Mastering Chef Flat-Top Styles in the Home

There is no end to the variety of tasty burgers 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 establishes dishes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is likewise the creator and host of Kenji's Cooking Show on YouTube. This video and article belong to, our series on kitchen area basics.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs a professional chef, food author and cookbook author, I have actually invested the last 2 years of my profession rigorously researching and checking dishes, techniques and commonly accepted cooking area knowledge to determine the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've run numerous burger joints and even wrote a regular monthly column for Serious Eats called the Burger Lab, in which I separated and tested every possible variable that can impact the flavor and texture of a burger.

That does not indicate you can't aim for something much better. Here are the most crucial pointers I've found for enhancing your hamburger experience, whether in the yard or the kitchen. Working hamburger too much can cause it to become dense. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

New Gourmet French Fry Secrets for the Home

In bread, this can be a good idea, however with burgers, overhandling can create an unwanted thick texture. (Including extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional flavoring, like onions and herbs, likewise requires you to overwork 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 connect more easily. This is an advantage in sausages, which need to have a company texture, however with burgers, you desire looseness. A hamburger needs to be tender, with a lot of pockets for juices and rendered fat to collect.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

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

This optimizes flavor while preserving juiciness. Do not let your patties sit around on the cutting board (or even worse, a steam table). Burgers are at their finest fresh from the fire, before any juices have actually had a possibility to leak out.

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

How to Master the Ultimate Flat-Top Patty

Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI've constantly been a hamburger enthusiast. Maturing, I 'd gladly chew them down at sit-down restaurants and from the drive-thru getting 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 ideal day and I may confess that a cheeseburger is my favorite food. Actually, I may say that on the majority of days. And you might state the same. But even if you do, it's likely we do not have the very same concept of what makes the ideal hamburger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

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

There's one best burg out there for everybody. Let me share with you what makes the ideal hamburger for me. Let's begin with the patty. Can I state I'm growing a little fed up with smashburgers? The very best ones amazingly remain 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 need to see a little sparkle, some glistening from the beef and maybe a little grease diminishing the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I constantly go with a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty must be burnt to assist secure the juices, but not too crusty.