Using Chef Flat-Top Styles in the Home

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 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 Program on YouTube.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs a professional chef, food writer and cookbook author, I've spent the last twenty years of my career rigorously looking into and testing dishes, strategies and widely accepted kitchen area wisdom to determine the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've run several burger joints and even composed a monthly column for Serious Consumes called the Burger Lab, in which I isolated and tested every possible variable that can impact the taste and texture of a burger.

Here are the most important ideas I've discovered for optimizing your hamburger experience, whether in the backyard or the kitchen area. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Optimal Temperature Control for Savory Grilled Patties

In bread, this can be an excellent thing, but with hamburgers, overhandling can create an unwanted dense texture. (Integrating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or extra seasoning, like onions and herbs, likewise forces 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.

Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Salt breaks down muscle proteins and assists them to link more quickly. This is an advantage in sausages, which must have a firm texture, but with burgers, you want looseness. A hamburger must be tender, with a lot of pockets for juices and rendered fat to collect.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Browning your patties deeply takes full advantage of taste. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York 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 burgers, wait until your pan or grill is hot before including the patties, and prepare them until 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 eating a lot quicker. Credit ... Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Do not let your patties relax on the cutting board (or worse, a steam table). Burgers are at their finest fresh from the fire, before any juices have had an opportunity to drip 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've constantly been a burger enthusiast. Maturing, I 'd gladly chew them down at sit-down restaurants and from the drive-thru getting back from gymnastics practice. I 'd squish 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).

Capture me on the right day and I might confess that a cheeseburger is my favorite food. Even if you do, it's most likely we don't have the exact 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 know individuals like but I just. do not. get. Yes, I understand your favorite isn't there. Maybe we have different taste. Perhaps I haven't tried your preferred burger yet. Maybe I'm out to get you (just joking).

There's one best burg out there for everybody. Let me share with you what makes the perfect hamburger for me. Let's start with the patty. Can I state I'm growing a little tired of smashburgers? The finest ones unbelievely remain juicy with simply a tip of flaky char around the edges, but sadly, the majority of locations go too hard on the smash.

When I bite in, I need to see a little sparkle, some sparkling from the beef and perhaps 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 should be seared to assist secure the juices, however not too crusty.