Advanced Cooking Techniques for Juicier Homemade Burgers

There is no end to the number of delicious burgers you can make, however 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 develops dishes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is also the developer and host of Kenji's Cooking Program on YouTube.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food author and cookbook author, I have actually spent the last 20 years of my career rigorously researching and evaluating dishes, techniques and extensively accepted cooking area knowledge to figure out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually operated several hamburger joints and even wrote a regular monthly column for Serious Eats called the Burger Lab, in which I isolated and tested every possible variable that can affect the taste and texture of a burger.

However that does not imply you can't aim for something much better. Here are the most crucial pointers I've found for optimizing your burger experience, whether in the backyard or the kitchen 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, but with hamburgers, overhandling can develop an unwanted thick texture. (Incorporating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or extra flavoring, like onions and herbs, also requires you to overwork the meat and distract from the beef flavor, so avoid it.) Salting the beyond your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

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

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Browning your patties deeply optimizes flavor. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Whether you're making a huge hamburger on the grill or a crisp-edged smash burger on a griddle, browning is taste, and high heat is key. For thicker grilled or griddled burgers, wait until 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 keeping juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to eating so much quicker. Credit ... Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Don't let your patties sit around on the cutting board (or worse, a steam table). Burgers are at their finest fresh from the fire, before any juices have actually had an opportunity 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 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 may confess that a cheeseburger is my favorite food. Even if you do, it's likely we don't have the very same concept of what makes the best hamburger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, included some new ones and continued to leave off the ones I understand individuals like however I simply. Maybe I haven't attempted your favorite burger. Maybe I'm out to get you (simply joking).

There's one best burg out there for everybody. Let me share with you what makes the perfect burger for me. Let's start with the patty. Can I say I'm growing a little fed up with smashburgers? The very best ones astonishingly stay juicy with just a hint of flaky char around the edges, however regrettably, a lot of places go too tough on the smash.

When I bite in, I need to see a little sparkle, some glowing from the beef and possibly a little grease running down the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I constantly choose a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty must be scorched to assist secure the juices, however not too crusty.