Mini Cheeseburger Sliders

Make patties thin - they'll puff up when cooking. The smash technique works great for sliders - form into balls and smash on hot griddle for maximum crust. American cheese is traditional and melts perfectly. Hawaiian sweet rolls add a touch of sweetness that complements the savory beef.

The slider — a small, single-serving hamburger on a soft bun — originated at White Castle, the American fast-food chain founded by Billy Ingram and Walter Anderson in Wichita, Kansas in 1921. White Castle's small, square patties cooked on a bed of onions and served on soft steamed buns became the defining format; the term "slider" itself is of disputed etymology, with some attributing it to the ease with which the small burgers "slide down," and others to United States Navy slang for small burgers served aboard ships during World War II. White Castle's hamburgers were among the first commercially successful fast-food burgers in the United States, operating on the principle that small size meant quick cooking and affordable pricing. The term and format were subsequently adopted by upscale restaurants beginning in the 1990s and early 2000s as part of the American "elevated comfort food" movement, which applied fine-dining attention to beloved casual preparations. The addition of cheese — turning a hamburger into a cheeseburger — became standard almost from the beginning of American hamburger culture; the first documented cheeseburger is attributed to Lionel Sternberger who is said to have placed a slice of American cheese on a hamburger at his father's Pasadena, California drive-in restaurant around 1924–1926.