New High-End French Fry Secrets for the Home

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 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 also the developer and host of Kenji's Cooking Program on YouTube. This video and article belong to, our series on kitchen fundamentals.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs a professional chef, food author and cookbook author, I have actually spent the last twenty years of my career rigorously researching and testing recipes, techniques and widely accepted kitchen area wisdom to determine the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually operated multiple burger joints and even wrote a monthly column for Serious Eats called the Burger Lab, in which I separated and checked every possible variable that can impact the flavor and texture of a hamburger.

Here are the most crucial pointers I have actually found for enhancing your hamburger experience, whether in the yard or the kitchen area. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Steps for Crispy Golden Fries

In bread, this can be a good idea, however with hamburgers, overhandling can produce an unwanted dense texture. (Including extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional seasoning, like onions and herbs, likewise requires 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 great thing in sausages, which should have a firm texture, but with burgers, you desire looseness. A burger must be tender, with plenty of pockets for juices and rendered fat to gather.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

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

This maximizes flavor while maintaining juiciness. Do not 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 had a chance to leak out.

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

Advanced Cooking Techniques for Juicier Hand-Pressed Patties

Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI have actually always been a hamburger lover. 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 ideal day and I may admit that a cheeseburger is my preferred food. Really, I might say that on many days. And you might say the exact same. Even if you do, it's likely we don't have the exact same idea 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 simply. Possibly I haven't attempted your favorite burger. Maybe I'm out to get you (just kidding).

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

When I bite in, I need to see a little sparkle, some sparkling from the beef and possibly 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 should be scorched to assist secure the juices, but not too crusty.