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There is no end to the number of scrumptious hamburgers you can make, however here are 12 that will make your mouth water.

By J. Kenji Lpez-AltJ. Kenji Lpez-Alt composes a column for The New york city Times on food and science, and he develops recipes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is likewise the developer and host of Kenji's Cooking Program on YouTube. This video and short article belong to, our series on kitchen area basics.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food author and cookbook author, I've invested the last 2 years of my profession rigorously researching and testing dishes, strategies and commonly accepted kitchen area wisdom to figure out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've run multiple hamburger joints and even wrote a monthly column for Serious Consumes called the Burger Laboratory, in which I isolated and tested every possible variable that can affect the flavor and texture of a burger.

Here are the most important pointers I have actually found for optimizing your burger experience, whether in the backyard or the cooking area. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

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In bread, this can be an advantage, but with burgers, overhandling can produce an unwanted dense texture. (Incorporating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or extra flavoring, like onions and herbs, likewise forces you to overwork the meat and distract from the beef flavor, so avoid it.) Salting the beyond your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

This is a great thing in sausages, which must have a firm texture, however with burgers, you want looseness. A burger ought to be tender, with plenty of pockets for juices and rendered fat to collect.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Browning your patties deeply takes full advantage of flavor. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. 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 crucial. 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. Don't 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 a chance to drip out.

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

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Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI have actually always been a hamburger fan. Growing up, I 'd gladly chomp them down at sit-down dining establishments and from the drive-thru getting back from gymnastics practice. I 'd squish 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).

Catch me on the best day and I might admit that a cheeseburger is my favorite food. Even if you do, it's likely we do not have the exact same concept of what makes the ideal 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 however I simply. Perhaps I have not attempted your preferred burger. Perhaps I'm out to get you (simply joking).

There's one perfect burg out there for everyone. Let me share with you what makes the perfect hamburger for me. Let's start with the patty. Can I state I'm growing a little fed up with smashburgers? The very best ones astonishingly remain juicy with simply a hint of flaky char around the edges, however sadly, the majority of locations go too difficult on the smash.

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