The Complete Guide to Smashed Grilling Perfection

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

By J. Kenji Lpez-AltJ. Kenji Lpez-Alt composes a column for The New York 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 Show on YouTube. This video and short article are part of, our series on kitchen area basics.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs a professional chef, food author and cookbook author, I've spent the last 20 years of my profession carefully investigating and checking recipes, strategies and commonly accepted cooking area wisdom to determine the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually run numerous hamburger joints and even wrote a regular monthly column for Serious Eats called the Burger Lab, in which I isolated and evaluated every possible variable that can impact the taste and texture of a hamburger.

But that doesn't indicate you can't intend for something much better. Here are the most important pointers I've found for optimizing your hamburger experience, whether in the backyard or the kitchen area. Working hamburger too much can cause it to end up being dense. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

A Ultimate Guide to Smashed Cooking Success

In bread, this can be a great thing, however with burgers, overhandling can create an undesirable dense texture. (Incorporating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or extra seasoning, like onions and herbs, also requires you to strain the meat and sidetrack from the beef flavor, so avoid it.) Salting the exterior of your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Salt breaks down muscle proteins and helps them to link more quickly. This is a good idea in sausages, which ought to have a firm texture, but with burgers, you want looseness. A hamburger needs to hurt, with lots 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 frying pan, browning is flavor, and high heat is essential. For thicker grilled or griddled hamburgers, wait until your pan or grill is hot before adding the patties, and cook them until they're well browned on both sides.

This maximizes flavor while maintaining juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to eating so much quicker. Credit ... Bryan Gardner for The New York 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 best fresh from the fire, before any juices have had a chance to drip out.

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

Advanced Culinary Techniques for Juicier Hand-Pressed Burgers

Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI have actually constantly been a burger fan. Maturing, I 'd gladly munch 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 right day and I might admit that a cheeseburger is my preferred food. Actually, I may say that on most days. And you may state the same. Even if you do, it's likely we don't have the exact same concept of what makes the best hamburger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, added some new ones and continued to leave off the ones I know people like but I just. Perhaps I have not attempted your preferred burger. Perhaps I'm out to get you (simply joking).

Let me share with you what makes the best hamburger for me. Let's start with the patty.

When I bite in, I require to see a little sparkle, some shining from the beef and possibly a little grease running down the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I always opt for a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty must be scorched to help secure the juices, however not too crusty.