Mastering Professional Flat-Top Styles in the Home

There is no end to the variety of scrumptious hamburgers 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 recipes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is also the creator and host of Kenji's Cooking Program on YouTube.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food author and cookbook author, I've invested the last twenty years of my career carefully investigating and checking recipes, techniques and extensively accepted kitchen knowledge to figure out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually operated numerous burger joints and even composed a regular monthly column for Serious Eats called the Burger Laboratory, in which I separated and evaluated every possible variable that can affect the taste and texture of a burger.

Here are the most crucial ideas I have actually found for optimizing your hamburger experience, whether in the yard or the kitchen. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

The Ultimate Guide to Flat-Top Grilling Perfection

In bread, this can be a good thing, but with hamburgers, overhandling can develop an unwanted thick texture. (Integrating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or extra spices, like onions and herbs, likewise forces you to overwork the meat and sidetrack from the beef flavor, so skip it.) Salting the exterior of your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

This is a good thing in sausages, which ought to have a firm texture, but with hamburgers, you desire looseness. A hamburger must be tender, with plenty of pockets for juices and rendered fat to collect.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Browning your patties deeply maximizes taste. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City 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 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 preserving juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to eating a lot 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). Burgers are at their finest fresh from the fire, before any juices have had an opportunity to drip out.

Smash BurgersCredit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Diner 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.

Elite Savory Burger Recipes for 2026

Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI have actually constantly been a hamburger fan. Maturing, I 'd happily munch them down at sit-down dining establishments and from the drive-thru coming home 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 best day and I might admit that a cheeseburger is my favorite food. In fact, I might say that on the majority of days. And you may say the same. However even if you do, it's most likely we do not have the very same idea of what makes the perfect burger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, added some brand-new ones and continued to leave off the ones I understand individuals like however I just. Maybe I have not attempted your preferred hamburger. Perhaps I'm out to get you (just joking).

There's one ideal burg out there for everybody. Let me share with you what makes the best hamburger for me. Let's start with the patty. Can I state I'm growing a little sick of smashburgers? The very best ones miraculously remain juicy with just a hint of flaky char around the edges, however sadly, most locations go too hard on the smash.

When I bite in, I require to see a little sparkle, some sparkling from the beef and perhaps a little grease running down 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 burnt to help secure the juices, but not too crusty.