Have we been eating burgers incorrectly our whole lives?

Virgin Radio

7 Sep 2021, 09:30

Whether we’re talking about full-meat burgers or vegetarian alternatives, burgers are great, aren’t they? However, it turns out that we might have been eating them wrongly all this time.

It’s broadly agreed that there are two ways to eat a burger. The classic way, of course, is to grab it between two hands and take a massive bite out of it. Bonus points if you can avoid getting various relishes and sauces all over your face and half the ingredients falling out of the other end when doing so, but this is in no way expected of you. The other way to eat a burger, and this comes into play if it is particularly tall, or if you’re somewhere where you don’t want to eat too messily, is to forensically approach it with a knife and fork. Whilst this kind of takes the fun out of smashing a burger, it is still a valid way of consuming one.

However, neither of these ways are correct, apparently. Whilst we should be eating burgers with our hands, the way to do it is to pick it up upside down. 

If that sounds ridiculous, there is some logic behind the thinking. The idea is that the top part of the bun is thicker and more sturdy, so it won’t fall apart in your hands so easily. Often, the thinner bottom part of the bun is soaked through with all of the sauces and juices from the burger by the time you go to pick it up.

It’s also thought that the lettuce in a burger should be used as a barrier for the juices, to stop it getting soggy too fast, hence why it would be good to flip your burger and eat it upside down. 

Restaurant chain TGI Friday’s are in agreement to the extent that they have launched a challenge to its customers, asking them to share a photo or video of themselves eating its new range of burgers upside down. They’ve even enlisted the help of BMX Olympian Charlotte Worthington for the #FlipItChallenge. In a post on social media, they said: “According to our experts, the best way to eat your burger is to flip it upside down! The guests with the best/most creative photos will win a £50 Fridays voucher.”

Someone else who states that burgers are best enjoyed when flipped over is Simon Dukes, founder of the blog Burger Lad. He told Insider: “Burgers are served the way they are purely for aesthetics," 

"The crown is generally thicker than the heel, so for a better eating experience, you should actually flip it upside-down to eat it.

"The crown will then hold the weight of everything else, and there is less likelihood of it falling apart in your hands. A true burger connoisseur should always eat their burgers upside down."

So there you have it, next time you have a burger, you know what to do!