For Guy Fieri, Cheeseburgers Aren't Limited To Just Cheddar Or American

Guy Fieri has never shied away from intense flavors or mashups of different cuisines. From dubbing himself the Mayor of Flavortown to trying wild dishes on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" (like cheeseburger fried rice topped with nacho cheese), the cheeses he uses on his burgers are no exception. While Fieri and other chefs prize American cheese for its superb melting quality, the processed cheese product doesn't always carry much flavor and tends to look better than it tastes. Cheddar cheese, on the other hand, does bring a delicious, sharp flavor to cheeseburgers, but it doesn't stay well-melted for long before losing its visual appeal. Fortunately for us, Fieri has done the work for us by experimenting with different cheeses and combinations for his burgers beyond just American and cheddar cheeses.

Fieri has been known to take liberties with his cheeseburger recipes, like using shredded mozzarella cheese and pepperoni slices to make what he calls "pizza burgers." Although we're not sure if it technically qualifies as a cheeseburger, Fieri has used pimento cheese not on top of the burger patty but actually stuffed into the patty itself, so the chunk of pimento cheese is encased entirely by seasoned ground beef. According to Fieri, when cooking stuffed burger patties, the one thing you shouldn't do is press down on the patty while it's cooking — unless it's a smash burger, of course. Similarly, Fieri has used Swiss cheese to make another stuffed burger, along with bacon, chorizo, and onions for his famed "inside out" burger.

In yet another stuffed burger creation, Guy Fieri uses a generous portion of award-winning Point Reyes blue cheese to stuff his black and blue burgers, accompanied by thinly sliced pickles and onions, garlic butter, and thick-cut bacon. It's fun to see Fieri use high-quality cheeses like Point Reyes blue, opening the doors for other non-traditional cheeses to top (or stuff) hamburgers with. If you're keen on experimenting with different cheeses to top your burgers, you could try an Alpine-style cheese like Gruyère, or top your next burger with this grassy Italian cheese that melts like a dream.

In a recipe for his "Real Deal" burger, Fieri includes a smaller recipe for his "SMC," aka Super-Melty-Cheese sauce. Here, he combines half-and-half with water and seasonings with multiple cheeses for an incredibly smooth and melty cheese sauce for the burger. The cheesy sauce uses not only Velveeta and cheddar, both classics used in making stable cheese sauces, but also smoked Gouda and provolone cheeses to give the sauce more depth of flavor and body.

Making a super cheesy sauce is actually a genius way to incorporate different cheeses with layers of flavor. This is because many fancier cheeses don't melt well if they're just sliced or shredded and thrown on top of a hot burger patty. They can often look "sweaty" or unappetizing very quickly after cooling down, but they'll taste delicious.