How to Perfect the Ultimate Flat-Top Burger

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

J. Kenji Lpez-Alt composes 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.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food writer and cookbook author, I've invested the last twenty years of my career carefully looking into and evaluating recipes, methods and commonly accepted cooking area wisdom to determine the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually run numerous burger joints and even wrote a monthly column for Serious Consumes called the Burger Lab, in which I separated and tested every possible variable that can affect the taste and texture of a burger.

But that doesn't mean you can't go for something much better. Here are the most crucial suggestions I have actually found for enhancing your burger experience, whether in the yard or the kitchen. Working ground beef excessive can trigger 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 a good thing, however with burgers, overhandling can produce an unwanted dense texture. (Including extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or extra seasoning, like onions and herbs, likewise forces you to overwork the meat and distract from the beef taste, so skip it.) Salting the beyond your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

This is a good thing in sausages, which need to have a company texture, but with hamburgers, you desire looseness. A burger must be tender, with plenty of pockets for juices and rendered fat to gather.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Whether you're making a huge hamburger on the grill or a crisp-edged smash burger on a griddle, 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 makes the most of taste while maintaining juiciness. Don't let your patties sit around on the cutting board (or worse, a steam table). Burgers are at their best fresh from the fire, before any juices have actually had a possibility 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 always been a hamburger lover. Maturing, I 'd happily chomp them down at sit-down dining establishments and from the drive-thru getting back 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).

Capture me on the best day and I might admit that a cheeseburger is my favorite food. Really, I may say that on many days. And you may state the very same. Even if you do, it's likely we do not have the 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 people like but I just. Perhaps I haven't tried your favorite hamburger. Perhaps I'm out to get you (just joking).

Let me share with you what makes the ideal hamburger for me. Let's start with the patty.

When I bite in, I need to see a little shimmer, some glowing from the beef and possibly a little grease diminishing the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I always opt for a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty needs to be seared to help secure the juices, however not too crusty.