Using Chef Griddle Methods in the Home

There is no end to the number of delicious hamburgers you can make, but here are 12 that will make your mouth water.

J. Kenji Lpez-Alt writes a column for The New York Times on food and science, and he develops recipes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is also the creator and host of Kenji's Cooking Show on YouTube.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food author and cookbook author, I've invested the last 20 years of my profession carefully researching and testing recipes, strategies and commonly accepted cooking area knowledge to determine the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've operated several burger joints and even wrote a month-to-month column for Serious Eats called the Burger Lab, in which I separated and evaluated every possible variable that can affect the flavor and texture of a hamburger.

However that doesn't indicate you can't go for something much better. Here are the most essential ideas I've found for optimizing your hamburger experience, whether in the yard or the cooking area. Working hamburger too much can trigger it to end up being thick. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Crafting Golden-Brown Side Fries in Your Home

In bread, this can be a good thing, however with hamburgers, overhandling can produce an undesirable thick texture. (Incorporating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional flavoring, like onions and herbs, also requires you to overwork the meat and distract from the beef taste, so avoid it.) Salting the exterior of your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

This is a good thing in sausages, which should have a firm texture, but with burgers, you want looseness. A burger ought to be tender, with plenty of pockets for juices and rendered fat to gather.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Browning your patties deeply takes full advantage of 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 burger on a griddle, browning is flavor, and high heat is essential. For thicker grilled or griddled hamburgers, wait up until your pan or grill is hot before adding the patties, and prepare them up until they're well browned on both sides.

This takes full advantage of flavor while keeping 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 had an opportunity to leak out.

Smash BurgersCredit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Restaurant 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.

Mastering Chef Griddle Methods in the Home

Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI have actually constantly been a hamburger fan. Maturing, I 'd gladly chomp them down at sit-down restaurants and from the drive-thru getting back from gymnastics practice. I 'd squish 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 might admit that a cheeseburger is my preferred food. In fact, I may say that on most days. And you might say the very same. Even if you do, it's most likely we do not have the exact same concept of what makes the best hamburger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, added some new ones and continued to leave off the ones I understand individuals like however I simply. Perhaps I have not tried your favorite burger. Maybe I'm out to get you (just joking).

There's one ideal burg out there for everyone. Let me show you what makes the best burger for me. Let's start with the patty. Can I say I'm growing a little fed up with smashburgers? The finest ones unbelievely remain juicy with just a tip of flaky char around the edges, but unfortunately, most places go too hard on the smash.

When I bite in, I need to see a little shimmer, some shining from the beef and possibly a little grease diminishing the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I always opt for a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty should be burnt to assist lock in the juices, but not too crusty.