Cook with Intention: Get the Lettuce off your Burger
Intention is the cornerstone behind all great art. Each brushstroke, chip of marble, or movie frame is uniquely important in crafting a memorable work. What’s left off the canvas is just as important as what is let on, and great artists are meticulous about the sum of their parts. As a culinary artist yourself, it’s time to dig deep and consider whether every ingredient you add to a dish contributes harmoniously to the final product. The first step is removing the lettuce from your burgers.
Lettuce sympathizers will always sell you the same piece of big green propaganda: “It adds crunch.” It does not. Chips are crunchy. Toasted buns are crunchy. Pickles and raw onions are crunchy. Lettuce, after absorbing sauce and meat juice, folds limp to the tooth. It adds no flavor, and only seeks to take away from the boldness of your patty.
Over decades of conditioning through advertisements and fast food recipes, we have been unconsciously forced to add useless lettuce to every sandwich and burger. Manufactured lettuce consent has restaurants showering buns with shredded iceberg without the critical thought of “does this make my burger taste better.”
A good burger needs only cheese and sauce. Toppings are fine provided they work together with the natural flavor of ground beef and create a new, inspired taste. Bacon, onions, even tomatoes all add something of note. Lettuce adds water. I am not a hater of lettuce as a vegetable, but it belongs in a salad or a cold wrap, not on a burger. I’m empathetic to those who want a bit more color on their burgers, or want to balance out the macros of their meal. I suggest arugula.
When I first started cooking I wanted to add every spice, herb, and topping to every dish. It took several ridiculous steaks to realize that excess detracts from the delicious fresh ingredients you already have. Ground beef, cheese, and buns taste pretty damn good on their own. Simplicity rules in the culinary kingdom, and getting rid of the lettuce on your burgers is an important step in thinking critically about recipes.
Don’t believe me? Try it.
