Sidebars | Food & Wine

Building a Better Burger

Americans eat an estimated 12.3 billion burgers annually; that's more than 40 a year for every man, woman and child. To make sure you never get bored, keep changing the seasonings, garnishes and condiments on your burger of choice. The following chart offers several suggestions. They're just a few of the endless possibilities.

burger	seasonings	garnishes	condiments

beef	finely minced onion, crumbled bacon, flavored butter, cayenne peppers	crisp bacon, any cheese, sautéed mushrooms	mayonnaise, horseradish-cream sauce

lamb	oregano, dill, rosemary, garlic, capers, minced fresh chiles, anchovies	grilled onions, roasted peppers, feta cheese	tahini or yogurt sauce, tapenade

pork	pure chile powder, fennel seeds, ground cumin, barbecue spice rub	coleslaw, watercress or other spicy green	mustard sauce, barbecue sauce

turkey	herbes de Provence, minced fresh chiles, garlic, pimentón (smoked paprika)	sliced tomato, sweet onion	tomato salsa, spicy mayonnaise

fish	sautéed onion, garlic, grated lemon zest, tarragon, dill, capers	arugula, sprouts, scallions	tartar sauce, sun-dried tomato spread

veggie	garlic, chopped scallions, minced red bell peppers, minced fresh chiles, powdered mustard	avocado slices, baby spinach	old-fashioned ketchup