20051103

fried and prejudice.

deep fried cheeseburger

the deep-fried cheeseburger. when i saw it on the menu, i thought that it would be a sandwich with a single breaded hamburger patty, japanese-style, but no--it is a fully formed double pattied cheeseburger, with all the standard condiments on a sesame seeded bun, dipped in an egg wash, breaded, and deep-fried. yike.

i thought that this was one of those "only on guam" food items, but a little research on the internets proved otherwise. i was a little surprised to find that it's not from scotland, that its origins are from the arizona state fair (where they've also pioneered the art of deep-frying cheesecake on a stick). nevertheless, i had to try it. i've travelled to and through some interesting places, and one of my basic food rules is "when in doubt, go deep-fried"--i mean, deep-fried is deep-fried the world over, right? how bad could it be? as many a deep-fried mars bars fan will tell you, often times the process can be a revelation.

not in this case. unfortunately, to make a successful doorstop, the burger itself must be pre-cooked and refrigerated ahead of time, and has to be drier than a normal to keep it intact. the double cooking doesn't help anything in the actual sandwich, and the crust reminds me of that old commercial for puritan oil where florence henderson plunges a pullman loaf into a vat o' oil. just nasty. and wrong. it's a sad day when deep-frying does not equal excess tastiness, just excess calories.

17 comments:

This seemed so promising, too, Santos. Perhaps it's one of those fair foods best left to the fair.

the picture hasn't loaded yet, but already my heart is feeling the pain santos. the pain.

nic and saff--it's tragic, really. such a waste of calories.

It is a sad day, it makes life just that little more complex.

Wow, this had potential! I thought I could do this with that box of frozen mini-cheeseburgers that I've had in the freezer for over a year. Bummer....

anthony--life just more complex carbs.

kirk--actually, that might be the way to go. is it those slider type burgers? can you pry them open and dump in more cheese and onions? that sounds like it could be a winner!

shame...seemed so full of promise too...i would kill for a deep fried mars bar right now...

Oh My! I saw the sign for a Fried Cheesebuger at our State Fair. I didn't try one though.

Hi Santos - Yes, to all! Well, you've given me some "food for thought" here.....

Ahh. All that deep frying and what's the point? I guess some things are better left alone. The French fries look great though...

hi j! mmmm, melty, oozy goodness.

hi jessica! lovely BOP has a photo of state fair food. when faced with that, i would be overwhelmed and just a little freaked out. maybe look for an apple or something.

hi kirk! mmm, squishy cheesy oniony moistness with a deep-fried protective coating? i'd eat it.

hi elise! such a waste. but yes, those fries were very, very good. but vaguely alarming has they were so much bigger than the burger, yet the burger was quite substantial.

Grease me up Scotty!

Actually, no. I think my artery just shuddered after a mere glance at it.

I agree it is a sad day indeed when the forces of fried are used for evil, not good. And yes, it can and should be good.

hi gloop, i hear that the original version is on a stick. now i would like to see that--artery clogger and weapon, all wrapped into one!

Do tell - where did you find this OOG item? Inquiring minds want to know!

I have never even heard of a deep fried cheeseburger until now. Wow, the world of food bloggers is definately opening up new dishes to me.

hi gail! it was a lunch special at sam choy's, of all places. but someone there is fond of fair food, they also have deep-fried twinkies on the menu. i don't think it's sam, though. i hope it's not sam, anyway.

hi farid--you'll be finding some interesting things out there in food bloggy world :)

THE DEEP FRIED CHEESBURGER I LOVED WAS FROM THE A&W IN LANDER WYOMING. IT WAS CALLED A WAGON WHEEL. IT WAS THE BEST CHEESEBURGER IVE EVER HAD, YOU HAVE TO TRY IT TO KNOW WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT. IT WAS A SINGLE PATTY WITH CHEESE, NOT THE CLOG YOUR ATTERIES IN ONE BITE DOUBLE. ANYWAY I WAS TALKING WITH MY SISTER ABOUT THIS VERY FOOD TODAY AND WE REMEMBERED THE 70'S FONDLY ONCE AGAIN. THANKS