A steamed cheeseburger, also referred to as a steamer or cheeseburg, is a

hamburger A hamburger, or simply burger, is a food consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. Hamburgers are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon, ...

topped with cheese that is cooked via steaming and originally only served by restaurants in central

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Despite it now being available elsewhere, it is still difficult to find outside this area.

Preparation

What makes the steamed cheeseburger different from typical cheeseburgers is the way it is prepared. Instead of being fried in a pan or grilled on a grill, it is steamed in a stainless-steel cabinet containing trays that hold either a hamburger patty or a chunk of cheese. This method of cooking makes the fats in the meat melt away and they are then drained from the tray once the patty is fully cooked. The end result is a moist, juicy burger which is then served by scooping the meat onto a

bun A bun is a type of bread roll, typically filled with savory fillings (for example hamburger). A bun may also refer to a sweet cake in certain parts of the world. Though they come in many shapes and sizes, buns are most commonly round, and are g ...

and then pouring the melted cheese over the meat. Various customary

toppings Topping may refer to: * Hill-topping, a mate-acquisition strategy amongst insects * Topping, slang term for capital punishment, especially hanging or beheading * Topping (surname), the name of several people * Topping (agriculture), a practice us ...

can then be added to the burger.

Invention

The steamed cheeseburger is believed to have been invented at a restaurant called Jack's Lunch in Middletown, Connecticut, in either the 1920s or 1930s. Jack's Lunch was located at 434 Main Street and operated by Jack Fitzgerald for 44 years. The steamed cheeseburgers at Jack's Lunch were "cooked in a tall copper box filled with simmering water for 18 tin trays of square ground-beef patties." Cheddar cheese was an option at an additional 5 cents. One theory as to what sparked the idea for the steamed cheeseburger is back in the 1920s steaming was being touted as a healthy alternative to frying in that steamed food was easier to digest than fried food.

Availability and distribution in central Connecticut

Ted's Restaurant in Meriden is the most famous eatery that serves steamed cheeseburgers due to

media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass e ...

coverage, but they are also available at establishments in the adjacent towns of Wallingford, Middletown,

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, and

Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

; further east in East Hampton; and further south in North Haven. Ted's also operates a

food truck A food truck is a large motorized vehicle (such as a van) or trailer, equipped to cook, prepare, serve, and/or sell food. Some, including ice cream trucks, sell frozen or prepackaged food; others have on-board kitchens and prepare food from scratc ...

called the Steam Machine that sells steamed cheeseburgers further north at

UConn Huskies football The UConn Huskies football team is a college football team that represents the University of Connecticut in the sport of American football. The team competes in NCAA Division I FBS as an Independent. Connecticut first fielded a team in 1896, an ...

games at

Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field is a stadium in East Hartford, Connecticut. It is primarily used for football and soccer, and is the home field of the University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies. In 2010, it was home to the Hartford ...

East Hartford East Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 51,045 at the 2020 census. The town is located on the east bank of the Connecticut River, directly across from Hartford, Connecticut. It is home to aerospac ...

Bushnell Park Bushnell Park in Hartford, Connecticut is the oldest publicly funded park in the United States. It was conceived by the Reverend Horace Bushnell in the mid-1850s at a time when the need for open public spaces was just starting to be recognized. ...

in downtown

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...

, and the Xfinity Theatre

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

in Hartford. Ted's also has a concession stand behind section 101 inside the

XL Center The XL Center (originally known as the Hartford Civic Center) is a multi-purpose arena and convention center located in downtown Hartford, Connecticut. Owned by the City of Hartford, it is managed by the quasi-public Capital Region Developme ...

arena in Hartford.

Hartford Yard Goats promotion

During the 2018 Minor League Baseball season, the

Hartford Yard Goats The Hartford Yard Goats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Hartford, Connecticut. The Yard Goats, which play in the Eastern League, are the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. The team was founded in 2016 when the New Britain ...

played one home game as the "Hartford Steamed Cheeseburgers". Special one-off uniforms resembling the food item were worn by the players and made-to-order steamed cheeseburgers from Ted's Restaurant were available for fans to purchase.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite news , url=http://www.nhregister.com/article/NH/20111122/NEWS/311229944 , title='Meat and cheese in every bite': Ted's brings steamed burgers to North Haven , first=Ann , last=DeMatteo , newspaper=New Haven Register , date=November 22, 2011 , access-date=April 27, 2017 {{cite news , url=http://collinsvillepress.com/2018/08/playing-as-steamed-cheeseburgers-yard-goats-pay-tribute-to-another-state-legend/18767/ , title=Playing as Steamed Cheeseburgers, Yard Goats pay tribute to another state legend , first=Gerry , last=deSimas, Jr. , work=Collinsville Press , date=August 12, 2018 , access-date=October 28, 2018 {{cite book , last=Edge , first=John T. , title=Hamburgers & Fries: An American Story , publisher=G.P. Putnam's Sons , year=2005 , isbn=978-0-399-15274-0 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-RibD2b2N14C&pg=PA67 , page=67 {{cite news , url=https://mobilefoodnews.com/meriden-ct-meriden-burger-delicacy-goes-mobile-with-teds-steam-machine/ , title=Meriden burger delicacy goes mobile with Ted's 'Steam Machine' , first=Mary Ellen , last=Godin , newspaper=Record-Journal , location=Meriden, Connecticut , via=Mobile Food News , date=July 12, 2015 , access-date=April 27, 2017 {{cite news , url=http://articles.courant.com/2014-07-03/entertainment/hc-teds-steamed-cheeseburger-truck-20140703_1_hot-cheese-steam-hot-dog , title=Ted's Steam Machine: Cheesy Goodness In The Park , first=Sara , last=Grant , newspaper=Hartford Courant , date=July 3, 2014 , access-date=April 27, 2017 {{cite news , url=http://articles.courant.com/2011-04-14/lifestyle/hc-alacarte-teds-cromwell-20110414_1_cheeseburger-unique-burgers-hamburger-america , title=The Steamed Cheeseburger Comes To Cromwell , first=Leeanne , last=Griffin , newspaper=Hartford Courant , date=April 14, 2011 , access-date=April 27, 2017 {{cite news , url=http://www.courant.com/features/food/hc-teds-steamed-cheeseburgers-at-hartford-xl-center-20171027-story.html , title=Ted's Steamed Cheeseburgers Now At Hartford's XL Center , first=Leeanne , last=Griffin , newspaper=Hartford Courant , date=October 26, 2018 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929235003/http://www.courant.com/features/food/hc-teds-steamed-cheeseburgers-at-hartford-xl-center-20171027-story.html , archive-date=September 29, 2018 {{cite news , url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/travel/2013/09/21/fork-road-getting-steamed-only-way-ted-meridien-conn/2O3M11Po5FIvX9LsoaNEZP/story.html , title=Getting steamed is the only way at Ted's in Meridien, Conn. , first1=Patricia , last1=Harris , first2=David , last2=Lyon , newspaper=

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

, date=September 21, 2013 , access-date=April 27, 2017 {{cite book , title=Images of America: Middletown , first1=Robert , last1=Hubbard , first2=Kathleen , last2=Hubbard , author3=Middlesex County Historical Society , date=March 16, 2009 , publisher=

Arcadia Publishing Arcadia Publishing is an American publisher of neighborhood, local, and regional history of the United States in pictorial form.(analysis of the successful ''Images of America'' series). Arcadia Publishing also runs the History Press, which publ ...

, page=94 , isbn=978-0-7385-6213-1 {{cite book , first=George , last=Motz , title=Hamburger America: A State-by-state Guide to 200 Great Burger Joints , edition=3rd , date=May 29, 2018 , publisher=Running Press , pages=52–53 , isbn=978-0-7624-6206-3 {{cite web , url=https://ediblenutmeg.ediblecommunities.com/eat/cheeseburger-cheeseburger-connecticuts-steamed-specialty , title=Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger! Connecticut's Steamed Specialty , first1=Amy , last1=Nawrocki , first2=Eric D. , last2=Lehman , work=Edible Nutmeg , date=September 24, 2018 , access-date=June 4, 2020 {{cite magazine , url=https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/connecticut-steamed-cheeseburger-king , title=In Connecticut, Steamed Cheeseburger is King , first=Daniel P. , last=Smith , date=June 21, 2012 , magazine=QSR Magazine , access-date=June 4, 2020 {{cite book , last1=Stern , first1=Jane , last2=Stern , first2=Michael , title=500 Things to Eat Before It's Too Late: And the Very Best Places to Eat Them , publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt , year=2009 , isbn=978-0-547-05907-5 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uha0mHZ-N8oC&pg=PA63 , access-date=April 27, 2017 , pages=63–64 New England cuisine Hamburgers (food)

Preparation

Invention

Availability and distribution in central Connecticut

Hartford Yard Goats promotion

See also

References