The Burger Ingredient Guy Fieri Warns Folks Not To Forget About

Fans of Guy Fieri know that the eccentric host of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" isn't afraid to build burgers that are bigger and badder than anyone else's. Despite the importance of what goes into a burger, Fieri believes you simply can't create the perfect burger if you don't pay attention to the bun. During an interview with Brian Koppelman on his podcast, "The Moment," Fieri admitted that even professional cooks sometimes forget about the importance of the burger bun. "You've got to treat the bun," Fieri said. 

Buttering and toasting the bun before you put your burger together shouldn't be optional, especially if you've taken so much care in building the rest of the burger. Indeed, when you toast your burger buns the condiments and moisture from the other ingredients won't seep into the bread as much, which can cause the bun to get mushy at best and fall apart at worst. The good news is that this crucial step takes less than a minute, so you'll be diving into your expertly-built burger — hopefully with Fieri's signature Donkey Sauce – in no time at all.

You can and should toast your burger bun once everything else is ready to build the hamburger. For his classic Ringer Burger, Fieri brushes the insides of his buns with a mixture of soft butter and garlic and places them, butter side down, on a hot grill or pan for no more than a few seconds. That's all it takes. Once golden and crisp, put your burger together and enjoy. Using a flavored or compound butter (like Fieri does) is a great idea, but if your burger is already full of lots of different flavors, plain softened or melted butter is perfect to use.

If you don't have any soft butter on hand, mayonnaise makes a great substitute; just spread a little on the bun and it'll toast up just as good as butter. A brush of oil also works, as does bacon grease (otherwise known as liquid gold). If you've cooked your hamburger patties in a skillet, you're probably going to have some residual fat in the pan. If this is the case, you can also place your buns directly onto the skillet where it'll absorb some of that fat and quickly toast. You can also toast your buns in the oven: Butter or grease them as normal and place them on a sheet pan in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for a few minutes or until they're golden brown on the edges. Guy Fieri is no stranger to tragedy, but a well-made burger is a good way to chase the blues away.