Why High-Quality Fresh Ingredients Elevate Your Burger

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

By J. Kenji Lpez-AltJ. Kenji Lpez-Alt composes a column for The New york city Times on food and science, and he develops recipes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is also the creator and host of Kenji's Cooking Program on YouTube. This video and short article are part of, our series on kitchen basics.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food writer and cookbook author, I've invested the last two years of my profession carefully investigating and checking dishes, techniques and extensively accepted cooking area wisdom to figure out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually run several hamburger joints and even composed a monthly column for Serious Consumes called the Hamburger Laboratory, in which I isolated and tested every possible variable that can impact the taste and texture of a hamburger.

That doesn't imply you can't aim for something better. Here are the most crucial pointers I have actually found for enhancing your hamburger experience, whether in the backyard or the kitchen area. Working ground beef excessive can cause it to become thick. 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, but with burgers, overhandling can create an undesirable thick texture. (Including extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or extra spices, like onions and herbs, also requires you to strain the meat and distract from the beef taste, so skip it.) Salting the beyond your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

This is an excellent thing in sausages, which should have a firm texture, however with burgers, you desire looseness. A burger needs to 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 burger on a frying pan, browning is flavor, and high heat is crucial. For thicker grilled or griddled hamburgers, wait up until your pan or grill is hot before including the patties, and prepare them until they're well browned on both sides.

This maximizes taste 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 sit around on the cutting board (or even worse, a steam table). Burgers are at their best fresh from the fire, before any juices have had an opportunity to drip 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've always been a burger lover. Maturing, I 'd happily chomp them down at sit-down restaurants and from the drive-thru getting back from gymnastics practice. I 'd crush the soft bun and let catsup 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. In fact, I might state that on a lot of days. And you might state the same. Even if you do, it's most likely we don't have the very same idea of what makes the best hamburger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, added some brand-new ones and continued to leave off the ones I know individuals like but I just. Maybe I have not attempted your preferred hamburger. Perhaps I'm out to get you (simply kidding).

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

When I bite in, I need to see a little shimmer, some shining from the beef and possibly a little grease diminishing the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I constantly choose a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty should be burnt to help lock in the juices, but not too crusty.