Hamburgers are a major staple of virtually every backyard cookout. Not only are they the quintessential summertime party food, you'll be hard-pressed to find a guest who doesn't like some form of burger. And they're easy, which makes burgers a great choice for a pontoon boat outing as well.

If you and your guests are a straight-up ketchup-and-pickles crowd, that's great. Burgers are delicious the old-fashioned way. But if you're looking to spice things up a bit, you might want to consider a "Build Your Own Burger" Buffet. All it takes are a few extra ingredients — and a little creativity.

“Travel the World” Buffet:

Mediterranean Burger: Top with roasted bell peppers, feta cheese and kalamata olives.

Italian Burger: Top with provolone cheese and pizza sauce.

German Burger: Top with Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard.

French Burger: Press fresh-cracked peppercorns into ground beef before grilling. Afterward, top with blue cheese, carmelized onions and steak sauce.

Mexican Burger: Sprinkle ground beef with taco seasoning before grilling. Afterward, top with queso fresco (a crumbly, soft Mexican cheese), mild green chilis, salsa and sour cream.

Asian Burger: Brush with teriyaki sauce and top with pickled ginger, shredded cabbage and wasabi mayonnaise.

American Burger: Top with lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup and mustard. To go California-style, replace the ketchup and mustard with mayonnaise, and add avocado slices.

Tips:

• Prepackaged hamburger patties will work just fine in your burger buffet. If you do choose to make your own patties, however, prepare them in advance. You won't want to be manhandling ground beef once you're on the boat. And be sure to form each patty gently; you want the air pockets, because they trap and hold savory juices.
• Other advance tasks: Roast the bell peppers for the Mediterranean Burger and carmelize the onions for the French Burger at home. Keep some raw onions for the American Burger.
• You can find superb canned fire-roasted green chilis in the grocery store. Look in the ethnic foods section, with the Mexican food items.

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