New Gourmet Side Fry Secrets for the Home

There is no end to the variety of tasty hamburgers you can make, however 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 also the developer and host of Kenji's Cooking Program on YouTube. This video and post are part of, our series on cooking area principles.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food author and cookbook author, I've invested the last 2 decades of my profession carefully researching and evaluating recipes, techniques and widely accepted cooking area knowledge to find out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've operated numerous hamburger joints and even composed a month-to-month column for Serious Consumes called the Burger Laboratory, in which I isolated and evaluated every possible variable that can affect the flavor and texture of a burger.

Here are the most essential pointers I have actually discovered for optimizing your burger experience, whether in the yard or the kitchen area. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Innovative Gourmet French Fry Secrets for the Home

In bread, this can be an excellent thing, but with hamburgers, overhandling can produce an undesirable thick texture. (Incorporating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional spices, like onions and herbs, likewise requires you to exhaust the meat and sidetrack from the beef flavor, 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 firm texture, however with burgers, you want 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 big hamburger on the grill or a crisp-edged smash hamburger on a griddle, browning is taste, and high heat is key. For thicker grilled or griddled burgers, wait up until your pan or grill is hot before including the patties, and cook them until they're well browned on both sides.

This makes the most of flavor while preserving juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to eating 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 even worse, a steam table). Burgers are at their finest fresh from the fire, before any juices have had a possibility to leak out.

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

Creative Savory Dinner Ideas for Passionate Home Cooks

Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI've always been a hamburger lover. Maturing, I 'd happily munch them down at sit-down restaurants and from the drive-thru getting back 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).

Capture me on the right day and I may admit that a cheeseburger is my favorite food. Even if you do, it's most likely we do not have the very same idea of what makes the perfect burger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, added some new ones and continued to leave off the ones I understand people like but I simply. don't. get. Yes, I understand your favorite isn't there. Maybe we have various taste. Possibly I have not attempted your preferred burger. Perhaps I'm out to get you (just kidding).

There's one ideal burg out there for everyone. Let me show you what makes the ideal burger for me. Let's start with the patty. Can I say I'm growing a little sick of smashburgers? The finest ones unbelievely stay juicy with simply a hint of flaky char around the edges, however unfortunately, most places go too tough on the smash.

When I bite in, I require to see a little sparkle, some shining from the beef and maybe a little grease running down the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I always opt for a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty should be scorched to assist secure the juices, but not too crusty.