Expert Outdoor Grilling Hacks

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

By J. Kenji Lpez-AltJ. Kenji Lpez-Alt writes a column for The New york city Times on food and science, and he establishes 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 become part of, our series on kitchen area principles.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food writer and cookbook author, I've invested the last two years of my career carefully looking into and checking recipes, methods and commonly accepted cooking area knowledge to figure out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually operated several burger joints and even composed a regular monthly column for Serious Eats called the Hamburger Lab, in which I isolated and tested every possible variable that can impact the flavor and texture of a hamburger.

But that doesn't indicate you can't intend for something much better. Here are the most essential ideas I have actually discovered for optimizing your burger experience, whether in the yard or the cooking area. Working ground beef excessive can cause it to become thick. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Choosing the Best Meats for Tasty Burgers

In bread, this can be a good thing, but with hamburgers, overhandling can create an unwanted thick texture. (Integrating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional flavoring, 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.

This is a good thing in sausages, which must have a company texture, but with burgers, you want looseness. A hamburger needs to be tender, with plenty of pockets for juices and rendered fat to gather.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Whether you're making a big burger on the grill or a crisp-edged smash burger on a griddle, browning is flavor, and high heat is key. 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 takes full advantage of flavor while preserving juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to eating a lot faster. Credit ... Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Do not let your patties relax on the cutting board (or even worse, a steam table). Burgers are at their finest fresh from the fire, before any juices have actually had an opportunity to leak out.

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

How to Make Perfect 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 most likely we do not have the exact same concept of what makes the ideal hamburger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, added some new ones and continued to leave off the ones I know individuals like however I simply. do not. get. Yes, I understand your favorite isn't there. Maybe we have various taste. Maybe I haven't attempted your favorite burger. Possibly I'm out to get you (just kidding).

Let me share with you what makes the perfect burger for me. Let's begin with the patty.

When I bite in, I require to see a little shimmer, some shining from the beef and maybe a little grease running down the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I constantly choose a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty must be burnt to help lock in the juices, but not too crusty.