Optimal Heat Management for Better Seared Burgers

There is no end to the number of scrumptious burgers 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 develops dishes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is also the developer and host of Kenji's Cooking Show on YouTube. This video and post become part of, our series on kitchen area principles.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food author and cookbook author, I have actually spent the last twenty years of my profession rigorously investigating and checking recipes, strategies and extensively accepted cooking area wisdom to find out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually operated numerous hamburger joints and even wrote a regular monthly column for Serious Eats called the Hamburger Lab, in which I isolated and evaluated every possible variable that can impact the taste and texture of a hamburger.

That does not mean you can't intend for something better. Here are the most essential suggestions I've found for enhancing your burger experience, whether in the yard or the cooking area. Working ground beef excessive can trigger it to end up being dense. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Steps to Master the Ultimate Flat-Top Burger

In bread, this can be an excellent thing, but with hamburgers, overhandling can produce an unwanted thick texture. (Including extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional spices, like onions and herbs, also requires 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 an excellent thing in sausages, which should have a firm texture, however with burgers, you want looseness. A hamburger ought to 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 huge burger on the grill or a crisp-edged smash hamburger on a griddle, browning is flavor, and high heat is essential. For thicker grilled or griddled burgers, wait till your pan or grill is hot before including the patties, and prepare them till they're well browned on both sides.

This optimizes taste while keeping juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to consuming so much quicker. Credit ... Bryan Gardner for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Do not let your patties relax on the cutting board (or worse, a steam table). Burgers are at their best fresh from the fire, before any juices have had a possibility to leak out.

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

Preparing Restaurant-Quality Side Fries in Modern Home

Updated May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI've always been a burger fan. Maturing, I 'd happily chomp 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).

Capture me on the ideal day and I might admit that a cheeseburger is my preferred food. Really, I might say that on most 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 ideal hamburger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, added some brand-new ones and continued to leave off the ones I understand people like however I just. Possibly I haven't tried your preferred hamburger. Maybe I'm out to get you (just kidding).

There's one perfect burg out there for everybody. Let me show you what makes the best hamburger for me. Let's begin with the patty. Can I state I'm growing a little worn out of smashburgers? The very best ones astonishingly stay juicy with just a tip of flaky char around the edges, however unfortunately, a lot of locations go too hard on the smash.

When I bite in, I need to see a little sparkle, some glowing from the beef and possibly 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 needs to be seared to help secure the juices, however not too crusty.