A Complete Guide to Flat-Top Cooking Success

There is no end to the variety of tasty 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 develops 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 author and cookbook author, I've spent the last twenty years of my profession rigorously researching and testing recipes, methods and commonly accepted kitchen area wisdom to determine the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've operated several hamburger joints and even wrote a monthly column for Serious Eats called the Hamburger Lab, in which I separated and evaluated every possible variable that can impact the taste and texture of a burger.

That does not mean you can't intend for something better. Here are the most important suggestions I have actually discovered for optimizing your hamburger experience, whether in the yard or the kitchen area. Working hamburger excessive can trigger it to end up being dense. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

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In bread, this can be an advantage, but with burgers, overhandling can develop an undesirable dense texture. (Incorporating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or extra spices, like onions and herbs, also forces you to exhaust the meat and distract from the beef flavor, so avoid it.) Salting the outside of your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Salt breaks down muscle proteins and helps them to link up more easily. This is an advantage in sausages, which must have a company 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 flavor. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York 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 taste, and high heat is crucial. For thicker grilled or griddled burgers, wait up until your pan or grill is hot before adding the patties, and prepare them till they're well browned on both sides.

This makes the most of flavor while keeping juiciness. Do not let your patties sit around on the cutting board (or even worse, a steam table). Burgers are at their best fresh from the fire, before any juices have had a chance to leak out.

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

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Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI have actually constantly been a burger enthusiast. 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 preferred food. Really, I might state that on the majority of days. And you might state the same. Even if you do, it's likely we do not have the same idea of what makes the best burger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, included some new ones and continued to leave off the ones I know people like but I simply. do not. get. Yes, I understand your favorite isn't there. Possibly we have different taste. Maybe I have not attempted your preferred burger. Possibly I'm out to get you (simply joking).

There's one perfect burg out there for everyone. Let me share with you what makes the perfect hamburger for me. Let's start with the patty. Can I state I'm growing a little exhausted of smashburgers? The best ones unbelievely stay juicy with simply a hint of flaky char around the edges, but sadly, the majority of places go too tough on the smash.

When I bite in, I need to see a little sparkle, some sparkling from the beef and maybe a little grease running down the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I always choose a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty must be seared to assist lock in the juices, but not too crusty.