Why Anthony Bourdain Never Wanted To See This Common Topping On His Burgers

Anthony Bourdain is a dearly missed, true visionary of the culinary world. His many, highly-regarded, varied opinions of food and beverage continue to prevail as standards within the industry, despite all these years since his passing. Though he was known for having a very diverse palate, open to trying most things at least once — there were still loads of dishes he just really didn't like so much. The world-renowned chef, TV personality, and author also tended to uphold a series of tight rules regarding how to ensure the best possible burger experience. This ties into the ongoing debate online in Reddit forums, among food writers, and in the wider industry between chefs and customers alike. The big issue in question? Whether or not lettuce belongs on a burger. Considerations remain as to whether or not salad components should be part of the equation at all, with Bourdain noting that increased elements stacking up between buns can end up creating all kinds of textural and structural problems. 

In particular, he was directly opposed to the inclusion of lettuce or salad greens atop his burger, as it proves to continually become a consistency and logistical nightmare. A burger stacked too high ends up falling apart into your hands and onto your plate. At that point, you may as well have just ordered a salad. The heat of the burger patty and melted cheese directly conflicting with the cool crispiness of added lettuce can create textural issues, which he thought were best to avoid. Despite the fact that there are ways to keep your lettuce fresher, it's just become one of those toppings that he advised was an unnecessary add-on, causing more conflict than added taste. As it turns out, lettuce often lacks a necessary robustness — making it more likely to become soggy as it competes with the main ingredients.

As one could assume, lettuce was not the only ingredient Anthony Bourdain was wary about. He also expressed a distaste for thin slices of tomato, making it clear that the only reliable option was thick-cut and singular. When building a burger, elements that could easily slip between bites inevitably end up taking away from the satisfaction of the meal, as you're constantly fighting to keep the sandwich in one piece. When combining hot and melty, cold and crispy, and soft and buttery — there are many details which can get lost in the mixing of these ingredients and their various temperatures. Therefore, he thought it proved better to nix them entirely, opting for a burger composed of a high-quality beef patty, cheese, ketchup, and a bun (in a pinch, maybe a little mayonnaise). That's it.

The opinionated chef proclaimed that whatever you add to your burger should be for a good reason. He asked us to question whether or not these additional components are truly enhancing what's already there — and to consider if instead they're maybe covering up what isn't. We've all encountered the less-than-desirable experience of biting into a bacon burger only to find the bacon was improperly cooked, too thick and soggy. Bourdain insists that this component only be included if it was incorporated properly. Not only this, but he was also particular about the way bacon was included. It had to be cooked a specific way (crispy) and only be a one-slice addition.

All in all, Bourdain believed that whatever it is you end up adding to your burger, it comes down to considering if it will create an "engineering and structural problem, as much as it is a flavor experience" (via YouTube). We wonder if all those extra toppings are really a ploy to glaze intrigue over less-than-satisfactory primary ingredients. If you have quality meat, processed melty cheese, and, in Bourdain's words "a soft squishy potato bun" that burger is as good as done.