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There is no end to the variety of scrumptious 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 develops recipes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is also the creator and host of Kenji's Cooking Show on YouTube. This video and article become part of, our series on kitchen basics.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs a professional chef, food writer and cookbook author, I have actually invested the last twenty years of my profession rigorously researching and testing recipes, strategies and commonly accepted kitchen knowledge to figure out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually operated multiple hamburger joints and even composed a regular monthly column for Serious Eats called the Hamburger Laboratory, in which I separated and evaluated every possible variable that can affect the flavor and texture of a hamburger.

That doesn't mean you can't intend for something much better. Here are the most crucial suggestions I've found for optimizing your burger experience, whether in the backyard or the cooking area. Working ground beef too much can trigger it to become thick. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

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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 additional flavoring, like onions and herbs, likewise requires you to exhaust the meat and sidetrack from the beef taste, so avoid it.) Salting the beyond your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Salt breaks down muscle proteins and assists them to connect more easily. This is a great thing in sausages, which should have a company texture, but with hamburgers, you want looseness. A hamburger must be tender, with plenty of pockets for juices and rendered fat to gather.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Browning your patties deeply makes the most 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 griddle, browning is flavor, and high heat is key. For thicker grilled or griddled hamburgers, wait until your pan or grill is hot before adding the patties, and cook them up until they're well browned on both sides.

This maximizes flavor while preserving juiciness. 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 actually had an opportunity to drip out.

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

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Updated May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI have actually always 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 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 burger.

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. don't. get. Yes, I understand your favorite isn't there. Maybe we have different taste. Perhaps I haven't attempted your preferred burger yet. 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 perfect burger for me. Let's start with the patty. Can I say I'm growing a little sick of smashburgers? The very best ones unbelievely stay juicy with just a hint of flaky char around the edges, but unfortunately, most locations go too tough on the smash.

When I bite in, I require to see a little sparkle, some shining from the beef and perhaps a little grease running down the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I constantly opt for a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty should be burnt to help secure the juices, however not too crusty.