Advanced Cooking Techniques for Superior Homemade Patties

There is no end to the number of delicious 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 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 Show on YouTube. This video and article become part of, our series on kitchen fundamentals.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food writer and cookbook author, I have actually spent the last 20 years of my career carefully researching and testing dishes, methods and widely accepted kitchen area knowledge to determine the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've operated several burger joints and even composed a month-to-month column for Serious Consumes called the Hamburger Laboratory, in which I isolated and evaluated every possible variable that can affect the taste and texture of a hamburger.

That doesn't imply you can't aim for something much better. Here are the most essential tips I've found for enhancing your burger experience, whether in the backyard or the kitchen. Working ground beef too much can cause it to become thick. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

How to Perfect the Ultimate Flat-Top Patty

In bread, this can be an excellent thing, however with burgers, overhandling can develop an undesirable dense texture. (Including extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional spices, like onions and herbs, likewise requires you to strain the meat and distract from the beef taste, so avoid it.) Salting the outside of your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Salt breaks down muscle proteins and assists them to connect more quickly. This is an advantage in sausages, which ought to have a firm texture, but with hamburgers, you want looseness. A hamburger must be tender, with lots of pockets for juices and rendered fat to gather.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Browning your patties deeply makes the most of taste. 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 taste, and high heat is essential. 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. 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 actually had a possibility to leak out.

Smash BurgersCredit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Restaurant 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.

Choosing the Best Meats for Savory Burgers

Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI've constantly been a burger fan. 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. Even if you do, it's likely we do not have the same idea of what makes the best burger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, added some brand-new ones and continued to leave off the ones I understand people like but I just. don't. get. Yes, I understand your favorite isn't there. Perhaps we have different taste. Perhaps I haven't tried your preferred hamburger. Possibly I'm out to get you (simply joking).

Let me share with you what makes the perfect 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 possibly 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 should be burnt to help lock in the juices, but not too crusty.