Optimal Heat Control for Savory Grilled Patties

There is no end to the variety of delicious 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 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 spent the last twenty years of my career carefully investigating and checking dishes, techniques and extensively accepted cooking area knowledge to find out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually run several hamburger joints and even wrote a monthly column for Serious Consumes called the Hamburger Laboratory, in which I separated and tested every possible variable that can impact the taste and texture of a hamburger.

Here are the most essential suggestions I've found for enhancing your burger experience, whether in the yard or the cooking area. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Using Professional Griddle Styles in the Home

In bread, this can be a good idea, however with hamburgers, overhandling can create an unwanted thick texture. (Integrating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional spices, like onions and herbs, also requires you to strain the meat and sidetrack from the beef flavor, so avoid it.) Salting the beyond your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

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

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Browning your patties deeply optimizes 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 griddle, browning is flavor, and high heat is crucial. For thicker grilled or griddled hamburgers, wait up until your pan or grill is hot before adding the patties, and cook them till they're well browned on both sides.

This optimizes taste while maintaining juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to consuming a lot quicker. Credit ... Bryan Gardner for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Don't let your patties relax 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 drip out.

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

Steps for Crispy Golden Fries

Updated May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI've constantly been a hamburger fan. 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 may confess that a cheeseburger is my favorite food. Even if you do, it's likely we don't have the same idea of what makes the best hamburger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, included some new ones and continued to end the ones I know people like but I simply. don't. get. Yes, I understand your favorite isn't there. Possibly we have various taste. Perhaps I have not tried your preferred burger. Possibly I'm out to get you (simply joking).

There's one ideal burg out there for everyone. Let me show you what makes the best hamburger for me. Let's start with the patty. Can I state I'm growing a little exhausted of smashburgers? The very best ones unbelievely stay juicy with just a tip of flaky char around the edges, however unfortunately, most locations go too hard on the smash.

When I bite in, I need to see a little sparkle, some sparkling from the beef and possibly a little grease diminishing the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I constantly choose a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty should be burnt to help secure the juices, but not too crusty.