Savory Outdoor Dinner Inspiration for 2026

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 recipes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is likewise the creator and host of Kenji's Cooking Show on YouTube. This video and short article are part of, our series on cooking area basics.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food author and cookbook author, I have actually spent the last twenty years of my profession rigorously investigating and testing recipes, techniques and commonly accepted kitchen wisdom to find out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've run multiple hamburger joints and even composed a regular monthly column for Serious Consumes called the Burger Laboratory, in which I separated and checked every possible variable that can affect the flavor and texture of a burger.

However that does not mean you can't go for something much better. Here are the most essential suggestions I've found for enhancing your burger experience, whether in the backyard or the kitchen. Working ground beef too much can trigger it to become dense. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

How to Make Crispy Golden Sides

In bread, this can be a good thing, however with hamburgers, overhandling can create an undesirable thick texture. (Including extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or extra flavoring, like onions and herbs, also forces you to strain the meat and sidetrack from the beef flavor, so skip it.) Salting the beyond your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

This is an excellent thing in sausages, which need to have a firm texture, however with burgers, you want looseness. A burger must be tender, with plenty of pockets for juices and rendered fat to gather.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Browning your patties deeply makes the most of taste. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Whether you're making a big burger on the grill or a crisp-edged smash burger on a frying pan, browning is flavor, and high heat is crucial. For thicker grilled or griddled burgers, wait up until your pan or grill is hot before including the patties, and cook them till they're well browned on both sides.

This maximizes taste while preserving juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to eating so much quicker. Credit ... Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Do not let your patties relax on the cutting board (or even worse, a steam table). Hamburgers are at their finest fresh from the fire, before any juices have had an opportunity to leak out.

Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

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Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI've constantly been a burger enthusiast. Maturing, I 'd gladly chew them down at sit-down restaurants and from the drive-thru getting home from gymnastics practice. I 'd squish 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).

Catch me on the right day and I might admit that a cheeseburger is my favorite food. In fact, I may say that on the majority of days. And you might state the exact same. Even if you do, it's likely we do not have the exact same concept of what makes the perfect hamburger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, added some new ones and continued to leave off the ones I know people like however I just. Possibly I have not tried your preferred burger. Possibly I'm out to get you (just joking).

There's one perfect burg out there for everybody. Let me show you what makes the best hamburger for me. Let's begin with the patty. Can I say I'm growing a little fed up with smashburgers? The best ones amazingly remain juicy with just a tip of flaky char around the edges, but regrettably, the majority of locations go too difficult on the smash.

When I bite in, I require to see a little sparkle, some shining from the beef and perhaps 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 must be scorched to help secure the juices, however not too crusty.