Savory Outdoor Dinner Inspiration for the Future

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

J. Kenji Lpez-Alt writes 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.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs an expert chef, food author and cookbook author, I've spent the last 20 years of my career rigorously investigating and checking recipes, strategies and extensively accepted kitchen knowledge to find out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually run several burger joints and even wrote a month-to-month column for Serious Eats called the Burger Lab, in which I separated and evaluated every possible variable that can impact the taste and texture of a hamburger.

However that doesn't indicate you can't go for something better. Here are the most important pointers I've found for enhancing your burger experience, whether in the backyard or the kitchen area. Working hamburger too much can cause it to end up being dense. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Choosing the Best Meats for Savory Burgers

In bread, this can be an advantage, but with hamburgers, overhandling can create an undesirable thick texture. (Incorporating extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or extra seasoning, like onions and herbs, likewise forces 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.

Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Salt breaks down muscle proteins and assists them to connect more quickly. This is a great thing in sausages, which must have a company texture, but with hamburgers, you desire looseness. A hamburger ought to be tender, with plenty of pockets for juices and rendered fat to collect.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Browning your patties deeply maximizes flavor. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York City 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 key. For thicker grilled or griddled hamburgers, wait up until your pan or grill is hot before adding the patties, and cook them till they're well browned on both sides.

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

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

Savory Summer Dinner Ideas for 2026

Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI've always been a burger fan. 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. In fact, I may state that on many days. And you might state the very same. Even if you do, it's most likely we don't have the very same concept of what makes the perfect hamburger.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

I kept some old favorites, included some brand-new ones and continued to end the ones I know people like however I just. do not. get. Yes, I know your favorite isn't there. Maybe we have various taste. Perhaps I haven't tried your preferred hamburger. Possibly I'm out to get you (just joking).

Let me share with you what makes the best 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 constantly choose a double patty. Smashburger or not, the patty must be burnt to help secure the juices, but not too crusty.