Advanced Culinary Techniques for Superior Hand-Pressed Burgers

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

J. Kenji Lpez-Alt composes a column for The New York Times on food and science, and he develops dishes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is also the developer and host of Kenji's Cooking Program on YouTube.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food author and cookbook author, I've invested the last twenty years of my profession carefully investigating and evaluating dishes, techniques and widely accepted kitchen knowledge to figure out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually operated several burger joints and even composed a monthly column for Serious Consumes called the Burger Laboratory, in which I separated and checked every possible variable that can impact the flavor and texture of a burger.

That doesn't suggest you can't intend for something better. Here are the most essential ideas I have actually found for enhancing your burger experience, whether in the yard or the cooking area. Working hamburger excessive can trigger it to become dense. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

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In bread, this can be a good thing, however with burgers, overhandling can create an undesirable thick texture. (Integrating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional flavoring, like onions and herbs, also forces you to overwork the meat and distract from the beef flavor, so skip it.) Salting the outside of your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Salt breaks down muscle proteins and assists them to link more easily. This is an advantage in sausages, which should have a company texture, however with hamburgers, you desire looseness. A hamburger must be tender, with lots of pockets for juices and rendered fat to collect.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Whether you're making a big burger on the grill or a crisp-edged smash hamburger on a griddle, browning is taste, and high heat is key. For thicker grilled or griddled hamburgers, wait until your pan or grill is hot before adding the patties, and prepare them until they're well browned on both sides.

This makes the most of taste while keeping juiciness. Don't let your patties sit around on the cutting board (or even worse, a steam table). Hamburgers are at their best fresh from the fire, before any juices have actually had a possibility to leak out.

Smash BurgersCredit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Restaurant BurgerCredit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Thick Backyard BurgerCredit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Follow,,, and.

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Updated May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI have actually always been a burger enthusiast. Maturing, I 'd gladly munch them down at sit-down dining establishments 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 favorite food. Even if you do, it's likely we don't have the very same concept of what makes the perfect hamburger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, included some brand-new ones and continued to leave off the ones I understand people like but I just. don't. get. Yes, I understand your favorite isn't there. Maybe we have various taste. Possibly I haven't attempted your favorite hamburger yet. Perhaps I'm out to get you (simply kidding).

Let me share with you what makes the perfect burger for me. Let's start with the patty.

When I bite in, I need to see a little shimmer, some glistening from the beef and maybe a little grease diminishing the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I constantly opt for a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty needs to be scorched to help lock in the juices, however not too crusty.