Savory Summer Dinner Ideas for 2026

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 city Times on food and science, and he establishes 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 article become part of, our series on kitchen area basics.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food writer and cookbook author, I have actually invested the last 2 years of my profession rigorously researching and testing recipes, techniques and extensively accepted kitchen knowledge to determine the whys of cooking. Over this time, I've operated multiple hamburger joints and even composed a regular monthly column for Serious Consumes called the Hamburger Laboratory, in which I isolated and evaluated every possible variable that can impact the taste and texture of a burger.

That does not mean you can't aim for something better. Here are the most important suggestions I've discovered for enhancing your burger experience, whether in the backyard or the kitchen area. Working hamburger 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 undesirable dense texture. (Integrating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or additional flavoring, like onions and herbs, likewise requires you to overwork the meat and sidetrack from the beef taste, so avoid it.) Salting the beyond your patties keeps their texture loose and tender.

Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Salt breaks down muscle proteins and assists them to connect more quickly. This is an excellent thing in sausages, which need to have a company texture, but with burgers, you desire looseness. A hamburger needs to be tender, with a lot of pockets for juices and rendered fat to gather.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

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

This makes the most of taste while preserving juiciness. Preparing your buns ahead of time lets you get to consuming so much faster. Credit ... Bryan Gardner for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Don't let your patties sit around on the cutting board (or even worse, a steam table). Hamburgers are at their finest fresh from the fire, before any juices have had a possibility 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 happily chomp 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).

Catch me on the ideal day and I may admit 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 ideal burger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, included some new ones and continued to leave off the ones I understand individuals like but I simply. Perhaps I haven't attempted your favorite burger. Maybe I'm out to get you (simply kidding).

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

When I bite in, I require to see a little sparkle, some glowing from the beef and possibly a little grease running down the sides. When I see a smashburger on the menu, I always opt for a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty needs to be scorched to assist secure the juices, but not too crusty.