Why High-Quality Fresh Ingredients Transform Your Burger

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

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

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food writer and cookbook author, I've spent the last twenty years of my profession rigorously researching and evaluating dishes, methods and extensively accepted kitchen area wisdom to figure out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually operated numerous burger joints and even composed a regular monthly column for Serious Consumes called the Hamburger Lab, in which I isolated and tested every possible variable that can affect the flavor and texture of a burger.

Here are the most crucial pointers I've found for optimizing your burger experience, whether in the backyard or the cooking area. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Steps for Crispy Golden Sides

In bread, this can be a great thing, but with burgers, overhandling can produce an undesirable thick texture. (Integrating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or extra spices, like onions and herbs, likewise forces you to overwork the meat and sidetrack from the beef flavor, 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 assists them to connect up more easily. This is a good thing in sausages, which need to have a company texture, but with burgers, you want looseness. A hamburger ought to be tender, with plenty of pockets for juices and rendered fat to gather.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Browning your patties deeply maximizes flavor. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City 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 taste, and high heat is essential. For thicker grilled or griddled burgers, wait 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 maintaining 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. Don't let your patties sit around on the cutting board (or even worse, a steam table). Hamburgers are at their best fresh from the fire, before any juices have had a possibility to leak out.

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

Preparing Restaurant-Quality Side Fries in Modern Home

Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI have actually constantly been a burger fan. Growing up, I 'd happily 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 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).

Capture me on the right day and I might confess that a cheeseburger is my favorite food. In fact, I may say that on a lot of days. And you might state the very same. Even if you do, it's most likely we don't have the very same idea of what makes the ideal burger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, added some brand-new ones and continued to end the ones I understand people like but I just. don't. get. Yes, I know your favorite isn't there. Perhaps we have different taste. Perhaps I haven't tried your favorite hamburger yet. Maybe I'm out to get you (simply kidding).

There's one best burg out there for everybody. Let me show you what makes the ideal hamburger for me. Let's begin with the patty. Can I say I'm growing a little fed up with smashburgers? The very best ones miraculously stay juicy with just a tip of flaky char around the edges, however sadly, many locations go too hard on the smash.

When I bite in, I need to see a little sparkle, some sparkling from the beef and possibly a little grease running down the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I always choose a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty needs to be burnt to help secure the juices, but not too crusty.