Essential Outdoor Grilling Hacks for 2026

There is no end to the number of tasty 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 establishes dishes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is likewise the developer and host of Kenji's Cooking Program on YouTube.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food writer and cookbook author, I've invested the last twenty years of my career rigorously looking into and evaluating recipes, techniques and extensively accepted kitchen knowledge to determine the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually operated multiple burger joints and even wrote a regular monthly column for Serious Consumes called the Burger Laboratory, in which I isolated and checked every possible variable that can impact the flavor and texture of a hamburger.

That does not imply you can't intend for something much better. Here are the most important tips I've found for optimizing your hamburger experience, whether in the backyard or the kitchen. Working ground beef excessive can trigger it to become dense. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Chef-Level Culinary Techniques for Juicier Homemade Burgers

In bread, this can be an advantage, however with hamburgers, overhandling can create an unwanted thick texture. (Integrating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional flavoring, like onions and herbs, likewise forces you to exhaust the meat and sidetrack from the beef taste, so skip 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 easily. This is an excellent thing in sausages, which ought to have a company texture, but with burgers, you desire looseness. A burger ought to hurt, 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 hamburger on a griddle, browning is flavor, and high heat is essential. For thicker grilled or griddled burgers, wait up until your pan or grill is hot before adding the patties, and cook them till they're well browned on both sides.

This takes full advantage of taste while preserving juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to consuming a lot faster. Credit ... Bryan Gardner for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Do not 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.

Smash BurgersCredit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Diner BurgerCredit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Thick Yard BurgerCredit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Follow,,, and.

Bold Savory Dinner Inspiration for Passionate Home Cooks

Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI've always been a hamburger lover. 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 right day and I might admit that a cheeseburger is my preferred food. In fact, I might state that on a lot of days. And you may say the same. But even if you do, it's likely we don't have the exact same concept of what makes the ideal hamburger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, included some new ones and continued to end the ones I know people like however I just. don't. get. Yes, I know your favorite isn't there. Perhaps we have various taste. Maybe I have not attempted your preferred burger. Perhaps I'm out to get you (just joking).

Let me share with you what makes the best hamburger for me. Let's begin with the patty.

When I bite in, I require to see a little sparkle, some glistening from the beef and maybe 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 must be burnt to help lock in the juices, however not too crusty.