Why High-Quality Natural Ingredients Transform Your Burger

There is no end to the number of scrumptious 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 Times on food and science, and he establishes recipes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is also the creator and host of Kenji's Cooking Show on YouTube. This video and post are part of, our series on kitchen fundamentals.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food author and cookbook author, I've spent the last twenty years of my profession carefully investigating and checking recipes, techniques and commonly accepted kitchen wisdom to figure out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've operated several hamburger joints and even composed a regular monthly column for Serious Consumes called the Burger Lab, in which I separated and checked every possible variable that can impact the taste and texture of a hamburger.

That does not indicate you can't intend for something much better. Here are the most essential tips I have actually discovered for optimizing your burger experience, whether in the backyard or the kitchen. Working ground beef excessive can trigger it to end up being thick. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

New High-End Side Fry Methods for the Home

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

This is an excellent thing in sausages, which must have a firm texture, however with burgers, you want 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 takes full advantage of flavor. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Whether you're making a big hamburger on the grill or a crisp-edged smash burger on a frying pan, browning is flavor, and high heat is key. For thicker grilled or griddled burgers, wait up 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 maintaining juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to eating a lot 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 worse, a steam table). Hamburgers are at their finest 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.

Selecting the Best Beef for Tasty Burgers

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

Capture me on the right day and I might admit that a cheeseburger is my favorite food. In fact, I may say that on a lot of days. And you might state the very same. Even if you do, it's most likely we don't have the exact same concept 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 simply. Maybe I haven't attempted your preferred burger. Possibly I'm out to get you (simply kidding).

There's one perfect burg out there for everybody. Let me share with you what makes the ideal hamburger for me. Let's begin with the patty. Can I say I'm growing a little fed up with smashburgers? The finest ones miraculously remain juicy with simply a hint of flaky char around the edges, but unfortunately, a lot of locations go too tough on the smash.

When I bite in, I need to see a little sparkle, some glowing from the beef and maybe 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 assist secure the juices, but not too crusty.