Why Anthony Bourdain Never Put Lettuce On Burgers

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One of the things the world loved most about Anthony Bourdain was his strong opinions, on everything from why he refused to eat brunch to the one ingredient that absolutely didn't belong in scrambled eggs. He shared these thoughts in a variety of ways, including his dauntless travel shows and a number of books. In his 2016 cookbook "Appetites" (via SimplyRecipes), he shared his belief that lettuce does not belong on burgers. He wrote that he understood "the desire for crunch" but found lettuce to be too slippery an ingredient, which could cause the burger to fall apart. "I'll have my salad on the side," he quipped.

At least the guy was consistent. In a YouTube video for Insider Tech that was published a year after his book, Bourdain actually said he likes lettuce on a burger, but found it "makes it structurally more difficult to eat." He continued, saying that in a perfect world, the one-hand rule should apply — that is, you should be able to eat a burger with just one hand and not make a huge mess. And lettuce, especially in leaf form and when it's layered with other toppings, slides around and makes things fall out. One workaround Bourdain suggested in his cookbook, though, was "finely shredded iceberg" lettuce — but only if you can't live without it.

If you thought Anthony Bourdain's opinions on burger toppings stopped there, you would be decidedly wrong. He had more to say in his cookbook "Appetites" (via SimplyRecipes), including on the subject of tomatoes. Bourdain thought the perfect way to apply tomatoes to a burger was in the form of a single, large slice of beefsteak; keep the multiple smaller slices off the buns because those can also cause slippage. But a single slice that nearly grazes the outline of the bun provides just enough resistance (and if you wanted to keep the juices from flowing down your hand, you could also lay the slice on a paper towel to absorb some of its moisture first).

It was the same deal with bacon, too. He preferred just one slice of thin, crispy bacon and no more. "You can, as it turns out, have too much bacon," he said (Wendy's Baconator cheeseburger comes with six pieces of the stuff). Finally, caramelized onions were another no for Bourdain, who noted in his book that only raw onions belong on burgers, "sliced paper-thin."