Steps for Perfect Restaurant-Style Fries

There is no end to the number of scrumptious 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 establishes dishes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is also the developer and host of Kenji's Cooking Show on YouTube. This video and article become part of, our series on cooking area principles.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food writer and cookbook author, I've invested the last two years of my career carefully researching and testing recipes, strategies and widely accepted cooking area knowledge to figure out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually operated several burger joints and even composed a regular monthly column for Serious Eats called the Hamburger Laboratory, in which I separated and evaluated every possible variable that can impact the flavor and texture of a burger.

However that does not indicate you can't aim for something much better. Here are the most crucial tips I have actually found for optimizing your hamburger experience, whether in the backyard or the cooking area. Working hamburger too much can cause it to end up being dense. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

How to Perfect the Ideal Flat-Top Burger

In bread, this can be an excellent thing, however with hamburgers, overhandling can produce an unwanted thick texture. (Incorporating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional seasoning, like onions and herbs, likewise requires you to exhaust the meat and distract from the beef taste, so skip it.) Salting the exterior of your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

This is a great thing in sausages, which should have a company texture, however with burgers, you desire looseness. A burger needs to be tender, with plenty of pockets for juices and rendered fat to gather.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Browning your patties deeply maximizes taste. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. 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 essential. For thicker grilled or griddled burgers, wait until your pan or grill is hot before adding the patties, and cook them till they're well browned on both sides.

This maximizes flavor while maintaining juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to eating so much 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 worse, a steam table). Hamburgers are at their best fresh from the fire, before any juices have actually had a possibility to leak out.

Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Selecting High-Quality Meats for Tasty Burgers

Updated May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI've always been a hamburger enthusiast. 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 may admit that a cheeseburger is my favorite food. In fact, I might state that on a lot of days. And you may state the same. Even if you do, it's most likely we don't have the very same concept of what makes the best burger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, included some brand-new ones and continued to leave off the ones I understand individuals like however I simply. Maybe I have not attempted your favorite hamburger. Maybe I'm out to get you (simply kidding).

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

When I bite in, I need to see a little shimmer, some glistening from the beef and perhaps a little grease diminishing the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I always choose a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty needs to be seared to assist lock in the juices, however not too crusty.