How to Make Crispy Golden Sides

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 writes a column for The New York Times on food and science, and he develops recipes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is likewise the creator and host of Kenji's Cooking Show on YouTube.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs a professional chef, food author and cookbook author, I've spent the last twenty years of my profession rigorously researching and testing recipes, techniques and widely accepted kitchen area knowledge to find out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually run several burger joints and even composed a regular monthly column for Serious Eats called the Hamburger Lab, in which I isolated and tested every possible variable that can impact the taste and texture of a hamburger.

That doesn't suggest you can't aim for something much better. Here are the most essential ideas I have actually found for optimizing your hamburger experience, whether in the yard or the kitchen area. Working ground beef too much can trigger it to become dense. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Steps for Crispy Restaurant-Style Sides

In bread, this can be a good idea, however with hamburgers, overhandling can develop an undesirable dense texture. (Integrating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional spices, like onions and herbs, also requires you to strain the meat and sidetrack from the beef taste, so skip it.) Salting the exterior of your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Salt breaks down muscle proteins and helps them to link more easily. This is a good thing in sausages, which need to have a firm texture, however with burgers, you want looseness. A hamburger ought to hurt, with a lot of pockets for juices and rendered fat to gather.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Whether you're making a huge 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 hamburgers, wait till your pan or grill is hot before including the patties, and prepare them till they're well browned on both sides.

This maximizes flavor while preserving juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to eating a lot quicker. Credit ... Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Do not let your patties relax 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 an opportunity to leak 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.

Choosing High-Quality Beef for Tasty Burgers

Updated May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI have actually constantly been a hamburger lover. Maturing, I 'd gladly chomp them down at sit-down dining establishments and from the drive-thru coming home 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).

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

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, included some new ones and continued to leave off the ones I know people like however I simply. do not. get. Yes, I understand your favorite isn't there. Maybe we have different taste. Maybe I haven't tried your favorite burger yet. Possibly I'm out to get you (just joking).

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 go with a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty needs to be seared to help secure the juices, but not too crusty.