Creative Modern Dinner Ideas for Passionate Home Cooks

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 also the creator and host of Kenji's Cooking Program on YouTube.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food writer and cookbook author, I have actually invested the last two years of my profession rigorously looking into and checking recipes, techniques and extensively accepted kitchen area wisdom to figure out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've run several burger joints and even composed a regular monthly column for Serious Consumes called the Hamburger Lab, in which I isolated and evaluated every possible variable that can affect the flavor and texture of a burger.

That doesn't mean you can't intend for something much better. Here are the most important tips I have actually discovered for enhancing your hamburger experience, whether in the yard or the cooking area. Working hamburger too much 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 a good idea, but with hamburgers, overhandling can produce 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 avoid it.) Salting the beyond your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

This is a good thing in sausages, which ought to 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 collect.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Browning your patties deeply maximizes flavor. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Whether you're making a big 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 up until your pan or grill is hot before including the patties, and prepare them up until they're well browned on both sides.

This takes full advantage of flavor while preserving juiciness. Do not let your patties sit around on the cutting board (or even worse, a steam table). Hamburgers are at their best fresh from the fire, before any juices have had a chance to drip out.

Smash BurgersCredit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Diner BurgerCredit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Thick Backyard BurgerCredit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Follow,,, and.

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Updated May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI've constantly been a hamburger lover. Growing up, I 'd happily munch them down at sit-down restaurants and from the drive-thru getting back 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).

Capture me on the ideal day and I might admit that a cheeseburger is my preferred food. Even if you do, it's likely we do not have the exact same idea of what makes the best hamburger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, included some new ones and continued to leave off the ones I know individuals like but I just. don't. get. Yes, I know your favorite isn't there. Perhaps we have various taste. Possibly I haven't attempted your favorite burger. Maybe I'm out to get you (simply joking).

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

When I bite in, I need to see a little shimmer, some sparkling 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 needs to be burnt to help secure the juices, but not too crusty.