I became obsessed with the Maillard reaction on mushrooms after discovering that they contain extraordinarily high levels of free glutamate — essentially natural MSG. When you sear them in a smoking hot pan with a touch of butter, the amino acids and sugars react to produce over 600 distinct flavor compounds. Pair that with Swiss cheese (whose Gruyère variant undergoes proteolysis during aging to produce intense umami peptides) and you've created what I can only describe as an umami thermonuclear device. The science is fascinating. The taste is transcendent.

Listen to me. Put the bloody grill down and get yourself a cast iron pan. A PROPER smash burger is about one thing: the Maillard reaction. You take a ball of good-quality beef, 80/20, don't you dare use lean mince, and you SMASH it flat on a screaming hot surface. I mean FLAT. You want those lacy, crispy edges that shatter when you bite into them. Then American cheese on top, lid on, thirty seconds. If you're using fancy artisan cheese on a smash burger, you've already lost the plot. This is street food done right.