Did you know most American’s eat three hamburgers a week*? That’s 156 burgers a year!

 

I’m not surprised to hear this, it was a favorite in my family growing up. Although my early experiences with hamburgers were of the fast food variety, mainly McDonald’s and Wendy’s. My taste has changed a lot since then. I’m not ashamed to admit I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to burgers. My all-time favorite burger is from Houston’s, the one in Scottsdale. They just get the combination right. The bun is super soft, the burger is juicy, seasoned perfectly to the edge and messy. That glorious burger is also accompanied by shoe-string fries – a mound of them. The skinny fries, without any interior mushiness, possibly because they are too small to have it, are the perfect crispy counterpoint to the burger. Now I’m making myself hungry!

You’re going to get even hungrier after you hear about my first FoodFu burger battle. A few weeks ago we were invited to a friend’s house for game night. She said she was going to make burgers and that we should bring our own condiments and be prepared for a FoodFu burger battle. So, with burger accompaniments in tow I went to her house. You’re not going to believe the amazing burgers people whipped up!

 

Caramelized Onion & Apple Burger VS. Mexican Burger

 

Both of these burgers were incredibly flavorful in different ways. The caramelized onion and apple burger was the kind of sweet and savory combination you can’t put down. The juiciness of the apple and onion made the burger taste even more tender than it was. The Mexican burger concept was to deconstruct salsa instead of using it as a burger topping. So the burger was layered with jalapenos, tomatoes, guacamole, cilantro and cojita cheese. The results were mouth-watering and just like you can’t stop dipping your chips in salsa, we couldn’t stop eating this burger.

Winner: Carmelized Onion & Apple Burger

Mushroom & Blue Cheese Burger VS. Deviled Burger

This battle was interesting because it was classic against avant-garde. The mushroom and blue cheese burger was perfectly balanced. The sharp blue cheese harmonized with the earthiness of the mushrooms to make a cravable combo. The deviled burger was weirdness on a plate. The chef who composed this dish didn’t get the memo that a FoodFu Burger Battle was happening so they had to use pantry ingredients to make things up on the fly. What ended up on the burger? Baked sweet potato slices, avocado, cheese, sriracha mayo and a deviled egg. Yes, you read that right, it was topped with a deviled egg, the kind you eat as an appetizer at a party. Sounds like a strange combination, doesn’t it? Guess what? It was really good! Myself and the other judge was a bit skeptical at first but this was a creamy, flavorful, delicious burger. I’d have it again!

Winner: Mushroom & Blue Cheese Burger

In the two FoodFu Burger Battles we barely touched the surface of possible flavor combinations. I definitely want to do this again!

If you host your own FoodFu Burger Battle let us know about it! We want to hear what you made.

 

*from the article The Hidden Costs of Hamburgers