Essential Outdoor Grilling Hacks

There is no end to the variety of scrumptious hamburgers you can make, however 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 dishes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is likewise the developer and host of Kenji's Cooking Show on YouTube. This video and short article become part of, our series on kitchen fundamentals.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs a professional chef, food author and cookbook author, I have actually spent the last 2 years of my profession carefully looking into and testing recipes, strategies and widely accepted cooking area knowledge to find out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually run numerous burger joints and even composed a regular monthly column for Serious Eats called the Burger Lab, in which I separated and checked every possible variable that can impact the flavor and texture of a hamburger.

That does not indicate you can't intend for something better. Here are the most crucial tips I've found for enhancing your hamburger experience, whether in the backyard or the kitchen area. Working hamburger too much can cause it to become dense. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

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In bread, this can be an advantage, however with burgers, overhandling can produce an undesirable thick texture. (Integrating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional seasoning, like onions and herbs, also forces you to strain the meat and sidetrack from the beef taste, so avoid it.) Salting the outside of your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Salt breaks down muscle proteins and helps them to link up more quickly. This is an advantage in sausages, which should have a company texture, however with burgers, you want looseness. A burger should be tender, with a lot 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 hamburger on a frying pan, browning is taste, and high heat is crucial. For thicker grilled or griddled hamburgers, wait until your pan or grill is hot before including the patties, and cook them up until they're well browned on both sides.

This maximizes 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 City Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Don't 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 had a possibility to drip 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 Backyard 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 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).

Catch me on the right day and I might admit that a cheeseburger is my favorite food. Even if you do, it's likely we do not have the same concept of what makes the ideal hamburger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, added some brand-new ones and continued to leave off the ones I know people like however I simply. Maybe I haven't attempted your preferred hamburger. Perhaps I'm out to get you (simply kidding).

Let me share with you what makes the perfect burger for me. Let's begin with the patty.

When I bite in, I need to see a little shimmer, some glistening from the beef and perhaps 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 burnt to help lock in the juices, but not too crusty.