Creative Modern Dinner Ideas for Busy Kitchens

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

J. 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 likewise the developer and host of Kenji's Cooking Program on YouTube.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food author and cookbook author, I have actually invested the last twenty years of my profession carefully looking into and testing recipes, techniques and extensively accepted kitchen knowledge to find out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've run numerous burger joints and even composed a monthly column for Serious Eats called the Hamburger Laboratory, in which I isolated and tested every possible variable that can affect the taste and texture of a hamburger.

Here are the most crucial ideas I've found for optimizing your hamburger experience, whether in the backyard or the cooking area. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

How High-Quality Natural Ingredients Elevate Your Burger

In bread, this can be an advantage, however with burgers, overhandling can produce an unwanted thick texture. (Incorporating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional flavoring, like onions and herbs, also requires you to overwork the meat and distract from the beef taste, so avoid it.) Salting the beyond your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Salt breaks down muscle proteins and assists them to connect more easily. This is a great thing in sausages, which must have a company texture, but with hamburgers, you desire looseness. A burger should be tender, with plenty of pockets for juices and rendered fat to collect.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Whether you're making a big hamburger on the grill or a crisp-edged smash burger on a griddle, browning is flavor, and high heat is essential. For thicker grilled or griddled burgers, wait till your pan or grill is hot before including the patties, and cook them up until they're well browned on both sides.

This takes full advantage of taste while preserving juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to eating a lot quicker. Credit ... Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Do not let your patties relax on the cutting board (or worse, a steam table). Burgers are at their best fresh from the fire, before any juices have actually had a chance 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.

Chef-Level Culinary Techniques for Superior Homemade Patties

Updated May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI've always been a hamburger lover. Growing up, I 'd happily 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 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).

Capture me on the ideal day and I might admit that a cheeseburger is my favorite food. Really, I might say that on many days. And you may say the exact same. Even if you do, it's most likely we don't have the exact same idea of what makes the perfect hamburger.

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 however I just. don't. get. Yes, I understand your favorite isn't there. Possibly we have various taste. Possibly I haven't attempted your preferred hamburger. Perhaps I'm out to get you (simply joking).

There's one best burg out there for everyone. Let me show you what makes the best hamburger for me. Let's start with the patty. Can I say I'm growing a little sick of smashburgers? The very best ones miraculously stay juicy with simply a tip of flaky char around the edges, but unfortunately, a lot of places go too tough on the smash.

When I bite in, I need to see a little shimmer, some glistening from the beef and perhaps a little grease running down the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I constantly opt for a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty should be seared to assist lock in the juices, however not too crusty.