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There is no end to the number of scrumptious 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 likewise the creator and host of Kenji's Cooking Program on YouTube.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs a professional chef, food writer and cookbook author, I have actually spent the last 2 decades of my career rigorously researching and evaluating dishes, techniques and extensively accepted kitchen area knowledge to figure out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually run multiple hamburger joints and even wrote a regular monthly column for Serious Eats called the Hamburger Lab, in which I separated and checked every possible variable that can impact the taste and texture of a burger.

That doesn't imply 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 backyard or the kitchen. Working ground beef too much can trigger it to become dense. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

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In bread, this can be a good idea, but with burgers, overhandling can develop an undesirable dense texture. (Integrating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional spices, like onions and herbs, likewise requires you to overwork 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 must have a firm texture, however with hamburgers, you desire 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 takes full advantage of taste. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Whether you're making a huge burger on the grill or a crisp-edged smash burger on a griddle, browning is flavor, 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 till they're well browned on both sides.

This optimizes flavor while maintaining juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to consuming so much faster. Credit ... Bryan Gardner for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Don't let your patties sit around on the cutting board (or worse, a steam table). Hamburgers are at their finest fresh from the fire, before any juices have actually had a possibility to drip out.

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

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Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI've constantly been a hamburger enthusiast. Growing up, I 'd gladly munch them down at sit-down dining establishments and from the drive-thru getting home from gymnastics practice. I 'd crush the soft bun and let catsup 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).

Capture me on the best day and I may admit that a cheeseburger is my preferred food. Actually, I may state that on many days. And you might say the very same. But even if you do, it's most 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 know people like but I simply. Possibly I haven't tried your favorite burger. Possibly I'm out to get you (simply kidding).

There's one ideal burg out there for everyone. Let me show you what makes the ideal hamburger for me. Let's begin with the patty. Can I state I'm growing a little sick of smashburgers? The best ones astonishingly stay juicy with just a tip of flaky char around the edges, however sadly, the majority of locations go too hard on the smash.

When I bite in, I need to see a little sparkle, some sparkling from the beef and possibly 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 should be scorched to assist secure the juices, however not too crusty.