Ali Khan Isn't Impressed By This Wagyu Burger With Flamin' Hot Cheetos

What is it with Flamin' Hot Cheetos being everywhere? Granted, the cheese dust-covered crunchy snack is a godsend, but does that warrant it being added to every food item? From Burger King's "dangerously cheesy" orange-colored Mac n' Cheetos to fries, pizzas, and salads all being topped with Cheetos, Thrillist reports that the Flamin' Hot Cheetos is a particularly popular food trend in Los Angeles. Or so it was, in 2016. The Kitchn even points out that the Cheeto trend got so out of hand that two restaurants — The Spotted Cheetah in New York and Flamin' Hot Spot in Los Angeles — opened with menus that spotlighted the glorious Flamin' Hot Cheeto.

This may all have been news from a few years ago but the Flamin' Hot Cheeto obsession hasn't quite died down just yet. One of the people to jump on the everything-Cheeto trend is Craig Tabor, who is a chef the CEO of Playing with Fire BBQ Emporium. Tabor put up a picture of a Wagyu Burger with Flamin' Hot Cheetos on both his Twitter and Instagram accounts, introducing everyone to the creation: "And here we are. A triple Wagyu smash burger with American cheese, truff spicy mayo, and Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Can't skimp on a toasted bun either." It caught the eye of a food celebrity, who weighed in.

Craig Tabor made this triple Wagyu Flamin' Hot Cheetos burger with ground Wagyu beef, spicy mayo sauce, the black gold brisket rub from Texas Oil Dust, Cheddar Cheese, and Flamin' Hot Cheetos of course (via Instagram). Whilst showing off his latest creation to his followers who generally had good things to say about the burger, his sandwich had a noteworthy critic.

Ali Khan, the host of Food Network's "Spring Baking Championship," is a pretty ardent fan of burgers and frequently tastes, tests, and writes about them on his blog. Perhaps surprisingly, the burger enthusiast wasn't a huge fan of Tabor's idea to stuff a Wagyu burger with Cheetos. Khan retweeted the chef's picture, writing, "I'd take this and pick out the Cheetos. There's a time and place for all things."

Naturally, Tabor came out in defense of the burger and replied saying that Khan would be missing out on the crunchy texture that the Flamin's Hot Cheetos add to the Wagyu burger. To this, Khan offered an alternative: "Sub pickles. Add side of tater tots and sprinkle Cheetos crumbles over said tots."