When Is The Best Time To Add Cheese To Burgers? We've Got You Covered

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Cheeseburgers are the third most popular American dish, according to a YouGov poll, only behind french fries and grilled cheese. A good ol' cheeseburger even ranks one place higher than the OG hamburger, which means adding cheese is an important skill a good grill master has to ... well, master. In terms of timing, we've got you covered. From Bobby Flay to Guy Fieri, most chefs agree that you should wait until the last minute or two to add cheese to your burger.

The cook time for your burger doesn't have as easy of an answer as the cheese question. That's because the thickness factors in to how long it should cook, with smash burgers cooking up a lot quicker than a thick patty. For any variety, though, remember to add cheese in the last minute or two, just before you take the burger off the grill to let the meat rest.

That last minute or two of cooking time is key because any sooner and you could end up with a gooey mess, but any later and you might not achieve the perfect melt. Flay and Fieri also agree you should close the grill lid (or cover your pan if you are cooking your burger on the stove) and maybe even add a little water or ice to let the steam do the work in giving you the perfect cheese melt.

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Just like you can choose which type of condiment you want on your burger (ketchup, mustard, ranch dressing, or BBQ sauce), you can choose to prepare your burger any way you like. If you don't want to worry about timing the cheese to your burger on the grill, try Gordon Ramsay's unique method for pan-melting cheese on its own. Melt your slice of cheese in a pan while your burger rests and then use your bun to pull it from the pan before adding your burger on top. Or you can even try a recipe where cheese is mixed into the patty like this twist on Bobby Flay's burger recipe.

If you are looking to change up the classic dish, maybe try various types of cheese. Though the first cheeseburger (at least with that term) had a slice of American cheese on top when it was served at a restaurant in Kentucky in 1934 and McDonald's uses its own proprietary version of American cheese, that's not your only option. Cheddar, Swiss, and provolone are also traditional choices on a cheeseburger menu, but you could try brie, gouda, or even goat cheese. Each variety has a slightly different melt time, but you can rarely go wrong when you add cheese to a burger.