Top-Rated Savory Dinner Templates for the Season

There is no end to the variety of delicious burgers you can make, however here are 12 that will make your mouth water.

By J. Kenji Lpez-AltJ. Kenji Lpez-Alt writes a column for The New York Times on food and science, and he establishes dishes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is also the developer and host of Kenji's Cooking Program on YouTube. This video and article belong to, our series on kitchen basics.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food writer and cookbook author, I have actually spent the last 2 years of my career carefully investigating and evaluating recipes, techniques and commonly accepted cooking area wisdom to determine the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've run multiple hamburger joints and even composed a regular monthly column for Serious Eats called the Hamburger Lab, in which I isolated and evaluated every possible variable that can impact the flavor and texture of a hamburger.

But that does not indicate you can't go for something much better. Here are the most important suggestions I've found for optimizing your hamburger experience, whether in the backyard or the cooking area. Working ground beef excessive can cause it to end up being thick. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Chef-Level Cooking Techniques for Superior Hand-Pressed Burgers

In bread, this can be a great thing, but with hamburgers, overhandling can develop an unwanted dense texture. (Integrating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional flavoring, like onions and herbs, likewise requires you to exhaust the meat and sidetrack from the beef flavor, so avoid it.) Salting the exterior of your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

This is an excellent thing in sausages, which need to have a firm texture, but with burgers, you want looseness. A hamburger should be tender, with plenty of pockets for juices and rendered fat to gather.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Browning your patties deeply optimizes taste. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Whether you're making a huge hamburger on the grill or a crisp-edged smash burger on a frying pan, browning is taste, and high heat is key. For thicker grilled or griddled burgers, wait until your pan or grill is hot before adding the patties, and cook them up until they're well browned on both sides.

This optimizes flavor while maintaining juiciness. Do not let your patties sit around on the cutting board (or worse, a steam table). Hamburgers are at their best fresh from the fire, before any juices have actually had an opportunity to drip out.

Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Steps to Master the Ideal Griddle Patty

Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI have actually always been a burger enthusiast. Maturing, I 'd happily chomp them down at sit-down restaurants and from the drive-thru getting back from gymnastics practice. I 'd crush the soft bun and let ketchup dribble down the sides over my fingers. If there were any little melty American cheese leavings stuck on the wrapper, I 'd drag my french fries through them (I still do this).

Catch me on the right day and I may admit that a cheeseburger is my preferred food. Even if you do, it's likely we don't have the very same concept of what makes the perfect burger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, included some brand-new ones and continued to end the ones I understand individuals like but I simply. do not. get. Yes, I know your favorite isn't there. Possibly we have various taste. Maybe I have not tried your preferred hamburger. Perhaps I'm out to get you (simply kidding).

There's one ideal burg out there for everybody. Let me show you what makes the best burger for me. Let's begin with the patty. Can I say I'm growing a little exhausted of smashburgers? The best ones unbelievely stay juicy with just a hint of flaky char around the edges, however unfortunately, a lot of places go too difficult on the smash.

When I bite in, I need to see a little sparkle, some shining from the beef and maybe a little grease running down the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I always opt for a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty needs to be seared to assist lock in the juices, but not too crusty.