Elite Savory Burger Templates for 2026

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

J. Kenji Lpez-Alt composes a column for The New York 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 Program on YouTube.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs a professional chef, food writer and cookbook author, I've spent the last twenty years of my profession rigorously researching and evaluating dishes, techniques and widely accepted kitchen area wisdom to find out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually run multiple hamburger joints and even wrote a regular monthly column for Serious Eats called the Burger Laboratory, in which I separated and evaluated every possible variable that can impact the taste and texture of a burger.

But that doesn't imply you can't intend for something much better. Here are the most important suggestions I've found for optimizing your burger experience, whether in the backyard 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.

Preparing Restaurant-Quality Side Fries in Your Home

In bread, this can be a good idea, however with burgers, overhandling can develop an unwanted thick texture. (Integrating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or extra seasoning, like onions and herbs, likewise requires you to overwork the meat and sidetrack from the beef flavor, so skip it.) Salting the exterior of 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 hamburgers, you desire looseness. A burger ought to hurt, with lots of pockets for juices and rendered fat to gather.

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 taste, and high heat is key. For thicker grilled or griddled hamburgers, wait 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 keeping juiciness. Don't let your patties sit around on the cutting board (or even worse, a steam table). Hamburgers are at their best fresh from the fire, before any juices have had an opportunity to drip out.

Smash BurgersCredit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City 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.

Creative Savory Dinner Ideas for Passionate Kitchens

Updated May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI have actually constantly 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).

Capture me on the right day and I may admit that a cheeseburger is my preferred food. In fact, I may say that on a lot of days. And you might state the very same. However even if you do, it's most likely we don't have the same concept of what makes the best burger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

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

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

When I bite in, I need to see a little sparkle, some glowing from the beef and maybe 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 help secure the juices, but not too crusty.