MEAT MARKET

Which airlines serve the best burgers in the air—and how do they do it?

- STORY BY JAMES LAROUNIS

THE BURGER HAS become an unlikely star in the skies. Once the domain of fast-food joints, it now appears in the premium cabins of airlines such as Delta, United, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific. But at 35,000 feet, pulling off a great burger is more complicated than it looks.

“It's very difficult,” says chef Molly Brandt, executive innovation chef for North America at Gate Gourmet, the world's largest airline catering company. "Would you ever buy a cheeseburger, refrigerate it, and then reheat the whole thing in your oven at home? It's not impossible—but it's certainly not the best way to enjoy one.”

Brandt, a Top Chef alum who now helps develop menus for global carriers, points out that burgers pose unique challenges in-flight. “When you heat the patty and bun together, the bun might get crunchy and overdone, while the patty is just barely warm—or vice versa,” she says. “Neither result is what you want.”