Chef-Level Cooking Techniques for Juicier Hand-Pressed Patties

There is no end to the number of tasty burgers you can make, but 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 Show on YouTube.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs a professional chef, food author and cookbook author, I've spent the last two years of my career carefully researching and evaluating recipes, strategies and widely accepted kitchen knowledge to figure out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually run numerous hamburger joints and even composed a month-to-month column for Serious Consumes called the Hamburger Laboratory, in which I separated and tested every possible variable that can impact the taste and texture of a burger.

Here are the most crucial tips I've found for optimizing your burger experience, whether in the yard or the cooking area. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

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In bread, this can be an excellent thing, but with hamburgers, overhandling can create an undesirable thick texture. (Integrating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional seasoning, like onions and herbs, likewise forces you to strain the meat and distract from the beef taste, so skip it.) Salting the beyond your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

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

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Browning your patties deeply optimizes 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 crucial. For thicker grilled or griddled burgers, wait until your pan or grill is hot before adding the patties, and cook them up until they're well browned on both sides.

This optimizes flavor while keeping juiciness. Do not 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 possibility 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 always been a hamburger fan. Growing up, I 'd happily chomp them down at sit-down restaurants and from the drive-thru getting home from gymnastics practice. I 'd crush 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).

Catch me on the best day and I may confess that a cheeseburger is my favorite food. Really, I may say that on many days. And you might state the exact same. But even if you do, it's most likely we do not have the same concept of what makes the best burger.

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 but I just. Possibly I haven't attempted your favorite hamburger. Perhaps I'm out to get you (just joking).

There's one ideal burg out there for everyone. Let me share with you what makes the perfect hamburger for me. Let's start with the patty. Can I say I'm growing a little sick of smashburgers? The best ones unbelievely remain juicy with simply a hint of flaky char around the edges, however sadly, many locations go too tough on the smash.

When I bite in, I need to see a little sparkle, some glowing from the beef and possibly a little grease diminishing 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 scorched to help secure the juices, however not too crusty.