Food Theory: The CORRECT Way To Build A Burger!

Hey Matpat, I think you just found the secret ingredient of the Krabbypatty: the order of the ingredients

“the internet basically agreed that the burger should be between the buns”
well you see matpat i have to disagree

Both MatPat and Philza are the dads of the internet, it’s just that Philza gets the chaotic children and MatPat gets the tamed children.

I would sometimes eat burgers upside down because they would taste better that way lol

the box the grill came in is literally so creative and amazing. every box should come with either cat or kid related play options and adult beverage options... amazing!

As a person who's never eaten a cheeseburger, you guys just opened my appetite for trying it.

Not a mistake - calling a "single" a "double" for marketing purposes is exactly the kind of thing Mr. Krabs would do

Never underestimate stack order. I used to make a breakfast sandwich with bacon, egg, cheese, avocado, and mayo. Stacked in that order. Once. The avocado slipped right out, mayo everywhere, cheese melty, but air space between egg and bread, by way of bacon.
I used the same ingredients, but made it egg, bacon, avocado, cheese, mayo, and suddenly I have a solid sandwich where my ingredients don't slip and slide all over. Everything is secure, and tasty

The irony that the krabby patty secret formula that plankton has been searching for this entire time isn't some magical flavor combination, but the easily observable assembly of the ingredients, is hilarious.

This is very interesting! I worked for Burger King years ago and corporate required all the toppings to go on the burgers in a very specific order. If you strayed away from their order you got written up. As a teen I thought they were just crazy and controlling. I haven't given it a thought since, but finding the real reason why stacking correctly does matter, makes a lot more sense then my ignorant teenage theory😕

Mat singing to "Mayo on the top bun" made my day

12:47 This is the epitomy of MatPat’s goofiness. Pack it up, we’re done.

A suggestion for a future food theory episode: How accurate are food expiration dates? Has the food industry ever been guilty of shortening expiration dates in order to increase sales? ie. The shorter an expiration date, the less likely a consumer is going to be able to consume the entire product in the allotted time frame, thus requiring them to purchase another?

The Food Theorists are the only channel that would make a 22 minute video on how to make a burger

I am both in awe at, and slightly mortified by, the sheer size of burger bites Mat is just casually taking in this video

Testing 5 existing stack orders is all well and good, but I’m interested in what the “optimal” stack order would be if you were to take the best points from each stack order and create a new stack order from scratch

A super easy way to test out the difference staking order makes at home/at the burger joint (if you don't want to cook/order mutliple burgers) is to just take a bite of your favourite burger, then turn it upside down take another a bite. The difference is probably going to be really noticable.

Why do the burgers they eat actually look remotely like the burgers they show you in the ads and NOT like it's been run over by a pickup truck?!
Just goes to show you the power of home grilling

I love that a company would do something as innovative as print a child’s play house on the inside of their packaging. Maybe other companies will start to do something similar now that this will have gained some attention

one thing to consider is the krabby was the only one with unmelted cheese, i personally find cheese has a stronger flavour before being melted so could see that effecting why you tasted the cheese so much more

18:24 my theory is that the cheddar cheese melts so well under relatively low heat, plus the fact its so soft, causes the cheddar to cover your tastebuds like a kind of shield. And since its so intense it drowns out everything else.

Also i noticed i mistake, with the apple hat stack it should be 17 instead of 15 because you gave it 6 in taste, 6 in stability when eaten, and 5 in stability when shaken

Probably the best fast food burger I've had is one that was very similar to the WhatsApp-Ramsay style, and this was at a west coast chain I used to work at called Habit Burger. Basically, it streamlined the back of house as it allowed the bottom half of the bun to be prepped as the patty was cooking, and we had grilled onion on each burger by default.

I can't tell you how happy I am that the Krabby Patty is actually a tasty way to make a burger.

Casual dinner hosts: We are going to be having burgers.
Steph: Oh no...
Matt Patt: BUT IN WHAT ORDER WILL IT BE?!?

However remember the Patty, the Patty is one of the most important foundations when it comes to building a burger.
No patties are the same so depending upon how your patio is formed it's what's going to allow the other ingredients to stand.

Did you consider shredded lettuce vs whole leaf? it really changes the stability level, no matter the stack order, but especially in situations where you'd otherwise have things sliding off a big saucy lettuce leaf (whether the sauce is mayo, ketchup, burger juice, or some combination). It also allows sauce/juices to seep through what would otherwise be an impermeable lettuce layer for more melding of flavors, and has a more pleasant salad-y (for lack of a better term) texture all it's own, compared to a large flat leaf.

There were other stack orders that should have been tried, especially if you’re complaining about not tasting the cheese. The one stack order that should have been tried is from Twitter’s burger emoji, which is (from bottom to top): meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato. If onion is included, add it between the tomato and lettuce. If condiments (e.g., mayonnaise and ketchup) are going to be included, add them as a seal between the bottom bun and the meat. Putting any condiment under the top bun will cause the condiment to leak out over the sides of the ingredients below, and your hands will get covered in condiments. Putting lettuce or tomato on the bottom bun will always take away from the taste of the meat and the cheese; this is because lettuce and tomato are over 95% water, and water will dilute the taste of everything stacked on it. Lastly, slightly grill the insides of the buns so they don’t become soggy.

Late to the game. Have tried to stack any burger/sandwich with the Krabby Patty 'template' lately, and I do think it does make a (good) difference! Found another Krabby Patty shorts though, and it seems like the stack order/template is different (from bottom: bun, patty, sauce(s), pickle, onion, lettuce, cheese, tomato, bun). Haven't tried that version yet, but wondering if it might be a Food Theorists or Film Theorists thing to cover?

To me, a burger is a burger, no matter what. And they are DELICIOUS.

I tried out the Krabby patty order and it's incredible how the tastes all dance together and it actually really changes the burger. Thank you.

I work as a line cook at a burger restaurant. We have a lot of different burgers stacked in different ways. But this is just for a simple cheeseburger with lettuce/tomato/pickle/onions:
The way we stack our burger is: bun - veggies - burger - cheese - mayo. The reason we do this is for efficiency. We toast the buns while the burger is being pressed. Then we put the bun on a plate and the lettuce/tomato/pickle/onions on in that order. Once the burger press is done cooking the patty, we put it on the grill and melt the cheese on top. Once the cheese is melted, we put it on top of the LTPO, and put mayo on the top bun. Again, this is for efficiency so we don't have to wait for the burger to be done before putting the veggies on. We can have the veggies ready for the burger, and then the extra toppings, like sauces, can be put on the burgers and put in the heated window to give to the servers.
There's one guy who works with me who actually always puts the pickles on first because he firmly believes that is the best way to do it.

Finally! Everyone always looks at me weirdly whenever I reorganize my burger, it’s not my fault the chefs stack everything crookedly! 😭

"Our udders are full.........✨️MiLk Us✨️"
Had me dying 🤣 13:15

after watching this video, here is my personal conclusion: I really want a hamburger

I love how the community had their own little Splatfest based on whether the cheese should be above or below the patty. And it's cool how the majority of opinions got Google to change the emoji. It reminds me of how in Splatfests whichever opinion wins becomes the best thing by law.

Steph: *Taking the kids*
Pat: “Mayo on the top bun!”

“Our udders are full, milk us” is one heck of a motto.

You are the only person of which I don’t skip the sponsors, and I’m actually happy to watch them (:

I found it really interesting that they didn't test types of bun, since while grain typically has a higher absorbency. I imagine that having various juices soaked into the whole grain would definitely change the flavor, without really impacting the texture.

Matpat and steph's energy just goes so great together

It's matter of structure and stability. Any condiment on the bottom bun to offer adhesive, the patty comes first always because it's the most structurally sound component of the burger. Cheese comes next because the cheese is usually melted onto the patty when grilled, tomatoes and/or onions next, before the lettuce, because they're more flat and stable than the lettuce. Lastly, the second condiment is optional for taste and offers some adhesive for the lettuce.

Matpat: “i really want him to call me a donkey”
Gordon Ramsay: “Donut”
Matpat *We were on the verge of Greatness! We were this close!*

It's not just the stacking order, it's also how you slice the ingredients. Specifically, when I use tomato, the thinner the slice, the better for structure and flavor.

Thank you so much for making this. I've always wondered how I should stack my burger when I cook one. IMO, SpongeBob's structure wins because food is all about the taste. Awesome video. 👍

my ideal burger with these ingredients is bottom bun, mayo, cheese, burger, tomato, lettuce, pickle, mustard... you gotta put all the acidic ingredients together and all the creamy together so they help boost eachothers flavors, if you like acidic more than put the acidic on the bottom in reverse order on the bottom, as with the creamy ingredients on top... also this may sound dumb but i usually do pepper jack or the really bad for you american cheese cuz it is more creamy like the mayo so it will stand out more

"Can we just start a grill unboxing channel, Stephanie?"
😂😭 I'd still watch it, I'm sure Mat could make that entertaining

wow this literally proved that spongebob has the best idea for the crabby patty!

Imagine launching a restaurant where every patty has the exact same ingredients, just shuffled differently, at the exact same price. I'd make it the whole point of the thing too, with infographics on the menu and walls, and each burger's name would be just a number, maybe ranked in the chef's order of taste.

Steph and Mat are my heros. They are so cute together. The montages is so fun.

its really interesting how only having the ingridients in diffrent places can make such a diffrences great video your awesome!

Yeah, this is why I like a 3 topping maximum when it comes to my burgers. Anything more than that and it just becomes a slip zone.

I like how Culver’s stacks their buyer they do all condiments on the bottom then put burger and cheese on top of that and I think it’s such a way to do it

I like how so much thought went into this and yet they used the cheapest buns they could find xD

Can we just take a second and appreciate how much Stephanie needs to put up with every day when she married MatPat?
You guys’ relationship is a goal

Wow… sounds like thanksgiving dinner when Matpat explains the reasons why it matters 😂

The problem I can see with this test is you didn’t factor in patty thickness. A thinner patty is gonna offer more stability I would think.

I've always felt the cheese needs to go on the burger so it will melt. I actually like it when the cheese is put on near the end of cooking. Maybe I'm strange but I also feel that cooking or melting cheese changes the taste for the better.
One test that I would like to see them do is the type of cheese to use. Some people like American, others like cheddar. I think Munster would be great and I love a good swiss and mushroom burger. Since some people don't like mushrooms do a test with just the cheese. This may not be a good test and only determine what typ not to put on your burger. The other could be a combination of cheeses. One type under the burger the other type on top of the burger.

I have honestly always turned my burgers upside down before biting into them. I don't even remember why, but now I kinda wish I would try this.

The absolute DadPat energy is real xD gonna be real popular with other neighborhood dads when the big backyard party finally happens

He went from arguing against being called “DadPat” to endorsing it.

Bottom bun, cheese melted to it, a little sauce, meat, tomato, onion, pickle, more sauce, lettuce.
The cheese protects the bottom bun from sogginess, while also not blocking flavor. The lettuce on the top keeps the top bun from getting soggy, and last time I checked, you don’t taste with the top of your mouth so no flavor block.

Have you ever tried flipping the burger, so the top bun hits your tongue first? The top bun is thicker so it helps absorb any juices. Also if you have sesame seeds they also hit your tongue first helping to make a difference in flavor.

Since bottom-buns have such a bad habit of getting soggy, a lot of times I'll eat my burgers upside-down.

I put tomato on the bottom of my burger 😂. As a kid we didn’t do grill stuff often, and we all liked different things on our burger, so burger night was more like a taco night, where we had all our ingredients on plates and construct at the table. I used to do burger with Mayo, ketchup, and tomato (I was a kid) and it was more stable to put tomato slices below the burger, and sauces on the top

Let people decided what want on their burger. I love to learn about burger stack order. Good work on the video.

I feel like 60% of this channel is an excuse to cook and eat massive portions of food while getting paid for it and that is simply genius.

This makes me happy that my order is simple because I’m picky. I just get a burger with tomato on top of it. That’s it 😂

This man is so chaotic, it is wonderful.

When I make a burger I always start by toasting the bun. Then after applying desired sauces to the bun I stack it as follows, onions first, then tomato, burger, cheese, pickles, and finally, maybe some lettuce.

I worked in fast food a while ago. I would help make burgers. We followed a stack rule like All places do. But the stack rule can change depending on the restaurant.

Lol. TFW I actually eat my burgers separately sometimes. It’s a really interesting experience, you get to actually feel every ingredient’s quality. And then eat a second burger with everything combined.

You know when matpat starts becoming the ultimate dad when he sponsors a grill company

Matt Patt really missed out on a dad joke @ 15:23 with the whooper "getting a whopping 15/20"

My personal burger stack order:
bun
mayo (if you're in to that kind of thing.)
lettuce
tomato slice (ideally a single large slice, multiple smaller slices lead to instability)
cheese (aged cheddar, i typically pick 2-year)
patty
sauce (hp steak sauce, or barbecue sauce, or 2:1 ketchup:mustard)
whole onion slice
bun
There now you have another burgerstack that you can test if you need another excuse to get your grill on.

Flavor wise I personally think it's crucial for the lettuce and mayonnaise to be in direct contact

I personally like the cheese on the bottom, a local drive in (that's only in my State) does cheese on the bottom and I LOVE being able to taste the cheese first. When someone puts the cheese on the top for some reason it tastes alot dryer

I don't need to worry about stack order cause I have plane burgers but I can still feel the pain of having your burger falling apart when you bite into it

Let's be honest Mat literally radiates american dad energy to the point where the only thing stopping him from going pro dad is the channel

As I watch this I can't help but think "This is why Burgers with skewers were invented"

I liked the grilling portion of the video, just because it put on display how dorky/funny/cool MatPat and Steph are

The cheese problem is exactly why I have no veggies on my burger. I like tasting everything that's on the burger.

Oh man-
That-
That Lol Cow segment, and "Mayo on the top bun" just kills me every time because I can't stop laughing XD
Poor Steph XD

MatPat is the only person on Clip-Share who makes me not skip the sponsor part, but watch it with interest😂😂😂😂

It’s funny because this was so common sense to me after working at Burger King when I was barely an adult. That was one thing that was stressed to us was that the build is very important and I was surprised at how important it ended up being after a little experimentation. So this was fun for me watching you guys go through the same process I did way back then.

Personally I like my burgers with from top to bottom : patty, jalapeño, cheese, lettuce, tamato, mayo, and hot sauce

you missed something very important!
flip the burger over when eating and the buns dont disappear. the top bun is thicker so it can absorb more juices and is more stable and sound

The appearance of food is also important, and can affect the taste (e.g. a soda with grape flavoring and orange color will taste very strange on the first sip). Most likely the standard/whopper ordering is popular in part because of visual advertising.

Something I learned a while back is:scent plays a huge roll in taste

I prefer bottom to top to use ketchup, patty, cheese, onion, lettuce. Sometimes I'll put bacon on the onion, and a small amount of mayonnaise on the top bun can improve flavor, but I almost never bother with it because I'm just lazy about my food. This order gives you a very juicy and flavorful bite, with a satisfying crunch. I never actually thought about stability because I'd never heard of such a problem before seeing this, but walking with it on a plate, in the case that it gets cold and you want to reheat it, it's always stayed upright for me.

It fills me with a great deal of joy that the Krabby Patty was the tastiest.

My personally, I like any burger with any topping on it, but with 1 stipulation. It ALWAYS has to have 2 peices of cheese, or some form of added cheese, like the Stuffed Cheddar Burger from the Cheesecake Factory. I feel like the ratio of meat to cheese is almost always too much meat for me, so I need more cheese on it. But any other toppings are fine as they are

I think the test would have gone totally different if you had used Sliced Ameican Cheese. I would say Kraft American Singles, but most American Cheese has similar flavor.

Mr. Krabs knew what he was doing when creating that way of ordering the ingredients, simply a genius xd

Personally, I go Bun, Patty, Cheese, Lettuce, Onion, Condiments, Top Bun. If you put the cheese on the patty while its still hot it'll melt, and then sticking the lettuce on top of the partially melted cheese helps keep it from falling out. if you wanted to be real fancy, you could put the onions between the patty and the cheese while on the skillit or on the grill, so they get stuck to the patty by the cheese. basically if you have loose, crumbly ingredients that like to fall out, butting em between the patty and cheese can certifiably help keep em in place. :]

Thanks to this video I'll just have "mayo on the top bun" go through my head.

MatPat: Our udders are full. Milk us.
Steph: **crouches down out of frame and onto the floor out of disappointment**
Matpat: **proud**

I just realized this- so I stack my cheese on top of the burger, like most people do, but I tend to eat my hamburgers upside down. I never thought about why I do that until just now- it's so I can taste the cheese!! //mind blown
Subconscious ftw

Once the burger is cooked, I place gherkins on top of it, then a slice of cheese, and leave the cheese to slightly melt and seal the gherkins in. I think it reduces the acidity a bit and also seals in more moisture in the burger 🤷🏼‍♀️

Ok now I REALLY want a burger