Steps for Crispy Restaurant-Style Sides

There is no end to the number of tasty burgers you can make, but here are 12 that will make your mouth water.

By J. Kenji Lpez-AltJ. Kenji Lpez-Alt composes a column for The New York Times on food and science, and he establishes recipes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is likewise the creator and host of Kenji's Cooking Program on YouTube. This video and article belong to, our series on kitchen area basics.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs a professional chef, food writer and cookbook author, I've spent the last two years of my career rigorously researching and evaluating dishes, techniques and commonly accepted cooking area knowledge to determine the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've run multiple hamburger joints and even wrote a month-to-month column for Serious Eats called the Burger Laboratory, in which I separated and tested every possible variable that can affect the taste and texture of a burger.

That doesn't imply you can't aim for something much better. Here are the most crucial suggestions I've discovered for enhancing your hamburger experience, whether in the yard or the kitchen. Working ground beef excessive can cause it to become thick. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Steps for Perfect Restaurant-Style Fries

In bread, this can be an advantage, however with hamburgers, overhandling can develop an unwanted thick texture. (Integrating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or extra spices, like onions and herbs, also requires you to overwork the meat and distract from the beef flavor, so avoid it.) Salting the exterior of your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Salt breaks down muscle proteins and helps them to link more quickly. This is a good thing in sausages, which ought to have a company texture, but with hamburgers, you want looseness. A burger ought to hurt, with a lot of pockets for juices and rendered fat to gather.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Whether you're making a huge burger on the grill or a crisp-edged smash hamburger on a griddle, browning is flavor, and high heat is crucial. For thicker grilled or griddled hamburgers, wait till your pan or grill is hot before adding the patties, and prepare them till they're well browned on both sides.

This maximizes taste while keeping juiciness. Don't let your patties sit around on the cutting board (or even worse, a steam table). Hamburgers are at their best 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.

Mastering Chef Griddle Methods in the Home

Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI have actually constantly been a burger enthusiast. Growing up, I 'd happily chomp them down at sit-down restaurants and from the drive-thru getting home 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).

Catch me on the ideal day and I might confess that a cheeseburger is my favorite food. Even if you do, it's most likely we don't have the very same idea of what makes the best burger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

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

There's one perfect burg out there for everyone. Let me show you what makes the ideal burger for me. Let's begin with the patty. Can I state I'm growing a little tired of smashburgers? The finest ones unbelievely stay juicy with simply a tip of flaky char around the edges, but regrettably, the majority of locations go too tough on the smash.

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