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There is no end to the number of tasty burgers 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 establishes recipes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is likewise the creator and host of Kenji's Cooking Show on YouTube.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs a professional chef, food author and cookbook author, I have actually invested the last 20 years of my career rigorously investigating and evaluating recipes, methods and commonly accepted kitchen knowledge to find out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've run multiple hamburger joints and even wrote a monthly column for Serious Consumes called the Hamburger Laboratory, in which I isolated and checked every possible variable that can impact the flavor and texture of a burger.

That doesn't indicate you can't intend for something much better. Here are the most crucial tips I have actually found for enhancing your burger experience, whether in the backyard or the cooking area. Working ground beef 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 an advantage, however with burgers, overhandling can develop an undesirable dense texture. (Integrating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional spices, like onions and herbs, likewise requires you to strain the meat and sidetrack 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 ought to have a company texture, but with hamburgers, you want looseness. A burger needs to be tender, with plenty of pockets for juices and rendered fat to gather.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Whether you're making a big hamburger on the grill or a crisp-edged smash burger on a frying pan, browning is taste, and high heat is key. For thicker grilled or griddled hamburgers, wait till your pan or grill is hot before adding the patties, and cook them until they're well browned on both sides.

This makes the most of flavor while preserving juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to eating 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 worse, a steam table). Burgers are at their best fresh from the fire, before any juices have actually had a possibility to leak 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 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 favorite food. Even if you do, it's likely we do not have the exact same concept of what makes the best burger.

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 however I just. Maybe I haven't attempted your preferred burger. Possibly I'm out to get you (just joking).

There's one ideal burg out there for everybody. Let me share with you what makes the ideal hamburger for me. Let's start with the patty. Can I state I'm growing a little sick of smashburgers? The very best ones unbelievely remain juicy with simply a hint of flaky char around the edges, but sadly, many locations go too difficult on the smash.

When I bite in, I need to see a little sparkle, some sparkling from the beef and maybe a little grease diminishing the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I always opt for a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty must be scorched to assist lock in the juices, however not too crusty.