Expert Summer Grilling Hacks

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 writes 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 creator and host of Kenji's Cooking Show on YouTube. This video and article belong to, our series on kitchen principles.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food author and cookbook author, I have actually invested the last 2 decades of my career rigorously looking into and testing dishes, methods and widely accepted kitchen wisdom to find out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've operated several hamburger joints and even composed a regular monthly column for Serious Consumes called the Burger Laboratory, in which I isolated and evaluated 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 essential suggestions I have actually discovered for enhancing your hamburger experience, whether in the yard or the kitchen area. Working ground beef excessive can cause it to become dense. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Using Professional Flat-Top Styles in the Home

In bread, this can be an advantage, however with burgers, overhandling can develop an unwanted dense texture. (Integrating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional seasoning, like onions and herbs, also requires you to strain 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 great thing in sausages, which ought to have a company texture, but with burgers, you desire looseness. A hamburger should be tender, with plenty of pockets for juices and rendered fat to gather.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Browning your patties deeply optimizes flavor. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Whether you're making a big burger on the grill or a crisp-edged smash hamburger on a frying pan, browning is flavor, and high heat is key. 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 takes full advantage 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 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 Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Thick Backyard BurgerCredit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Follow,,, and.

Using Professional Flat-Top Styles in the Home

Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI've constantly 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 may admit that a cheeseburger is my preferred food. Even if you do, it's most likely we don't have the exact same concept of what makes the ideal burger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

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

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

When I bite in, I need to see a little sparkle, some shining from the beef and possibly a little grease running down the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I always go with a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty needs to be seared to help secure the juices, but not too crusty.