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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 develops 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 have actually spent the last two years of my profession rigorously looking into and checking dishes, strategies and widely accepted cooking area wisdom to find out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually run multiple burger joints and even composed a month-to-month column for Serious Consumes called the Burger Lab, in which I separated and evaluated every possible variable that can impact the flavor and texture of a hamburger.

That doesn't indicate you can't intend for something much better. Here are the most important suggestions I've found for optimizing your hamburger experience, whether in the yard or the cooking area. Working hamburger too much can cause it to end up being dense. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

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In bread, this can be a good idea, but with burgers, overhandling can create an undesirable thick texture. (Incorporating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or extra flavoring, like onions and herbs, likewise forces you to strain the meat and sidetrack from the beef flavor, so avoid it.) Salting the exterior of your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

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

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Browning your patties deeply makes the most of flavor. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Whether you're making a huge hamburger on the grill or a crisp-edged smash hamburger on a frying pan, browning is taste, and high heat is key. For thicker grilled or griddled burgers, wait up until your pan or grill is hot before including the patties, and cook them till 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 Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Do not 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.

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Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI've always been a burger lover. 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. Actually, I might say that on most days. And you might say the very same. But even if you do, it's most likely we do not have the very same idea of what makes the ideal 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 but I simply. Perhaps I haven't attempted your favorite hamburger. Perhaps I'm out to get you (simply kidding).

There's one best burg out there for everyone. Let me share with you what makes the ideal burger for me. Let's begin with the patty. Can I state I'm growing a little sick of smashburgers? The finest ones unbelievely remain juicy with just a tip of flaky char around the edges, but regrettably, the majority of places go too tough on the smash.

When I bite in, I require to see a little shimmer, some glowing from the beef and maybe a little grease running down the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I constantly choose a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty should be burnt to assist lock in the juices, but not too crusty.