National Cheeseburger Day is September 18th, so have fun with it.

Instead of your personal standard, branch out and make your CB special. You can do it by using a different:

 
For inspiration in these areas (you might call it food porn), check out CheeseAndBurger.com.
 
But today’s tip is the easiest of all: Think outside the bun.

So many different types of bread—plain or toasted—are waiting to cradle your burger.

SUBSTITUTES FOR HAMBURGER BUNS

What should you use instead of a hamburger bun? The easiest answer:

Walk down the bread isle of your market and see what speaks to you. You’ll find more than enough yummy choices to re-envision your burger.

 
 
IF YOU WANT TO USE A DIFFERENT CHEESE…

We second that motion! But don’t make an obvious switch among American, Cheddar and Swiss slices. Consider:

 
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*It’s a personal thing, but we love stinky cheeses, both in general and in the way they complement the grilled, beefy aroma and taste of the burger. The aroma is not necessarily representative of the cheese. But the cheese is specifically crafted to create those earthy scents.

†Munster d’Alsace, also called Alsatian munster and French munster (optional spelling muenster), has nothing in common with bland American munster, except that they are both cheeses.
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[1] A baguette cheeseburger (photo courtesy Ian Warf | Pinterest). [2] In France, McDonald’s serves the McBaguette (photo McDonalds). [3] Try a hard roll, and don’t be afraid to go rectangular instead of round (photo courtesy Telepizza.de). [4] We love a burger on toasted sourdough bread (photo courtesy Omaha Steaks) [5] Pita: a natural pocket for your burger (photo courtesy Droolworthy Daily). [6] A natural: the English muffin burger (photo courtesy Thomas Breads).

 
Thanks to Crawford Ker of Ker’s Winghouse for these tips.
  

[1] Remove the frozen steak from the freezer (photo courtesy Mart2Go). [2] Place it in a hot pan (photo courtesy Good Eggs). [3] In 20 minutes, plate and enjoy (photo courtesy Eddie Merlot’s). [4] We use a mesh spatter screen, but we just ordered this folding spatter screen from Norpro.

Want a steak but you haven’t defrosted it yet?

No problem. Your steak will be ready in less than 30 minutes with this technique developed by Dan Souza of Cook’s Illustrated (thanks to Good Eggs for sending their adaptation to us).

Dan experimented by cutting strip steaks in half, freezing both halves, then defrosting one half before cooking.

He cooked both the thawed and frozen halves exactly the same way, and found that the frozen steak lost less moisture, cooked more evenly, and tasted better than the thawed half!

The steak needs to be frozen properly, since any extra moisture or ice will cause a flare-up when it hits the hot oil. Here’s Dan’s freezing technique:

HOW TO FREEZE A STEAK

 
RECIPE: COOKING A FROZEN STEAK

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 275°F. Set a wire rack atop a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.

2. DRIZZLE 1/8″ oil into a cast iron pan—just enough to coat the bottom. Place the skillet over high heat. When the pan is smoking hot, gently lay the steak onto the pan and sear both sides until browned, 90-120 seconds per side. NOTE: Frozen steak splatters more.

3. TRANSFER the steak onto the wire rack and place in the oven. Cook until the steak is the desired doneness: 18 to 20 minutes for a 1-inch-thick steak to be medium rare (an internal temperature of 125°F on a meat thermometer).

4. COOK the veggies or prepare the salad while the steak cooks.

5. REST the steak for at least 3 minutes before slicing. This allows the juices to settle in the meat, instead of pouring out when sliced.

Here’s a video of Dan’s preparation.
 
 
THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF STEAK

How many different types of steak have you had?

Check out our meaty Glossary Of Beef Types.

Something fun and yummy in the chocolate space is finally available in the U.S.

Merci, sold in Europe for some 50 years, is a brand of boxed chocolates manufactured by the German company August Storck KG.

They are miniature bars, in an assortment of flavors made with fine ingredients, nicely packaged in a gift box.

The delicious selection of rich European-style chocolates includes flavors such as Coffee and Cream, Cream Truffle, Dark Cream, Dark Mousse, Hazelnut-Almond, Hazelnut-Creme, Milk Chocolate and Praline-Creme, and merci will delight the palate.

Each flavor has its own individual color wrap, to distinguish it from the other flavors in the box.

The idea for merci was born in 1965, as an affordable yet impressive way to say “thank you” (which incorporates “thank you for being you”). Its popularity spread, and Merci is now sold in 100 countries.

Choices include:

 
The 20-piece box, with 8.8-ounces of chocolate, can be found for $7.50 (or more, depending on the retailer). You can purchase two boxes with free shipping for $21.90 on Amazon.

In addition to Amazon, the chocolates are sold at CVS, Target, Walgreens and other chains and grocery stores nationwide.

Can you give a box to yourself?

No one’s going to stop you!
 
MERCI WITH COFFEE

In Europe, after-dinner coffee is often served with a napolitain, also called a pale or tasting square, just 5 to 10 grams. One or two of these small wrapped pieces are placed on the rim off the coffee cup.

While Merci wrapped chocolates are stackable anytime, we enjoy serving them to guests with coffee. They easily can substitute for dessert, too.
 
 
ABOUT STORCK

[1] You can serve Merci from the box or in your favorite candy dish. [2] Merci’s dark chocolate collection (both photos courtesy Merci | Storck). [3] Instead of two napolitains with after-dinner coffee, serve one Merci bar (photo courtesy Sandstein | Wikipedia).

Its brands are sold worldwide. Best-known in the U.S. are Werther’s Original caramels and toffee (the difference), and Bendicks Buttermints, chocolate-covered after-dinner mints.

For more information visit Storck.us.