Essential Outdoor Grilling Hacks

There is no end to the number of scrumptious 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 city Times on food and science, and he establishes dishes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is likewise the creator and host of Kenji's Cooking Program on YouTube. This video and article are part of, our series on kitchen area fundamentals.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food writer and cookbook author, I have actually invested the last 20 years of my career carefully researching and checking recipes, techniques and extensively accepted kitchen area wisdom to figure out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've run multiple hamburger joints and even wrote a month-to-month column for Serious Eats called the Burger Laboratory, in which I separated and checked every possible variable that can affect the taste and texture of a hamburger.

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

A Ultimate Guide to Smashed Cooking Success

In bread, this can be a good thing, but with hamburgers, overhandling can develop an unwanted dense texture. (Including extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or extra spices, like onions and herbs, also requires you to exhaust the meat and sidetrack 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 desire looseness. A hamburger needs to be tender, with plenty of pockets for juices and rendered fat to gather.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

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

This maximizes flavor while maintaining juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to consuming so much quicker. Credit ... Bryan Gardner for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Do not let your patties relax on the cutting board (or even worse, a steam table). Hamburgers are at their best fresh from the fire, before any juices have actually had a possibility to leak out.

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

A Ultimate Guide to Smashed Grilling Success

Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI've always been a burger lover. Growing up, I 'd gladly munch 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).

Catch me on the right day and I might confess that a cheeseburger is my preferred food. In fact, I may say that on a lot of days. And you might state the same. Even if you do, it's likely we don't have the same idea of what makes the best burger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, added some new ones and continued to end the ones I know individuals like however I simply. don't. get. Yes, I know your favorite isn't there. Maybe we have various taste. Maybe I haven't tried your favorite hamburger yet. Possibly I'm out to get you (just joking).

Let me share with you what makes the best hamburger for me. Let's begin with the patty.

When I bite in, I require to see a little shimmer, some glowing from the beef and possibly 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 must be seared to assist secure the juices, but not too crusty.