Expert Outdoor Grilling Tips for 2026

There is no end to the variety of delicious 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 develops 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 profession rigorously researching and checking recipes, methods and extensively accepted cooking area knowledge to find out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've operated multiple hamburger joints and even composed a month-to-month column for Serious Consumes called the Burger Laboratory, in which I separated and evaluated every possible variable that can impact the flavor and texture of a burger.

Here are the most essential ideas I've found for optimizing your hamburger experience, whether in the yard or the kitchen area. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

How to Make Perfect Golden Fries

In bread, this can be an excellent thing, but with hamburgers, overhandling can produce an undesirable dense texture. (Including extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or extra flavoring, like onions and herbs, likewise forces you to exhaust the meat and distract from the beef flavor, so avoid it.) Salting the beyond your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

This is a great thing in sausages, which should have a firm texture, but with burgers, you want looseness. A hamburger should be tender, with plenty of pockets for juices and rendered fat to collect.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Browning your patties deeply takes full advantage of 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 burger on a frying pan, browning is taste, and high heat is crucial. For thicker grilled or griddled hamburgers, wait until your pan or grill is hot before adding the patties, and cook them till they're well browned on both sides.

This takes full advantage of flavor while maintaining juiciness. Do not let your patties sit around on the cutting board (or even worse, a steam table). Burgers are at their finest fresh from the fire, before any juices have had an opportunity to leak 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 Backyard BurgerCredit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Follow,,, and.

How to Perfect the Ideal Griddle Patty

Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI've constantly been a hamburger lover. 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 may admit that a cheeseburger is my favorite food. Even if you do, it's most likely we don't have the very same concept of what makes the ideal hamburger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, included some new ones and continued to leave off the ones I understand individuals like however I simply. Perhaps I haven't tried your preferred burger. Possibly I'm out to get you (simply kidding).

There's one ideal burg out there for everyone. Let me show you what makes the best burger for me. Let's start with the patty. Can I say I'm growing a little sick of smashburgers? The best ones amazingly remain juicy with just a hint of flaky char around the edges, however unfortunately, a lot of locations go too tough on the smash.

When I bite in, I need to see a little shimmer, some sparkling from the beef and possibly a little grease running down the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I always go with a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty needs to be burnt to help lock in the juices, however not too crusty.