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Everyone argues about how to make the best burger. Some swear by adding breadcrumbs and eggs. We found it makes them taste like meat loaf. Others smear on or add barbecue sauce. But we found the sauce masks the flavour of the meat, and because some barbecue sauces are very sweet you can end up with sugary burgers.

Others put an ice cube in the middle to make sure the meat does not overcook, or a piece of cheese for a melted centre. Upscale burgers sometimes use short ribs or even foie gras as fillings. DB Bistro in New York originated the $39 hamburger filled with these add-ins. Closer to home, Mark McEwan's Bymark has a beauty.

But what about a regular burger to throw on the grill at home? Well, we did the research. We made many hamburgers searching for the very best and it turned out that the best was the simplest. We found that taste and texture are subjective and that it is the toppings that make or break a great burger.

Eventually it came down to a test between coarsely ground sirloin steak and butcher ground chuck. We seasoned both with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper and put them on the grill. We had many tasters, all my cooking staff and my assistant, my daughter and son-in-law and my husband.

Our Opinion: If you love steak and hamburgers are a distant second choice, the steak taste of the sirloin will be your favourite, but if you are a true hamburger aficionado, the chuck will win.

The sirloin was meaty, but finer textured and not as juicy as the chuck, which has a higher fat content. The chuck texture was more hamburger-like. And when you consider the sirloin costs twice as much as chuck, the latter was the winner.

The best way to jazz up a burger is with condiments and garnishes; keep the seasoning simple. We topped ours with caramelized onions and Quebec Comté cheese. But go ahead and add your favourite veggies, cheeses and mustards.

Here are the burger recipes and lots of homemade toppings to go with them.

Hamburgers

We found some really thin pita-like buns at the supermarket that did not detract from the taste of the meat. It is easier to get the seasoning all through the burger if you first spread the meat out a little.

What you need

2 pounds ground chuck or sirloin steak

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

4 slices Comté or other cheese

4 rolls of choice

What you do

Spread meat into a layer and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Gently gather together and form 4 8-ounce burgers, 1-inch thick (or smaller if desired but not thinner). Fry a small piece to taste for seasoning.

Preheat barbecue to high heat and grill burgers for 9 minutes a side for medium, or until they register 160 F on an instant-read thermometer. (Because we use freshly ground, naturally raised beef, we cooked our burgers for less than the time recommended to kill E. coli.)

Top burgers with Comté cheese for the last minute of cooking to allow it to melt. Place burgers on rolls and serve with your choice of toppings. Serves 4 to 6.

CARAMELIZED ONIONS

You can buy excellent caramelized onions in a jar, but the best ones are homemade. This is the best accompaniment for burgers there is.

What you need

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 large Spanish onion, cut in half and sliced

What you do

Heat oil and butter in a skillet over medium-low heat.

Add onions, sprinkle with salt and sauté, stirring occasionally for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden. Makes about ½ cup caramelized onions.

TOMATO KETCHUP

Our tomato ketchup tastes nothing like the bottled kind. It is a sweet/sour mélange that is great with chicken and better with burgers. Red chilies are hotter than green.

what you need

1 28-ounce (796 ml) can of tomatoes (preferably organic)

1 jalapeno or red chili seeded and chopped, or 1 tablespoon chili flakes

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

2 tablespoons chopped ginger

2 tablespoons fish sauce

¾ cup brown sugar

¾ cup red-wine vinegar

What you do

Purée half of the tomatoes and all their juices with chili, garlic and ginger in a food processor. Dice remaining tomatoes.

Place tomato purée, fish sauce, sugar and vinegar in a deep pot and bring to boil slowly, stirring continuously.

When mixture comes to a boil, lower heat to simmer and add diced tomatoes.

Simmer gently for 30 to 40 minutes or until mixture is dark red and jam-like. Pour into a bowl, cool and refrigerate. Keeps about a month. Makes about 3 cups.

CUCUMBER PICKLES

These pickles only last three weeks or so, but are worth having around.

You can substitute zucchini for the cucumber if you like.

What you need

1½ pounds English or Kirby cucumbers

Kosher salt

Pickling liquid:

2 cups rice or cider vinegar

¼cup sugar

1 teaspoon chopped lemongrass

1 teaspoon pickling spice

1 teaspoon coarse salt

What you do

Place cucumber in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Toss with ice cubes and leave for 1 hour.

Rinse off any remaining salt and drain well. Pack into jars.

Bring rice vinegar, sugar, lemongrass, pickling spice and coarse salt to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Pour over cucumbers. Cover and leave for 24 hours. Makes 1 1-litre jar.

WASABI MUSTARD

what you need

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon wasabi paste

What you do

Combine Dijon mustard and wasabi. Makes 1 tablespoon.

HORSERADISH MUSTARD

What you need

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish

What you do

Combine mustard and horseradish. Makes 2 tablespoons.

lwaverman@globeandmail.com