Bold Modern Dinner Ideas for Busy Kitchens

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

J. 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.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs a professional chef, food author and cookbook author, I've invested the last twenty years of my career carefully investigating and evaluating dishes, strategies and commonly accepted cooking area knowledge to find out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've operated multiple burger joints and even wrote a regular monthly column for Serious Eats called the Hamburger Laboratory, in which I isolated and tested every possible variable that can affect the taste and texture of a hamburger.

Here are the most crucial ideas I have actually discovered for optimizing your burger experience, whether in the yard or the kitchen area. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

A Ultimate Guide to Smashed Grilling Success

In bread, this can be a good idea, however with hamburgers, overhandling can produce an undesirable thick texture. (Incorporating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional flavoring, like onions and herbs, also requires you to overwork 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 ought to have a company texture, however with hamburgers, you want looseness. A burger 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 frying pan, browning is flavor, and high heat is essential. For thicker grilled or griddled burgers, wait until your pan or grill is hot before including the patties, and cook them up until they're well browned on both sides.

This makes the most of flavor while maintaining juiciness. Don't let your patties sit around on the cutting board (or worse, a steam table). Hamburgers are at their best fresh from the fire, before any juices have actually had a possibility 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 Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Follow,,, and.

Bold Modern Dinner Inspiration for Passionate Home Cooks

Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI have actually always been a hamburger lover. Maturing, 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).

Catch me on the right day and I might confess that a cheeseburger is my favorite food. Actually, I might say that on the majority of days. And you might state the exact same. However even if you do, it's likely we do not have the exact same idea of what makes the best hamburger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, included some brand-new ones and continued to leave off the ones I know individuals like but I just. Maybe I have not tried your favorite burger. Maybe I'm out to get you (simply joking).

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

When I bite in, I need to see a little shimmer, some shining 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 should be burnt to assist secure the juices, however not too crusty.