I used brie on a burger this weekend with sauteed onions plus apple butter an bacon it was so good

For me it all depends on the type of burger and what sort of toppings.

Smash burger, shitty American all the way.

Smoked pug style burger - Gouda, cheddar, swiss.

Standard grilled bbq burger, any of the above depending on toppings.

There's a burger place near my work that does a Roquefort and caramelized onion burger that is one of the best I've had anywhere.

Colby Jack is an underrated option. Works with most toppings and generally pleases most palates.

Yep. American cheese. Smoked gouda is delicious. Use swiss when it's a mushroom swiss burger

I was looking for this comment. Kraft singles are fine, but they don’t even compare to what you’d get at a deli counter. I actually think OP would do best with a nicer American cheese. It’s the same melty texture, but much more flavorful.

That's correct. American cheese is mild and melts quickly, which makes it perfect for a burger.

To be clear, the slices are usually a level down from American cheese.

https://www.seriouseats.com/whats-really-in-american-cheese#toc-reading-the-labels

And I do think they’re the best for a burger.

When you melt cheddar for example (most other cheeses too), it splits into oil and milk solids, and loses most of its flavor too (flavor retention is actually measurable in food science). This is why anyone who likes cheddar on their burgers is no friend of mine (unless it’s unmelted). American cheese, since it’s a lab product, was engineered both to melt without splitting, and to retain all its flavor when heated. This is why it is the undisputed best cheese for melting on burgers. It contains a salt called sodium citrate which gives it these magical properties. Next time you make mac and cheese, throw one slice of American into your fancy cheese mix and you’ll see that the texture and flavor vastly improves (and won’t taste like American). There’s so much sodium citrate in it that you can use it to “help” other cheeses out in the mix.

It's also good because it adds a savory flavor to the beef better than most cheeses. American is meant to be melted.

With these types of questions, 99% of the time I will tell you that there is no such thing as best and it's all a matter of personal preference, but in this case I will say that American cheese is best. I'd even wager that this could be objectively proven if we were able to do some massive blind taste test that represented all of humanity lol.

Kraft Deluxe singles are good, Boar's Head whole milk American is better.

"Don’t want it to melt too stringy and spread out too much."

That's may be more of a time & temperature issue and less of a cheese issue.

A single slice of processed, American cheese under a domed lid on a 350-400F grill with a 75-90g smashburger patty will take less than 60 seconds to soften and melt onto the burger while maintaining its shape. Over 90 seconds and you've got a puddle of cheese.

A thick slice of aged cheddar will take closer to two+ minutes, depending on thickness. Grated cheddar will take about 90 secs, but will be inconsistently melted, depending on how the grated cheese is placed on the patty and the size of the grate used.

Both melt well and carry flavour.

American! If you want to ratchet it up, make your own. https://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Perfectly-Melting-Cheese-Slice/

Murican

Excellent responses.

I like a nice slice of Swiss. It won’t overpower the flavor of your burger itself, will melt well, and if you’re looking for a little bit of extra flavor you can try a smoked Swiss.

American or cheddar

I'm a big fan of feta

Nothing will ever deliver the mouthfeel of American for me…

I can add cheeses I adore so much more based on flavor, but in the end, my mouth feels the most satisfied with American.

That being said, I like cheddar(mild-sharp depending on burger), swiss, pimento, and Munster are my go to’s.

Depends on the other toppings. Like a nice cheddar with bacon, burger sauce, and caramelized onions is great.

Smoked cheddar, especially if you're making the burgers inside and can't get a good smokey char.

American cheese is the best cheese for a cheeseburger because it melts without splitting

Im going Muenster, its just so salty and sooooo stringy when it melts....perfect burger cheese imo

You know I never thought about it but I almost always go pickle onions mayo when I use Muenster…if im going American it’s almost always just ketchup

American. Hands down.

Edit: I should have specified American cheese from the deli

Gotta be Land-O-Lakes White American (sliced from the deli)

Any cheese but blue is my favorite for a burger. It gives a nice contrast to the rich fatty meat.

Smoked gouda, cheddar, meunster, and American are all fine choices depending on what other toppings you are including.

I like a good swiss cheese on my burger, but classic American is a good too.

American is the BEST for burgers anyone who says otherwise is wrong! That said, its totally acceptable to use other cheeses on occasion or even to prefer other cheese on YOUR burger. :)

What about Colby cheese or Monterey cheese ?

Aged white cheddar is my go-to and always makes a delicious burger. You can easily control the cheesiness intensity with the number of slices.

Swiss has a very particular taste, it’s good for a burger, but it’s niche. Regular ol American craft singles are the best overall burger cheese and it’s not close

Not gonna lie, I used to be a pretty picky eater as a kid. First time I tried cheese on a burger was after I enjoyed a Philly cheesesteak. So I got provolone on it and loved it. Eventually I just started picking white cheeses, so I do dig Swiss on a burger. Nowadays it just depends on the type of burger I’m eating.

A rich American or cheddar is my favorite, but Swiss isn’t bad

No muenster is

And if you don't have Land O Lakes in your area, the Private Selection brand of deli American cheese is pretty close. I couldn't find LOL at my local stores in LA when I lived there, but found the American at Ralph's (Kroger) to be very good as well.

Cooper's Sharp American is the most different. It's got a tang to it like sharp cheddar.

Boars head, Deitz&Watson and Land O Lakes are great. But most American cheese is pretty similar.

I'm a big foodie and I worked at a deli for a while. Tried all of the different meats and cheeses when I worked there.

Subtle differences between brands are mostly going to be a point of personal preference but Cooper's Sharp is noticeably different.

apparently generic store brand slices According to Serious Eats Burger Lab, and they’re pretty hard core

Boar's Head. Also makes a fabulous grilled cheese.

I really do feel like maybe they set a 30 second timer for melting or something. If you're looking for it to melt really fast, sure, that's a problem, but... honestly I've used deli deluxe (I don't prefer it to actual deli slices, rather than pre-packaged) and it melts just fine, but not as fast as some others perhaps.

Which, going back to the beginning, makes me wonder if they timed the melting and anything that didn't melt in a short time was given a lower score.

Tillamook cheese. Any kind, but Tillamook is the best

Land O’ Lakes white or yellow American by the pound from the deli section.

Pepper jack or white American! But tbh I’m not picky

Sharp cheddar or Muenster are my favorite currently.

Pepper jack

Used to be American, but lately thinking it is too heavy.

I love cheddar but not on burgers. It tends to melt and just become a cheese layer on the burger.

Prefer a softer cheese like American so it loosens up and slides into the grease pockets of the burger.