Mastering Professional Flat-Top Methods in the Home

There is no end to the variety of tasty burgers 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 creator and host of Kenji's Cooking Program on YouTube. This video and short article belong to, our series on kitchen area principles.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs a professional chef, food author and cookbook author, I have actually spent the last 20 years of my profession rigorously researching and evaluating dishes, techniques and commonly accepted cooking area knowledge to determine the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've operated multiple burger joints and even composed a regular monthly column for Serious Eats called the Hamburger Lab, in which I separated and tested every possible variable that can affect the flavor and texture of a hamburger.

Here are the most important suggestions I've discovered for optimizing your hamburger experience, whether in the backyard or the kitchen. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Expert Outdoor Grilling Hacks

In bread, this can be an excellent thing, however with burgers, overhandling can develop an unwanted dense texture. (Incorporating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or extra spices, like onions and herbs, likewise forces you to exhaust the meat and distract from the beef flavor, so avoid it.) Salting the outside of your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

This is an excellent thing in sausages, which ought to have a firm texture, however with hamburgers, you desire looseness. A hamburger needs to 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 griddle, browning is flavor, and high heat is crucial. For thicker grilled or griddled hamburgers, wait until your pan or grill is hot before adding the patties, and cook them up until they're well browned on both sides.

This takes full advantage of taste while keeping juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to eating a lot faster. 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 finest fresh from the fire, before any juices have had an opportunity to drip out.

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

Essential Outdoor Grilling Hacks

Updated May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI have actually 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).

Capture me on the ideal day and I may confess that a cheeseburger is my preferred food. Actually, I may say that on a lot of days. And you might say the same. Even if you do, it's most likely we do not have the exact same concept of what makes the best hamburger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, added some new ones and continued to leave off the ones I understand individuals like but I simply. Perhaps I have not tried your favorite hamburger. Maybe I'm out to get you (just joking).

Let me share with you what makes the ideal hamburger for me. Let's start with the patty.

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