So, the plain hamburger lets you pick and choose. Another explanation for the plain hamburger is that it might be a good option for those who just want the taste of beef without extra distractions.

On a trip to Austin, I ordered every burger at In-N-Out, a Californian fast-food chain famous for its well-priced burgers. Harry and Esther Snyder opened their first In-N-Out burger stand in 1948 ...

The parameters of the test were simple, order one hamburger from each establishment — no special requests — and rank them based on taste, size, temperature, price and overall satisfaction.

Having spent about two-thirds of my life around a barbecue grill I decided to see how the two most popular nonmeat burgers would cook up and taste alongside regular 80 percent lean hamburger meat.