Using Professional Griddle Styles in the Home

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

By J. Kenji Lpez-AltJ. Kenji Lpez-Alt composes a column for The New York Times on food and science, and he develops recipes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is also the developer and host of Kenji's Cooking Program on YouTube. This video and post are part of, our series on kitchen basics.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food writer and cookbook author, I have actually spent the last 20 years of my career rigorously investigating and checking recipes, strategies and widely accepted kitchen knowledge to find out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've run several burger joints and even wrote a regular monthly column for Serious Consumes called the Hamburger Laboratory, in which I isolated and tested every possible variable that can impact the flavor and texture of a hamburger.

However that doesn't suggest you can't go for something better. Here are the most essential ideas I've discovered for enhancing your burger experience, whether in the backyard or the cooking area. Working hamburger too much can cause it to end up being thick. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

How to Master the Ideal Griddle Patty

In bread, this can be a great thing, but with hamburgers, overhandling can produce an unwanted dense texture. (Integrating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional seasoning, like onions and herbs, also requires you to overwork the meat and distract from the beef flavor, so skip 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 want looseness. A hamburger should 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 Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Whether you're making a big 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 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 takes full advantage of flavor while preserving juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to eating so much faster. 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 chance to drip out.

Smash BurgersCredit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Diner BurgerCredit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Thick Yard BurgerCredit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Follow,,, and.

Crafting Golden-Brown French Fries in Modern Home

Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI've always been a burger enthusiast. Maturing, I 'd happily munch them down at sit-down restaurants and from the drive-thru getting 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 admit that a cheeseburger is my favorite food. Even if you do, it's 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 just. Perhaps I have not attempted your favorite burger. Maybe I'm out to get you (simply joking).

There's one best burg out there for everybody. Let me show you what makes the perfect burger for me. Let's start with the patty. Can I state I'm growing a little sick of smashburgers? The very best ones miraculously remain juicy with just a tip of flaky char around the edges, but unfortunately, many locations go too hard on the smash.

When I bite in, I require to see a little shimmer, some shining from the beef and maybe 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.