How to Make Perfect Restaurant-Style Sides

There is no end to the variety of scrumptious hamburgers you can make, however here are 12 that will make your mouth water.

By J. Kenji Lpez-AltJ. Kenji Lpez-Alt composes a column for The New York Times on food and science, and he develops dishes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is likewise the developer and host of Kenji's Cooking Program on YouTube. This video and article become part of, our series on kitchen area fundamentals.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs a professional chef, food writer and cookbook author, I've spent the last 2 years of my profession rigorously researching and testing recipes, methods and widely accepted kitchen area knowledge to determine the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've operated multiple burger joints and even wrote a regular monthly column for Serious Eats called the Burger Lab, in which I isolated and evaluated every possible variable that can affect the taste and texture of a burger.

That does not mean you can't aim for something much better. Here are the most essential ideas I have actually discovered for enhancing your burger experience, whether in the yard or the kitchen. Working ground beef too much can trigger it to end up being dense. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

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In bread, this can be an advantage, but with burgers, overhandling can produce an unwanted dense texture. (Integrating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional flavoring, like onions and herbs, likewise forces you to exhaust 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 helps them to link more quickly. This is a good idea in sausages, which ought to have a firm texture, but with burgers, you desire looseness. A hamburger needs to hurt, with a lot of pockets for juices and rendered fat to collect.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Whether you're making a big hamburger on the grill or a crisp-edged smash burger on a frying pan, browning is flavor, and high heat is essential. For thicker grilled or griddled hamburgers, wait until your pan or grill is hot before including the patties, and prepare them up until they're well browned on both sides.

This maximizes flavor while preserving juiciness. Don't let your patties sit around on the cutting board (or worse, a steam table). Burgers are at their best fresh from the fire, before any juices have actually 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 always been a burger lover. Maturing, I 'd gladly munch them down at sit-down restaurants and from the drive-thru coming home from gymnastics practice. I 'd crush 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 preferred food. Even if you do, it's most likely we don't have the same idea of what makes the perfect burger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, added some brand-new ones and continued to leave off the ones I know individuals like but I just. Possibly I haven't attempted your preferred burger. Possibly I'm out to get you (just kidding).

There's one ideal burg out there for everybody. Let me share with you what makes the best burger for me. Let's begin with the patty. Can I state I'm growing a little fed up with smashburgers? The finest ones amazingly remain juicy with simply a hint of flaky char around the edges, however regrettably, many locations go too tough on the smash.

When I bite in, I require to see a little sparkle, some glowing from the beef and perhaps a little grease running down the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I constantly choose a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty needs to be seared to assist lock in the juices, however not too crusty.