How to Master the Ideal Griddle Patty

There is no end to the number of tasty burgers you can make, however here are 12 that will make your mouth water.

By J. Kenji Lpez-AltJ. Kenji Lpez-Alt writes a column for The New York Times on food and science, and he establishes dishes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is also the creator and host of Kenji's Cooking Program on YouTube. This video and article become part of, our series on cooking area basics.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs a professional chef, food writer and cookbook author, I've invested the last two decades of my career rigorously investigating and testing dishes, techniques and widely accepted cooking area wisdom to determine the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually run multiple hamburger joints and even wrote a month-to-month column for Serious Eats called the Hamburger Laboratory, in which I isolated and tested every possible variable that can affect the flavor and texture of a hamburger.

That does not suggest you can't aim for something much better. Here are the most important ideas I have actually found for optimizing your hamburger experience, whether in the yard or the cooking area. Working ground beef excessive can cause it to end up being dense. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

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In bread, this can be an advantage, but with burgers, overhandling can create an unwanted thick texture. (Integrating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional seasoning, like onions and herbs, also requires you to exhaust 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 need to have a firm texture, however with burgers, you want looseness. A burger ought to be tender, with plenty of pockets for juices and rendered fat to collect.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Whether you're making a huge hamburger 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 hamburgers, wait till your pan or grill is hot before adding the patties, and prepare them until they're well browned on both sides.

This takes full advantage of taste while keeping juiciness. Do not let your patties sit around on the cutting board (or worse, a steam table). Hamburgers are at their best fresh from the fire, before any juices have had a chance to leak 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 fan. 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 may confess that a cheeseburger is my preferred food. Even if you do, it's most likely we don't have the same concept of what makes the perfect hamburger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, added some brand-new ones and continued to end the ones I know individuals like however I just. do not. get. Yes, I know your favorite isn't there. Perhaps we have various taste. Possibly I have not attempted your preferred hamburger yet. Perhaps I'm out to get you (just kidding).

There's one ideal burg out there for everyone. Let me show you what makes the ideal hamburger for me. Let's start with the patty. Can I say I'm growing a little sick of smashburgers? The finest ones astonishingly stay juicy with just a tip of flaky char around the edges, however unfortunately, the majority of places go too hard on the smash.

When I bite in, I require to see a little sparkle, some shining from the beef and perhaps a little grease running down the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I always go with a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty should be burnt to help lock in the juices, but not too crusty.