Hamburger Guide: Ingredients and Ideas that Put a Spin on the Classic

Now that summer is here, it is the perfect time to host a barbecue complete with hot dogs and hamburgers. But before you make a mad dash to the grocery store to get the usual condiments (ketchup, mustard, relish), why not change things up a bit? Everyone has barbecues, and everyone serves the same thing, so why not be a little different?

Here are a few simple suggestions that that you can incorporate into your hamburger recipes the next time you're playing host. You don't have to use all of them. Even a tiny change can produce delicious results.

The Bread
Hamburgers are simple because the ingredients are the same no matter the occasion. If you're not looking to stir the waters too much in a crowd of traditionalists, try introducing a different kind of bun into the mix before gradually working your way through the other suggestions down the list.

English Muffins - But these are for breakfast, you say? Not anymore. Paired with a smaller and thinner than usual hamburger patty, this is the light way to go - and you get to use the toaster instead of the oven or the grill. These are great if you don't want to serve huge hamburgers because the English muffin's size will dictate the size of the patty. This is a good size for kids to work with.

Pita Bread - If you intend to experiment with a bunch of different toppings and a drippy sauce pita bread, with its utilitarian pocket, makes perfect sense. Serve with a turkey burger or regular hamburger patty along with hummus or Grecian sauce called Tzatziki (a white cream sauce that looks like sour cream).

Kaiser Rolls - I always think of this bread as sturdy. It's good enough to hold the meatiest of hamburger patties and has a traditional taste (good if you're serving people who don't like to try new things that often).

Onion Rolls - Wonderful if everyone loves the taste of onions as much as you. But be considerate of others who may not appreciate the onion. This instantly adds flavor if you end up with somewhat bland hamburger patties.

Sourdough - I would suggest buying sourdough sliced rather than in roll form. Usually the rolls are way too hard to chew. If you buy it sliced, it makes it easier to take bites. Just cut each slice in half (since the slices are too big to fit a regular size hamburger patty).

Rye - Like sourdough, buy rye bread sliced rather than as a roll. It makes it easier to assemble the hamburger and eat. Rye tastes great with veggie or turkey burgers. However, this is probably something you would serve to a more adult crowd as it's an acquired taste that most kids don't really prefer.

Hawaiian Rolls - A fun, snack-size way to serve hamburgers. They're just enough to serve as cute appetizers and are easy too eat. Hawaiian bread is soft and has a somewhat sweet taste to it - great toasted with hamburger, lettuce and some grilled red onions.

Skip the Hamburger
A hamburger wouldn't be a hamburger without the ground beef, right? Well, if you're into trying something new, this could be the most drastic change you could do for a barbecue, but you could end up with some really delicious results. Beef is great, but sometimes you've got to mix it up a little, and in some cases the alternatives are a lot healthier.

Turkey Burgers - Ground turkey is great because it's a simple transition from cooking beef to cooking turkey burgers. You can buy ground turkey in the meat section of your store, form into patties and grill until cooked. Turkey burgers are great served with bleu cheese or feta. Yum!

Veggie-Style - If you're not interested in whipping up your own recipe for a veggie-style burger, try Morningstar's pre-made veggie patties. I tried one (with quite a bit of trepidation), and I actually ended up liking it. Of course, it's no comparison to a beef burger, but if you're trying to be healthy or you're serving guests that won't eat beef, this is a great and easy alternative.

Salmon - Salmon can be purchased in fillets at a meat counter or pre-packed in the meat section of your grocery store. The fillets will need to be cut in half and then grilled. Salmon is slightly messier to eat - unless you prepare the salmon an alternate way that requires a slight amount more in work and preparation time. This alternate way consists of grounding the salmon, adding an egg (to act as a kind of "glue"), add some salt and pepper, lemon and then form into patties. Either way, this is another healthy choice and an alternative to serving the veggie burger.

The Cheese
When it comes to cheese, most people throw a slice of cheddar on each hamburger patty, let it melt and then serve it up to guests. But, when it comes to cheeses, there are lots of opportunities to play around with flavor. The trick is to know the crowd you're hosting well, because cheese - other than cheddar or jack, can be something of an acquired taste. Here are a few suggestions to add a little tang or spice to your hamburger.

Spicy Jack Cheese - You can usually find sliced jack cheese in any dairy aisle of your grocery store. Look for pre-sliced cheese that has jalapeno bits in them. It adds a good kick to any drab hamburger.

Mozzarella - Slice it, add some spinach leaves, a thick slice of steak tomato, your hamburger patty, and you've got a simple twist on the classic.

Bleu Cheese - Bleu cheese has a bit of a kick and a tang to it. Plus, blue cheese is nice because you can take a butter knife and spread it on to the hamburger. I would not add liberally unless you know your guests are fans of it. I think a little goes a long way because of the unique flavor.

Feta - If you don't like the strong taste of bleu cheese, try feta which has a slightly milder taste. Crumble your feta cheese and add it to hamburger wrapped in a pita pocket.

Add Fruits
If you're not a fan of vegetables, fruit adds a healthy and sweet element to any burger.

Pineapple - Buy a whole pineapple at the grocery store and slice into patties. Place on the grill and sprinkle some brown sugar on it for a sweet taste. For something with a little more kick, add your grilled pineapple slice to a beef patty along with bits of jalapeno. The pineapple offsets the heat from the jalapeno.

Mango - For another tropical option, try sliced mangos on your burger. Just slice, grill and place on a turkey hamburger. If you want to incorporate the taste even more into the hamburger, dice the mango and add it to the raw hamburger before cooking it. The taste is slightly more subtle, but still delicious.

Cherries - A lot of restaurants throughout the country are adding cherries now to their hamburgers. It takes care of the "dryness" factor in ground beef and adds a tangy or tart flavor to the hamburger. It also makes it easy for you as a cook because you have to worry less about what other ingredients to put with the burger. Definitely add cherries to your hamburger meat prior to cooking. Don't add them after the fact because they make it too difficult to eat a burger that way - unless you're using a pita pocket.

Cranberries - Excellent for a turkey burger and so simple. You can just buy canned cranberries, grill up a turkey burger and plop the ingredients between a toasted English muffin. Easy!

Sauces
In the land of sauces, the choices are many and there is no one right answer. Sauces add moisture to a dry burger and they also add flavor, of course! Here are a few of my favorite picks.

BBQ Sauce - You can't have a barbecue without incorporating barbecue sauce somewhere in the menu. Try placing a dollop of sauce on your hamburger with melted jack or cheddar cheese for a familiar taste in a not-so-familiar setting. KC Masterpiece is great, but there are so many different barbecue sauces, that there isn't enough space in this article to list and categorize them all. So, go with what you know.

Teriyaki - This is great for an Asian-inspired burger. Kikkoman carries a full range of sauces, including teriyaki, and it can be found at any grocery store. Before cooking up your hamburger, add toasted sesame seeds to your ground beef for a complementary flavor. Teriyaki sauce can also be good with salmon-patty burgers as well.

Salsa - Salsas are great because they come packed with flavor and you can get them pre-made, which lessens your time in the kitchen. Spread any salsa onto your hamburger patty. If you're worried about messes, use pita bread to keep guests from staining your floors.

Tomato - Add one jar of tomato sauce with one jar of grape jelly. Heat on low until the ingredients have mixed together thoroughly. Then, spread liberally on your beef patty.