Optimal Heat Management for Savory Grilled Burgers

There is no end to the variety of scrumptious burgers you can make, but 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 Show on YouTube.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food writer and cookbook author, I've spent the last twenty years of my profession carefully investigating and testing recipes, strategies and commonly accepted kitchen wisdom to figure out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've operated several burger joints and even wrote a month-to-month column for Serious Eats called the Burger Lab, in which I isolated and tested every possible variable that can affect the flavor and texture of a burger.

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

Selecting High-Quality Beef for Tasty Burgers

In bread, this can be an excellent thing, however with burgers, overhandling can develop an unwanted thick texture. (Including extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or extra seasoning, like onions and herbs, likewise forces you to strain 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 helps them to connect up more easily. This is a good thing in sausages, which need to have a company texture, but with hamburgers, you desire looseness. A burger must 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 Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Whether you're making a huge hamburger 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 burgers, wait up until your pan or grill is hot before including the patties, and cook them till they're well browned on both sides.

This makes the most of flavor while keeping juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to consuming so much quicker. Credit ... Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Do not let your patties relax on the cutting board (or even worse, a steam table). Burgers are at their finest fresh from the fire, before any juices have actually had an opportunity to drip out.

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

New High-End Side Fry Methods for the Home

Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI've constantly been a hamburger lover. Maturing, I 'd happily munch them down at sit-down restaurants and from the drive-thru coming home 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 ideal day and I might confess that a cheeseburger is my preferred food. Even if you do, it's likely we do not have the exact same concept of what makes the best hamburger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, added some brand-new ones and continued to leave off the ones I understand people like however I simply. don't. get. Yes, I know your favorite isn't there. Possibly we have different taste. Possibly I have not tried your preferred burger. Possibly 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 sparkle, some sparkling from the beef and maybe 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 scorched to assist lock in the juices, but not too crusty.