Expert Outdoor Grilling Tips

There is no end to the number of tasty hamburgers 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 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 a professional chef, food writer and cookbook author, I have actually invested the last 20 years of my career carefully researching and evaluating dishes, methods and extensively accepted kitchen area wisdom to figure out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually operated several burger joints and even wrote a regular monthly column for Serious Consumes called the Burger Lab, in which I isolated and tested every possible variable that can impact the flavor and texture of a burger.

However that doesn't indicate you can't go for something better. Here are the most essential suggestions I've discovered for enhancing your burger experience, whether in the yard or the cooking area. Working hamburger excessive can cause it to become dense. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

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

Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Salt breaks down muscle proteins and assists them to connect more easily. This is a good thing in sausages, which need to have a firm texture, however with hamburgers, you desire looseness. A hamburger needs to be tender, with a lot of pockets for juices and rendered fat to gather.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

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 hamburgers, wait until your pan or grill is hot before including the patties, and prepare them until they're well browned on both sides.

This optimizes flavor while maintaining juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to eating a lot quicker. Credit ... Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. 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 actually had a chance to drip out.

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

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Updated May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI have actually constantly been a hamburger 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 right day and I might confess that a cheeseburger is my preferred food. Really, I might state that on the majority of days. And you might say the same. But even if you do, it's most likely we don't have the very same idea of what makes the best hamburger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, included some brand-new ones and continued to leave off the ones I know individuals like however I just. Possibly I have not tried your favorite burger. Perhaps I'm out to get you (just joking).

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

When I bite in, I require to see a little shimmer, some sparkling from the beef and perhaps a little grease diminishing the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I constantly opt for a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty needs to be scorched to help secure the juices, but not too crusty.