Hamburgers: More than just goodness on a bun

(CBS News) Spending time at the grill is a hallowed tradition of summer. Lee Cowan brings us the sizzling results . . . :

Consider for a moment, the hamburger -- that spheroid of summer goodness that practically drips red, white and blue.

Just ask restaurateur Danny Meyer. the passionate palate behind the Shake Shack sensation: "It's the most democratic food that America has ever produced, at least for carnivores, because it's kind of there for everybody all the time."

In fact, hamburgers are THE most popular food in the country. On average, most of us down a burger once every 9 days.

Josh Ozersky might have downed a few more than that. He wrote the book on burgers -- one of them, at least -- and is proud to say the U.S. can indeed take credit for inventing an icon.

"Everything about its identity is American," said Ozersky, author of "The Hamburger: A History." "Its birth is American, its evolution is American, its economic life is American, its cultural life is American -- it's almost more American than America itself. I mean, it represents America to the world in a way that George Washington doesn't."

Had the burger been around then, there might have been grease stains on the Constitution. But as it turns out, most put the burger's birth around the late 1800s.

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Countless people claim to have created the very first one. After all, it's not exactly the space shuttle.

"Hamburgers are not that complicated," said Andrew Schnipper, of Schnipper's Quality Kitchen. "It's not rocket science!"

But the Schnipper brothers -- Andrew and Jonathan, burger chefs practically since birth -- admit that simplicity can be a little deceiving.

And there are a lot of variables: the beef-to-bun ratio, whether to but butter on the bun, how coarsely one grinds the meat. "Absolutely! There's so many different styles of burgers out there," said Jonathan.

"There are so many different styles of burger out there," said Andrew. "Everyone wanted to say that they know what the best burger is, but it's a very personal experience. That maybe is why burgers are so popular, because it's so personal to all of us."

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One thing IS certain. From its very inception, the burger was meant to be mobile. "Go and try to eat fried chicken while you're driving, you know what I mean?" laughed Ozersky.

Most credit White Castle as being the first to realize its take-out benefits. Folks like In-N-Out practically made the drive-in a religion.

But it was McDonald's, of course, that made them ubiquitous. Even the hamburger's very ingredients became a national mind-numbing jingle. ("Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun." Remember that?)

Danny Meyer (whose Shake Shack now numbers more than two dozen locations) is one of those helping lead a growing chorus to make the burger better.

He offers a grass fed, hormone- and antibiotic-free alternative, still served with a hint of that drive-up nostalgia we all seem to crave.

As Cowan chowed down on a burger outside a Shake Shake, in New York's Madison Square Park, Meyer said, "This is just basically exchanging a park for a parking lot."

"Well, this is a far better burger than I've ever had sitting in my car, I will say that!" Cowan laughed.

Good food is often about good memories.

With the possible exception of a cold beer, the burger may just be the best food for your mood.

"It just makes me so happy to see that there's this product that, just in an unmitigated way, brings joy to people," Meyer said.

For more info:

• "The Hamburger: A History" by Josh Ozersky (Yale University Press)
• Read an excerpt from Ozersky's book (pdf)
• Schnipper's Quality Kitchen
• White Castle
• In-N-Out Burger
• Shake Shack

More books and recipes:

• "Hamburger America: A State-by-State Guide to 150 Great Burger Joints by George M. Motz (Running Press)
• "Wicked Good Burgers: Fearless Recipes and Uncompromising Techniques for the Ultimate Patty" by Andy Husbands, Chris Hart and Andrea Pyenson (Fair Winds Press); Also available in eBook format
• "Hamburger: A Global History" by Andrew F. Smith (Reaktion Books)
• "Bobby Flay's Burgers, Fries, and Shakes" by Bobby Flay Bobby Flay, Stephanie Banyas and Sally Jackson (Random House); Also available as an eBook
• Read an excerpt from Flay's book