While Noshing Across New England I tried out an unusual, regional dish in central Connecticut—the steamed cheeseburger!
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When you think of a classic cheeseburger, what are some of the things that immediately come to mind? The loud sizzle as the burger patty hits the grill, the deeply browned surface of meat licked by flames, a spatula dripping with grease as it flips the burger?
Well, in a small pocket of New England—central Connecticut, to be exact—there's a local cheeseburger specialty that has... none of those things!
No sizzle because there is no grill. No flipping because the burgers don't get flipped. And no flame-broiled, browned exterior—because they're steam-cooked.
It's an American steamed cheeseburger.
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What are steamed cheeseburgers?
Steamed cheeseburgers are exactly what they sound like—but also hard to picture because we're so accustomed to burgers cooked on grill grates, a big cooktop, or in a skillet. But instead of a hot pan or flames, these burgers are cooked through using only steam.
The key to this cooking method is a steamer: a small, metal cabinet filled with removable metal trays. Ground beef is pressed into the metal trays, placed inside, and then the cabinet is closed. Water boiling in the bottom of the cabinet fills the inside with hot steam.
In a short time, that ground beef becomes a juicy burger, one that's steam-cooked from the outside in.
And what about the cheese? Well, that gets steamed, too. Trays full of cheese go into their own steamer cabinet—when they come out the cheese is delightfully thick, melty, and gooey. The steamed burgers are transferred to buns, along with any toppings of your choosing, and the melted cheese is poured over the top, completely enveloping the burger.
It's an old-fashioned favorite
According to Bill Foreman, owner of Ted's Restaurant in Meriden, the steamed cheeseburger was created over a century ago in central Connecticut. Back then street cart vendors were popular stops for hungry, local factory workers heading to and from their long days on the job.
The vendors began by selling steam-melted cheese sandwiches—they eventually added steam-cooked meat to the sandwiches to create a more filling and substantial meal. And that's when the steamed cheeseburger was born.
This steamy sandwich may not have caught on nationally, but it has remained a local favorite in the central Connecticut towns of Meriden at Ted's Restaurant and K LaMays, and in Wallingford at American Steamed and Two Guys and a Grill.
Fun fact!
You may be thinking to yourself, hey wait—aren't the burgers at White Castle steam-cooked, too? They are, but the method is not the same as American steamed cheeseburgers.
At White Castle, the tiny slider patties are wafer-thin and perforated. They're placed on a pile of onions on a hot grill top; the little patties cook through quickly from the steam of the onions.
Cooked with steam, yes—but the sliders are nowhere near as sizeable as the thick, steamed cheeseburgers of Connecticut.
A trip to Ted's Restaurant!
When my husband and I realized that Meriden is only a hop and a skip from our home (well, maybe two hops) we decided to make the trip to Ted's Restaurant, where they've been serving up steamed cheeseburgers for over 60 years. It was time to try some for ourselves!
Ted's is a wee, diner-like eatery with a few booths and stools at a small counter. We chose the counter seats to see the steam-fueled action up close—we were so close, in fact, that I'm pretty sure I could've reached over the counter and assembled my own burger!
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In front of us were two steamers—those metal cabinets where the burgers are cooked and the cheese is melted. Each cabinet at Ted's is perched on a huge gas burner, which keeps water inside the cabinet at a boil. Every time the doors are opened, clouds of steam come pouring out.
Sit at the counter like we did, and it's almost like visiting a burger-scented sauna!
We watched as the cook slid metal trays packed full of beef into the cabinet, and just a few minutes later pull the fully-cooked burgers out. He moved them to soft, thick Vienna rolls, then poured cheddar cheese—slabs of cheese that are melted in trays in the other cabinet—over our burgers. And lunch was served!
What do steamed cheeseburgers taste like?
The burgers are cooked—but without the Maillard reaction from the meat searing on a hot surface, which creates the crisp, browned exterior. So what do they taste like?
We thought our steamed cheeseburgers were pretty dang good! The flavor was more like that of the inside of a meatloaf. The burgers are really moist throughout, and that thick, gooey layer of real cheddar cheese over the top was amazing—talk about a cheese pull!
Of course, there are some things about steamed cheeseburgers that do take some getting used to. In particular, because the burger isn't browned, the color is, well... it's kind of grayish. (Yankee Magazine shared a less-than-glowing description of a steamed cheeseburger, comparing the look of it to a "wet, gray, woolen sock.")
Don't let the color deter you though, because once you take a bite you'll find out just how good this burger is.
Also, I admit that I did miss the usual toasted or griddled bun that comes with traditional burgers. The Vienna rolls are very soft, though, and substantial enough to hold up to the moist burger and pool of melted cheese. A grocery store burger bun definitely wouldn't cut it here!
Hot dogs!
Some of our favorite hot dogs near Burlington, Vermont
Try steamed cheeseburgers for yourself!
Curious to give this unique cheeseburger a taste? Head to Ted's Steamed Cheeseburgers of Meriden at 1046 Broad Street in Meriden, Connecticut to try this regional favorite for yourself.
The steamy atmosphere inside may leave your skin a little dewy and your hair a little frizzy, but your belly will be happy and full of freshly steamed burgers and cheese.
They have a food truck, too! It appears at food festivals and UCONN football games to feed hungry fans all the steamy burgers they can eat. Check their Facebook page to find out where Ted's food truck will show up next.
💬 Have you had a Connecticut steam cheeseburger? Have I convinced you to give them a try? Leave a comment below!
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