Gordon Ramsay's Pro-Tip For Next Level Cheeseburgers

In general, turning a hamburger into a cheeseburger can be as simple as merely adding a slice of American cheese or a dollop of creamy brie. Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, however, isn't content with just slapping a square of cold cheese onto a cooked burger. Rather, he employs one extra step that guarantees an ultra-melty, ultra-gooey cheeseburger every single time he's craving the barbecue staple. Ramsay's secret trick? To melt his burger's cheese directly on the pan, which may sound like a recipe for a mess, but, in actuality, is a genius move. 

In a video posted to YouTube, Ramsay, indeed, places a large slice of cheese directly into his heated frying pan. As the cheese melts ever-so-rapidly, Ramsay adds a generous sprinkle of salt to help that cheese caramelize. Such an approach results in cheese that's no longer cold and hard, but soft and melted. In case you need further convincing, this trick only requires a few seconds — roughly 10, according to Ramsay's video — for the cheese to melt, so this is a burger hack that doesn't require much patience.

As for what, exactly, to do with your cheese once it's done melting? Ramsay isn't done assembling his burger quite yet. Instead, he continues to use the pan to adhere the cheese directly to his burger's bun. 

Once you've melted your burger's cheese, "this is where the magic starts," explains Ramsay in his video. As his slice of cheese sizzles and bubbles on the stove, he takes half of a hamburger bun and places it directly, yet carefully, into that gooey, melted slab of cheddar. To make the cheese adhere to the bottom of the burger, Ramsay encircles his cheese with his bun, until that cheese releases from the pan — and coats the bottom of the bread. "Just literally mop up that cheese," Ramsay says in the video. 

Yes, this trick really is that easy and can apply to any burger recipe that calls for the addition of a slice of cheese. Whether you're cooking for a group or making yourself a Shake Shack-style burger, this is one trick to keep in your burger arsenal. All that's missing is your ketchup, lettuce, and tomato — no melting necessary.