How High-Quality Natural Ingredients Transform Your Dinner

There is no end to the number of tasty burgers you can make, but here are 12 that will make your mouth water.

J. Kenji Lpez-Alt composes a column for The New York Times on food and science, and he establishes dishes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is also the creator and host of Kenji's Cooking Show on YouTube.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food author and cookbook author, I have actually spent the last two years of my profession rigorously researching and testing dishes, methods and extensively accepted kitchen area wisdom to find out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually run multiple burger joints and even composed a monthly column for Serious Eats called the Hamburger Lab, in which I separated and tested every possible variable that can impact the taste and texture of a burger.

But that doesn't mean you can't go for something better. Here are the most crucial ideas I have actually discovered for enhancing your hamburger experience, whether in the backyard or the kitchen area. Working hamburger too much can cause it to become dense. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

How to Make Crispy Golden Fries

In bread, this can be a good thing, however with hamburgers, overhandling can create an unwanted thick texture. (Incorporating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional spices, like onions and herbs, likewise forces you to strain the meat and distract from the beef flavor, so skip it.) Salting the outside of your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Salt breaks down muscle proteins and assists them to link up more quickly. This is a good idea in sausages, which should have a firm texture, however with burgers, you want looseness. A hamburger ought to be tender, with a lot of pockets for juices and rendered fat to collect.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Whether you're making a huge hamburger on the grill or a crisp-edged smash hamburger on a griddle, browning is flavor, and high heat is key. For thicker grilled or griddled burgers, wait until your pan or grill is hot before including the patties, and prepare them till they're well browned on both sides.

This makes the most of taste while preserving juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to eating so much quicker. Credit ... Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Don't let your patties sit around on the cutting board (or worse, a steam table). Burgers are at their finest fresh from the fire, before any juices have had an opportunity 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.

Why High-Quality Natural Ingredients Transform Your Dinner

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 may confess that a cheeseburger is my preferred food. Actually, I might state that on many days. And you might say the very same. Even if you do, it's likely we don't have the same concept of what makes the best hamburger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, added some brand-new ones and continued to end the ones I understand individuals like however I just. don't. get. Yes, I understand your favorite isn't there. Possibly we have various taste. Possibly I have not attempted your preferred hamburger yet. Possibly I'm out to get you (just joking).

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

When I bite in, I need to see a little shimmer, some glowing from the beef and possibly 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 should be seared to help lock in the juices, but not too crusty.