms on my burger.

[OCGuy81]

This is something that varies by mood.  What I put on a burger one day isn't the same thing I put on it two months later.  But...

1.  Cheese.  No point in having a burger without it.
2.  Mayo and/or mustard.
3.  Leaf lettuce, for some crunch.
4.  Tomato, for some juiciness.
5.  Onion.  Raw, grilled, or both.

If you want to make me extra happy, put a fried egg on top.

If you want to make me super-duper happy, put a slice of ham on it too.

Pickle slices are fine, but I don't really care one way or the other.

I've never had a fried egg on a burger. I imagine it's messy but incredibly delicious.

[Rothman]

This is something that varies by mood.  What I put on a burger one day isn't the same thing I put on it two months later.  But...

1.  Cheese.  No point in having a burger without it.
2.  Mayo and/or mustard.
3.  Leaf lettuce, for some crunch.
4.  Tomato, for some juiciness.
5.  Onion.  Raw, grilled, or both.

If you want to make me extra happy, put a fried egg on top.

If you want to make me super-duper happy, put a slice of ham on it too.

Pickle slices are fine, but I don't really care one way or the other.

I've never had a fried egg on a burger. I imagine it's messy but incredibly delicious.

It is yummy.  I like them on burgers.

[formulanone]

Depends on my mood...sometimes I'll load it up with a onions, tomato, pickles, and maybe lettuce; sometimes only a slice of cheese.

I don't need the bacon, but sometimes I want it. Not a huge fan of hatch peppers or jalapenos on my burger, but it's okay if it doesn't overpower everything else.

BBQ Sauce > Mustard > Pepper Jelly > Ketchup >>> Mayo

[kphoger]

olives, sometimes

Never even heard of doing that.  Now I'm intrigued...

[webny99]

Same as with pizza and tacos, pretty much anything. I'm not a mustard fan, although honey mustard > regular mustard.
I like hot sauce on burgers, which is probably my oddest standard burger topping.

I've never heard of olives on a burger, either.

[texaskdog]

Ketchup, Famous Dave's pickles, mayo, cheese.
Definitely no onion, mustard, bacon, or jalapenos.

[webny99]

Definitely no onion, mustard, bacon, or jalapenos.

Bacon is a very strange fit for that list. The other three are pretty standard "dislikes".

[Ned Weasel]

First, make it a turkey burger because I don't eat red meat.  Black bean burgers are also good.  As for what to put on it: cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, mayo, mustard, and ketchup or barbecue sauce.

[hbelkins]

Bacon and cheese. Sometimes lettuce, but not often.

Definitely salt, lots of salt.

As far as condiments go, mustard alone, ketchup and mustard, BBQ sauce, or A1 steak sauce.

Definitely out: tomato, pickles, mayonnaise (mayo is the devil's semen), and sliced onion. I can handle small quantities of diced onions (like on a McDonald's regular cheeseburger) or sauteed onions (White Castle) but not in large amounts, because I'm allergic (they give me a headache) and they cause gastrointestinal distress.

Sheetz has a burger with mozzarella sticks and marinara sauce. I'd eat that, but never get it because I'm usually getting the food to go and eating while I'm driving. I generally get burgers without liquid toppings when I'm driving because I don't want to make a mess and drip mustard or sauce all over myself.

[cwf1701]

Cheese, Pickles, Ketchup, Mustard, Mayo.

[Zeffy]

Cheese and ketchup. Yes, that's all I like on my burgers. I am one of the pickiest eaters on the planet.

[index]

Cheese and bacon, nothing else.

I'm very much not a condiments/toppings person. Don't dip my fries in anything. Prefer my sandwiches to have only bread, meat and cheese

I generally agree with this, and I vote for Gouda for the cheese. I do season the burger meat before grilling, though. Also, depending on the sandwich I might want mustard if I'm having corned beef or pastrami. To be clear, I do not use mustard on a burger.

If I'm at Five Guys, however, I will ask for grilled onions and mushrooms on my burger.

Grilled onions or caramelized, and mushrooms, is a pretty safe combo. If I do that I like to spice it up by melting a little blue cheese. Apparently you shouldn't melt blue cheese, according to cheese snobs, but who's gonna stop me? The blue cheese police? The thin blue cheese line? The boys making the blue? The moldy cheese fuzz?

[hbelkins]

I've seen various references here, and over the years in other places, to American cheese not really being cheese. Why isn't it? And I'm not talking about "pasteurized cheese food product," as some items are labeled. I'm taking about American cheese.

[webny99]

I've seen various references here, and over the years in other places, to American cheese not really being cheese. Why isn't it? And I'm not talking about  as some items are labeled. I'm taking about American cheese.

Probably because American cheese usually refers to "pasteurized cheese food product".  If you mean cheese made in America, well, that would be called whatever type of cheese it is (cheddar, gouda, etc.) regardless of whether it's made here or elsewhere.

[dlsterner]

It may vary a little to shake things up, but normally:

Cheese (Swiss or Provolone preferred, Cheddar is OK), bacon, mushrooms, grilled onions, mayonnaise.  Cheese is to be melted, not just placed on top.  BBQ sauce (but not ketchup) may be subbed for the mayo to shake things up.

Patty itself: Beef (NO veggie burgers), medium rare.

Outside of the aforementioned mushrooms and onions, no veggies.  It's a burger, not a damn salad.

(Speaking of salads, Unpopular Opinion:  Salad is not food.  Salad is what food eats.)

The burger served at the Fuddrucker's restaurant chain is very close to my ideal burger.

[Ned Weasel]

I've seen various references here, and over the years in other places, to American cheese not really being cheese. Why isn't it? And I'm not talking about "pasteurized cheese food product," as some items are labeled. I'm taking about American cheese.

I guess it depends on how technical one wants to get, and where one wants to draw the line?  I don't really care, personally, and I'll gladly eat American cheese on a sandwich, burger, or even in a quick burrito that I make for myself because I'm a lazy and terrible cook.  The one downside, though, is American cheese sometimes has gluten in it, so anyone with Celiac or gluten sensitivity/intolerance would probably want to avoid it.

[NWI_Irish96]

I've seen various references here, and over the years in other places, to American cheese not really being cheese. Why isn't it? And I'm not talking about "pasteurized cheese food product," as some items are labeled. I'm taking about American cheese.

Two reasons. One is that most processed faux cheese products are colored and flavored like American cheese. Secondly, because American cheese is relatively bland.

I don't mind it on a burger if cheddar isn't available, but I'd never want to eat cubes of it by itself like on those European style meat and cheese plates.

[jmacswimmer]

The burger served at the Fuddrucker's restaurant chain is very close to my ideal burger.

The other great thing about Fuddrucker's (IMHO) is how they do toppings:

Typically the burger comes out with the top bun on the side, and only things such as cheese, bacon, or a fried egg already on.  For all other toppings & condiments, you walk up to their toppings bar and can put on whatever toppings (and more importantly, in your preferred amount for each) that you desire.

Sadly, Fuddrucker's locations seem to be dropping left & right. The last 2 in MD that I'd been to (Silver Spring & Parole) are gone, and another one just off I-95 exit 4 in DE also seems to have bit the dust.  I think the closest one to anywhere in MD is somewhere in PA now

EDITED TO ADD:  The 2 closest to DC/Baltimore appear to be Ashburn VA & York PA, but none left in MD & DE as I suspected.

[dlsterner]

The burger served at the Fuddrucker's restaurant chain is very close to my ideal burger.

The other great thing about Fuddrucker's (IMHO) is how they do toppings:

Typically the burger comes out with the top bun on the side, and only things such as cheese, bacon, or a fried egg already on.  For all other toppings & condiments, you walk up to their toppings bar and can put on whatever toppings (and more importantly, in your preferred amount for each) that you desire.

Sadly, Fuddrucker's locations seem to be dropping left & right. The last 2 in MD that I'd been to (Silver Spring & Parole) are gone, and another one just off I-95 exit 4 in DE also seems to have bit the dust.  I think the closest one to anywhere in MD is somewhere in PA now

EDITED TO ADD:  The 2 closest to DC/Baltimore appear to be Ashburn VA & York PA, but none left in MD & DE as I suspected.

Fellow Maryland resident here

Yes, unfortunately the Fuddrucker's around here seem to be going by the wayside.  There were ones in both Columbia and Annapolis which have closed.  Many years ago there was one at Harborplace.  I have been to the York PA location and know of the Ashland VA location.

There are also "nearby" ones in Chambersburg PA and Lancaster PA which I've been to.  A footnote - I was at the Chambersburg one last summer.  Because of COVID, they temporarily shut down the toppings bar, but would gladly get you what you wanted at the counter.