Delicious Outdoor Dinner Inspiration for 2026

There is no end to the number of delicious hamburgers you can make, but here are 12 that will make your mouth water.

By J. Kenji Lpez-AltJ. Kenji Lpez-Alt writes a column for The New york city Times on food and science, and he establishes dishes and appears in videos for NYT Cooking. He is also the creator and host of Kenji's Cooking Program on YouTube. This video and short article belong to, our series on kitchen area basics.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food author and cookbook author, I have actually spent the last two decades of my career carefully investigating and checking recipes, methods and commonly accepted kitchen area wisdom to figure out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually operated multiple hamburger joints and even wrote a monthly column for Serious Consumes called the Hamburger Lab, in which I isolated and evaluated every possible variable that can affect the taste and texture of a hamburger.

Here are the most crucial pointers I've found for optimizing your hamburger experience, whether in the backyard or the kitchen area. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

How to Make Perfect Restaurant-Style Sides

In bread, this can be a good idea, but with burgers, overhandling can create an unwanted dense texture. (Incorporating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or extra seasoning, like onions and herbs, likewise forces you to strain the meat and distract from the beef flavor, 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 a good thing in sausages, which must have a company texture, however with burgers, you want looseness. A burger must be tender, with a lot of pockets for juices and rendered fat to gather.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Browning your patties deeply maximizes flavor. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. 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 crucial. For thicker grilled or griddled hamburgers, wait until your pan or grill is hot before adding the patties, and prepare them until they're well browned on both sides.

This takes full advantage of taste while maintaining juiciness. 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 chance to drip out.

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

Better Temperature Management for Better Seared Patties

Updated May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI have actually always been a hamburger lover. Growing up, I 'd happily munch them down at sit-down dining establishments 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 best day and I may confess that a cheeseburger is my preferred food. Really, I might state that on many days. And you may state the very same. But even if you do, it's likely we don't have the very same concept of what makes the best hamburger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, added some brand-new ones and continued to end the ones I know individuals like but I just. do not. get. Yes, I know your favorite isn't there. Possibly we have different taste. Perhaps I haven't tried your favorite burger. Perhaps I'm out to get you (just joking).

Let me share with you what makes the best hamburger for me. Let's begin with the patty.

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