A Ultimate Guide to Smashed Cooking Perfection

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

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

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food writer and cookbook author, I've spent the last 2 decades of my career carefully looking into and testing recipes, methods and commonly accepted kitchen wisdom to figure out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually operated several burger joints and even wrote a regular monthly column for Serious Eats called the Burger Lab, in which I separated and evaluated every possible variable that can affect the flavor and texture of a hamburger.

Here are the most essential tips I've found for enhancing your hamburger experience, whether in the backyard or the kitchen. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

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In bread, this can be a great thing, but with burgers, overhandling can develop an undesirable dense texture. (Integrating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional flavoring, like onions and herbs, also forces you to strain the meat and sidetrack from the beef flavor, 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 link more quickly. This is a good idea in sausages, which need to have a company texture, but with burgers, you desire looseness. A hamburger ought to hurt, with plenty of pockets for juices and rendered fat to gather.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

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 essential. For thicker grilled or griddled burgers, wait till your pan or grill is hot before including the patties, and prepare them until they're well browned on both sides.

This takes full advantage of taste while maintaining 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. Do not let your patties relax on the cutting board (or worse, a steam table). Hamburgers are at their best fresh from the fire, before any juices have had a possibility to leak out.

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

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Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI have actually always been a burger fan. Maturing, I 'd happily chomp them down at sit-down dining establishments and from the drive-thru coming home from gymnastics practice. I 'd squish the soft bun and let ketchup 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 confess that a cheeseburger is my preferred food. Really, I might state that on the majority of days. And you might state the exact same. But even if you do, it's most likely we don't have the very same idea of what makes the best burger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

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

Let me share with you what makes the best hamburger for me. Let's begin with the patty.

When I bite in, I require to see a little sparkle, some glowing from the beef and possibly a little grease diminishing the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I constantly choose a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty needs to be scorched to assist lock in the juices, however not too crusty.