Choosing High-Quality Meats for Tasty Burgers

There is no end to the number of tasty burgers you can make, however 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 creator and host of Kenji's Cooking Show on YouTube. This video and post are part of, our series on kitchen fundamentals.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food writer and cookbook author, I have actually invested the last 20 years of my profession rigorously investigating and checking recipes, techniques and commonly accepted kitchen knowledge to determine the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've operated several burger joints and even composed a monthly column for Serious Consumes called the Burger Lab, in which I isolated and tested every possible variable that can affect the flavor and texture of a hamburger.

But that does not indicate you can't intend for something much better. Here are the most essential ideas I've discovered for optimizing your burger experience, whether in the yard or the kitchen. Working ground beef excessive can trigger it to end up being thick. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Why Premium Fresh Ingredients Elevate Your Burger

In bread, this can be an advantage, but with hamburgers, overhandling can create an unwanted dense texture. (Incorporating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional flavoring, like onions and herbs, also forces you to overwork the meat and distract from the beef taste, so skip it.) Salting the beyond your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Salt breaks down muscle proteins and helps them to connect more quickly. This is an advantage in sausages, which must have a firm texture, but with burgers, you desire looseness. A burger needs to hurt, with a lot of pockets for juices and rendered fat to collect.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Browning your patties deeply takes full advantage of taste. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Whether you're making a big burger 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 up until your pan or grill is hot before adding the patties, and prepare them till they're well browned on both sides.

This maximizes flavor while preserving 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 actually had a chance to drip out.

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

Choosing High-Quality Beef for Savory Burgers

Updated May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI've always been a hamburger lover. Maturing, I 'd happily chew them down at sit-down restaurants and from the drive-thru getting back from gymnastics practice. I 'd crush 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).

Catch me on the ideal day and I may admit that a cheeseburger is my preferred food. Actually, I might say that on a lot of days. And you may state the very same. But even if you do, it's likely we do not have the same idea of what makes the perfect hamburger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, added some brand-new ones and continued to leave off the ones I know individuals like however I simply. do not. get. Yes, I know your favorite isn't there. Possibly we have different taste. Perhaps I haven't attempted your favorite hamburger yet. Possibly I'm out to get you (simply kidding).

Let me share with you what makes the perfect hamburger 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 running down the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I constantly choose a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty should be scorched to assist secure the juices, however not too crusty.