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There is no end to the variety of delicious burgers 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 recipes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is likewise the creator 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 two decades of my profession carefully researching and checking recipes, techniques and commonly accepted kitchen area knowledge to find out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've operated multiple burger joints and even wrote a regular monthly column for Serious Eats called the Hamburger Lab, in which I isolated and tested every possible variable that can impact the taste and texture of a hamburger.

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

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In bread, this can be an excellent thing, but with hamburgers, overhandling can create an undesirable dense texture. (Integrating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional seasoning, like onions and herbs, also forces 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 an excellent thing in sausages, which should have a firm texture, however with burgers, you desire looseness. A hamburger should be tender, with plenty of pockets for juices and rendered fat to collect.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Whether you're making a big hamburger on the grill or a crisp-edged smash burger on a frying pan, browning is flavor, and high heat is key. For thicker grilled or griddled hamburgers, wait up until your pan or grill is hot before including the patties, and prepare them until they're well browned on both sides.

This makes the most of flavor while maintaining juiciness. Don't let your patties sit around on the cutting board (or even worse, a steam table). Burgers are at their best fresh from the fire, before any juices have actually had a chance to leak out.

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

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Updated May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI have actually constantly been a burger enthusiast. Growing up, I 'd gladly chomp them down at sit-down restaurants and from the drive-thru getting back from gymnastics practice. I 'd crush the soft bun and let catsup 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 may admit that a cheeseburger is my preferred food. Actually, I might state that on the majority of days. And you might say the very same. Even if you do, it's most likely we do not have the very same concept of what makes the best burger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, included some new ones and continued to leave off the ones I know people like however I just. do not. get. Yes, I know your favorite isn't there. Possibly we have different taste. Maybe I have not tried your favorite hamburger. Possibly I'm out to get you (simply joking).

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

When I bite in, I require to see a little shimmer, some glowing from the beef and possibly a little grease running down 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 assist lock in the juices, however not too crusty.