patty melt
{{Short description|Type of burger}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox prepared food
| name =
| image = Finished patty melt, cut open.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| caption = Patty melt sliced to show layers of fried onions, cheese, and beef patty
| alternate_name =
| country = United States
| region =
| creator =
| course =
| type = Burger
| served = Hot
| main_ingredient = Seeded rye bread, hamburger patty, grilled onions, North American-style Swiss cheese
| variations = Sourdough bread, Texas toast, Thousand Island dressing, American cheese
| calories =
| other =
| commons = Special:Search/Patty_melt
}}
A patty melt is an American grilled hamburger consisting of a ground beef patty topped with melted swiss cheese and caramelized onions between two slices of griddled seeded-rye bread.
Description and ingredients
The patty melt is variously described as a variant of the traditional American cheeseburger, topped with fried onions and served on sliced bread instead of a traditional bun, or as a variant of a grilled cheese that includes a hamburger patty and fried onions.{{Cite news |last=Wells |first=Pete |author-link=Pete Wells |date=30 January 2024 |title=The Patty Melt Is Tired of Hearing About Your Favorite Burger |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/30/dining/patty-melt.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240203225301/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/30/dining/patty-melt.html |archive-date=3 February 2024 |access-date=4 February 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web |last=Kesh |first=Jonathan |date=8 November 2023 |title=What's The Difference Between A Burger And A Patty Melt? |url=https://www.thedailymeal.com/1439496/burger-patty-melt-difference-explained/ |access-date=4 February 2024 |website=The Daily Meal |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Friedman |first=Stephanie |date=16 March 2023 |title=Is There A Difference Between A Patty Melt And A Burger? |url=https://www.tastingtable.com/1229833/is-there-a-difference-between-a-patty-melt-and-a-burger/ |access-date=4 February 2024 |website=Tasting Table |language=en-US}}
The sandwich consists of a ground beef patty topped with melted cheese (traditionally Swiss cheese) and usually with caramelized onions between two slices of griddled bread (typically caraway-seeded rye or marbled rye, though sourdough or Texas toast are sometimes substituted in some regions, including the Southern U.S.){{Cite web |last=Lebovitz |first=David |date=8 August 2013 |title=Patty Melt |url=https://www.davidlebovitz.com/patty-melt-burger-hamburger-recipe/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810234211/https://www.davidlebovitz.com/patty-melt-burger-hamburger-recipe/ |archive-date=10 August 2022 |access-date=4 February 2024 |website=David Lebovitz |language=en-US}} It is typically made without condiments or garnishes.{{Cite web |last=Copeland |first=Sarah |date=24 September 2019 |title=Deconstructing the Perfect Patty Melt |url=https://www.saveur.com/deconstructing-perfect-patty-melt/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003105600/https://www.saveur.com/deconstructing-perfect-patty-melt/ |archive-date=3 October 2023 |access-date=4 February 2024 |website=Saveur |language=en}}
Like a grilled cheese, the patty melt maintains its structural integrity when eaten, as all ingredients are grilled at the same time and assembled while still hot, which melds the grilled bread, hamburger patty, cheese, and onions into a single unit that does not fall apart while being eaten.
History and origins
Sandwiches calling for hamburger patties to be placed into two slices of bread, rather than into a bun, date to the mid-1800s and were referred to as hamburger sandwiches.{{Cite web |last=Nosowitz |first=Dan |date=28 June 2018 |title=Skip the Burger, Eat the Patty Melt |url=https://www.gq.com/story/eat-the-patty-melt |access-date=4 February 2024 |website=GQ |language=en-US}} It is unclear when the patty melt was invented, but it was most likely the mid-20th century, either during the Great Depression or the postwar economic boom. Several culinary writers have suggested that Los Angeles restaurateur Tiny Naylor may have invented the patty melt sometime between 1930 and 1959, depending on the source;{{cite news |url=https://la.eater.com/maps/step-aside-burgers-10-great-patty-melts-in-la |title=11 Awesome Patty Melts For Your Next Comfort Food Fix: It's good to switch things up once in a while |website=Eater LA |date=22 February 2017 |first=Joshua |last=Lurie |access-date=9 December 2017 |archive-date=28 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328112708/https://la.eater.com/maps/step-aside-burgers-10-great-patty-melts-in-la |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://www.mensjournal.com/food-drink/better-than-a-burger-in-praise-of-the-patty-melt-20160204 |title=Better Than a Burger: In Praise of the Patty Melt |magazine=Men's Journal |date=4 February 2016 |first=Daniel |last=Duane |access-date=9 December 2017 |archive-date=3 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503090652/https://www.mensjournal.com/food-drink/better-than-a-burger-in-praise-of-the-patty-melt-20160204 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=http://www.foodandwine.com/chefs/patty-melt-trend-vegetable-substitution |title=The Patty Melt Is Getting Its Moment |magazine=Food & Wine |date=15 June 2017 |first=Elyse |last=Inamine |access-date=9 December 2017 |archive-date=3 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603011434/https://www.foodandwine.com/chefs/patty-melt-trend-vegetable-substitution |url-status=live }} it was on the menu at Tiny Naylor's in the early 1950s. Even if Naylor did not invent the sandwich, it is agreed that he and his family helped popularize the sandwich in their restaurants and in restaurants where they worked, which included Tiny Naylor's, Du-par's, and Wolfgang Puck's Granita.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/04/magazine/the-crispy-decadence-of-the-patty-melt.html |title=The Crispy Decadence of the Patty Melt |newspaper=The New York Times |date=1 September 2016 |first=Sam |last=Sifton |access-date=9 December 2017 |archive-date=22 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222110355/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/04/magazine/the-crispy-decadence-of-the-patty-melt.html |url-status=live }}
Home cooking
Home cooks typically make patty melts in a cast-iron skillet or pan in steps by separately grilling the patties, caramelizing the onions, assembling the sandwich, and then grilling it as for a grilled cheese sandwich.{{cite AV media
| people =
| date =23 January 2024
| title = Cook's Country: The Best Diner Food
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}} Gentleman's Quarterly called it "the great indoor burger".
Popularity
According to New York Times food writer Pete Wells in 2024, the sandwich is "virtually unknown" outside of the United States; Wells theorizes that the amount of space on a flattop grill required to grill onions, patty, and bread at the same time has restricted its appeal outside of typical short-order restaurants. It is typically on the menu of diners, coffee shops, and lunch counters, but in the early 2020s it started to appear on some upscale menus.
See also
- List of American sandwiches
- List of hamburgers
- List of sandwiches
- {{portal-inline|Food}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Sandwiches}}
{{Burgers}}
{{Cheese dishes}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patty Melt}}