Better Heat Control for Savory Grilled Burgers

There is no end to the number of delicious burgers 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 Times on food and science, and he establishes 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 are part of, our series on kitchen fundamentals.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs a professional chef, food author and cookbook author, I've spent the last two years of my profession rigorously investigating and checking dishes, strategies and extensively accepted kitchen area knowledge to figure out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually run multiple hamburger joints and even composed a monthly column for Serious Eats called the Hamburger Laboratory, in which I isolated and evaluated every possible variable that can affect the flavor and texture of a hamburger.

That does not suggest you can't intend for something better. Here are the most crucial pointers I have actually discovered for enhancing your hamburger experience, whether in the backyard or the kitchen. Working ground beef too much can cause it to end up being dense. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

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In bread, this can be an excellent thing, however with hamburgers, overhandling can create an undesirable dense texture. (Incorporating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional flavoring, like onions and herbs, also requires you to overwork the meat and sidetrack from the beef flavor, so skip it.) Salting the beyond your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

This is a great thing in sausages, which must have a company texture, but 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 City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Whether you're making a big hamburger on the grill or a crisp-edged smash hamburger on a frying pan, browning is taste, 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 cook them up until they're well browned on both sides.

This optimizes flavor while preserving juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to eating so much faster. 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 had a chance 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 hamburger enthusiast. Growing up, I 'd gladly chew them down at sit-down dining establishments and from the drive-thru getting back from gymnastics practice. I 'd crush 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 ideal day and I might admit that a cheeseburger is my preferred food. Even if you do, it's most likely we don't have the same idea of what makes the best burger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, included some new ones and continued to leave off the ones I know people like but I simply. don't. get. Yes, I understand your favorite isn't there. Possibly we have various taste. Possibly I have not tried your preferred burger. Perhaps I'm out to get you (simply kidding).

There's one perfect burg out there for everyone. Let me show you what makes the best burger for me. Let's start with the patty. Can I say I'm growing a little tired of smashburgers? The very best ones astonishingly remain juicy with simply a tip of flaky char around the edges, but unfortunately, the majority of places go too hard on the smash.

When I bite in, I require to see a little shimmer, some sparkling from the beef and maybe a little grease diminishing the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I always go with a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty must be seared to assist secure the juices, but not too crusty.