Better Temperature Management for Better Grilled Patties

There is no end to the variety of tasty hamburgers you can make, but 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 developer and host of Kenji's Cooking Program on YouTube. This video and article become part of, our series on cooking area fundamentals.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food author and cookbook author, I've spent the last 2 decades of my profession carefully investigating and testing dishes, methods and widely accepted kitchen knowledge to find out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually operated numerous hamburger joints and even wrote a monthly column for Serious Consumes called the Burger Lab, in which I isolated and checked every possible variable that can impact the taste and texture of a hamburger.

That does not suggest you can't intend for something much better. Here are the most essential suggestions I've found for enhancing your hamburger experience, whether in the backyard or the cooking area. Working hamburger too much can trigger it to become dense. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

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In bread, this can be a good idea, however with hamburgers, overhandling can create an undesirable dense texture. (Including extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional spices, like onions and herbs, likewise 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.

Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Salt breaks down muscle proteins and helps them to link more easily. This is a good idea in sausages, which need to have a firm texture, however with burgers, you want looseness. A hamburger must be tender, with plenty of pockets for juices and rendered fat to collect.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

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

This optimizes taste while maintaining juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to consuming so much quicker. 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 finest 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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Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI have actually constantly been a hamburger enthusiast. Growing up, I 'd gladly chew them down at sit-down restaurants and from the drive-thru coming home from gymnastics practice. I 'd squish 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 may 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 best hamburger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

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

Let me share with you what makes the ideal burger for me. Let's begin with the patty.

When I bite in, I need to see a little sparkle, some shining from the beef and maybe a little grease running down the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I always opt for a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty needs to be burnt to help secure the juices, but not too crusty.