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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 develops recipes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is likewise the developer and host of Kenji's Cooking Program on YouTube.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs a professional chef, food author and cookbook author, I've spent the last 20 years of my profession rigorously looking into and testing recipes, techniques and extensively accepted cooking area knowledge to determine the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've operated multiple hamburger 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 impact the taste and texture of a burger.

That does not suggest you can't aim for something much better. Here are the most crucial pointers I have actually discovered for enhancing your burger experience, whether in the backyard or the cooking area. Working hamburger too much can trigger 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, however with hamburgers, overhandling can develop an unwanted dense texture. (Including extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional seasoning, like onions and herbs, also forces you to strain the meat and distract from the beef flavor, so skip it.) Salting the beyond your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Salt breaks down muscle proteins and helps them to connect more quickly. This is an advantage in sausages, which must have a company texture, but with burgers, you want looseness. A hamburger ought to be tender, with lots of pockets for juices and rendered fat to collect.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Browning your patties deeply optimizes 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 flavor, and high heat is key. For thicker grilled or griddled hamburgers, wait until your pan or grill is hot before including the patties, and cook them till they're well browned on both sides.

This maximizes flavor while keeping juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to consuming a lot faster. 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). Hamburgers are at their finest fresh from the fire, before any juices have actually had a possibility to drip out.

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

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Updated May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI've constantly been a hamburger 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 might admit that a cheeseburger is my favorite food. Even if you do, it's likely we do not have the exact same idea of what makes the perfect burger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, included some brand-new ones and continued to leave off the ones I know people like however I just. Perhaps I haven't attempted your preferred burger. Perhaps I'm out to get you (just joking).

Let me share with you what makes the perfect burger 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 maybe a little grease diminishing the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I constantly opt for a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty needs to be seared to help lock in the juices, but not too crusty.