Steps to Perfect the Ultimate Flat-Top Burger

There is no end to the variety of scrumptious 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 develops dishes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is also the creator and host of Kenji's Cooking Show on YouTube. This video and article belong to, our series on kitchen fundamentals.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food author and cookbook author, I have actually spent the last twenty years of my career rigorously researching and checking dishes, techniques and widely accepted kitchen knowledge to determine the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually operated numerous hamburger joints and even composed a regular monthly column for Serious Consumes called the Hamburger Laboratory, in which I isolated and evaluated every possible variable that can impact the taste and texture of a hamburger.

Here are the most important ideas I have actually discovered for enhancing your burger experience, whether in the yard or the kitchen. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

New Gourmet Side Fry Methods for the Home

In bread, this can be an advantage, however with hamburgers, overhandling can create an undesirable dense texture. (Integrating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or extra spices, like onions and herbs, also requires you to strain the meat and sidetrack from the beef taste, so skip it.) Salting the exterior 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, but with burgers, you want looseness. A burger needs to be tender, with plenty of pockets for juices and rendered fat to collect.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Browning your patties deeply makes the most of taste. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Whether you're making a big hamburger on the grill or a crisp-edged smash hamburger on a frying pan, browning is flavor, and high heat is essential. For thicker grilled or griddled burgers, wait up until your pan or grill is hot before including the patties, and prepare them up until they're well browned on both sides.

This maximizes taste while maintaining juiciness. Don't let your patties sit around on the cutting board (or even worse, a steam table). Hamburgers are at their finest 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. Diner BurgerCredit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Thick Backyard BurgerCredit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Follow,,, and.

The Complete Guide to Smashed Cooking Perfection

Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI've always been a hamburger enthusiast. 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 ideal day and I might admit that a cheeseburger is my favorite food. Really, I might say that on the majority of days. And you might say the exact same. Even if you do, it's most likely we don't have the exact same concept of what makes the perfect burger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, included some new ones and continued to end the ones I understand people like but I simply. do not. get. Yes, I understand your favorite isn't there. Perhaps we have different taste. Maybe I have not attempted your preferred hamburger. Perhaps I'm out to get you (just joking).

There's one best burg out there for everyone. Let me share with you what makes the perfect burger for me. Let's begin with the patty. Can I say I'm growing a little tired of smashburgers? The best ones miraculously stay juicy with just a hint of flaky char around the edges, but sadly, most locations go too hard on the smash.

When I bite in, I need to see a little shimmer, some glistening from the beef and possibly a little grease diminishing the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I always choose a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty should be seared to help secure the juices, however not too crusty.