Steps for Crispy Restaurant-Style Sides

There is no end to the variety of scrumptious burgers you can make, however here are 12 that will make your mouth water.

By J. Kenji Lpez-AltJ. Kenji Lpez-Alt composes 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 Program on YouTube. This video and short article become part of, our series on cooking area principles.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs a professional chef, food author and cookbook author, I have actually spent the last twenty years of my profession rigorously investigating and checking recipes, methods and extensively accepted kitchen area wisdom to figure out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've operated several hamburger joints and even wrote a monthly column for Serious Consumes called the Burger Lab, in which I separated and tested every possible variable that can affect the taste and texture of a hamburger.

However that doesn't suggest you can't intend for something better. Here are the most crucial tips I have actually discovered for optimizing your hamburger experience, whether in the backyard or the cooking area. Working hamburger too much can cause it to end up being dense. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Steps to Perfect the Ideal Griddle Patty

In bread, this can be a good thing, however with burgers, overhandling can develop an unwanted thick texture. (Incorporating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or extra seasoning, like onions and herbs, also requires you to exhaust the meat and distract from the beef taste, so avoid it.) Salting the outside of your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

This is a good thing in sausages, which must have a company texture, but with burgers, you want looseness. A hamburger must be tender, with plenty of pockets for juices and rendered fat to collect.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Whether you're making a big burger on the grill or a crisp-edged smash burger on a frying pan, browning is taste, 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 maximizes taste while keeping juiciness. Do not let your patties sit around on the cutting board (or even worse, a steam table). Burgers are at their best fresh from the fire, before any juices have actually had a possibility to leak out.

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

Expert Outdoor Grilling Tips

Updated May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI've constantly been a burger 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 admit that a cheeseburger is my preferred food. Even if you do, it's most likely we do not have the exact same concept of what makes the perfect burger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, added some new ones and continued to leave off the ones I know people like however I just. Perhaps I haven't attempted your favorite burger. Possibly I'm out to get you (simply joking).

Let me share with you what makes the best burger for me. Let's start with the patty.

When I bite in, I require to see a little shimmer, 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 seared to help lock in the juices, however not too crusty.