This Bobby Flay Trick Will Ensure The Meltiest Cheese On Your Burgers

A classic cheeseburger rarely disappoints, even when made as quickly as possible while battling a morning hangover or late-night munchies. However, a slice of cheese that's stiff and cool instead of hot and melty can certainly make your sandwich less satisfying. Food Network star Bobby Flay has a super easy fix: After putting cheese on your burgers, pour a little water into the pan and let steam do all the work.

This is yet another example of genius cooking tips from Flay's TikTok account. In a video posted to the social media platform, the chef sears a beef patty in a cast iron skillet, then puts two slices of cheese on top and adds a splash of water. After putting the lid on the pan and letting it sit, the cheese melts in no time. Flay tops his sandwich with bacon and potato chips, but this hack could work for anything from an easy smash burger recipe to smoky chipotle burgers with provolone.

@bobby_flay_

A Bacon Crunchburger for #NationalBurgerDay 🍔 #fyp #nationalhamburgerday #cheeseburger

♬ original sound – Siangyoo – Siangyoo

The beauty of this trick is that it requires almost no additional time or effort, letting you enjoy your burger ASAP. You don't have to let the cheese sit on the cooked patty after removing it from the heat, which usually results in cold beef with a barely-melted topping, or move your burgers to the oven (and potentially overcook them). Following a few extra rules can further help you master the art of the cheeseburger.

Bobby Flay's melting technique does most of the work for you, but choosing the wrong cheese can still throw a wrench in your burger. You want a younger variety with plenty of moisture that melts well, not an aged one that's hard, crumbly, and never turns gooey. This is why Bobby Flay doesn't put cheddar on his burgers. He approves of good melters like American or fontina. We also have a list of underrated cheeses you should be melting on top of burgers that includes options like Taleggio and Brie.

If you'd prefer to avoid a messy sea of cheese in the pan, you could try another clever tip for melting cheese when making stovetop burgers. Put the slices on the patties after removing them from the heat and cover with a metal lid or bowl. This traps heat to melt the cheese while keeping the beef warm. This covering trick can really help when making burgers for a crowd.

Want to make your cheeseburger even more worthy of Flay's approval? While strongly-flavored patties can have their place, Bobby Flay only uses two basic seasonings on burgers: salt and pepper. This allows your toppings and sauces to shine, and the chef likes his condiments to have a lot of flair.