Essential Summer Grilling Tips for 2026

There is no end to the number of delicious burgers 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 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 post are part of, our series on cooking area fundamentals.

Credit ... Adam CentrellaAs a professional chef, food writer and cookbook author, I've spent the last twenty years of my profession rigorously looking into and checking recipes, strategies and widely accepted kitchen knowledge to find out the whys of cooking. Over this time, I have actually run multiple hamburger joints and even composed a month-to-month column for Serious Eats called the Hamburger Laboratory, in which I isolated and tested every possible variable that can affect the taste and texture of a burger.

Here are the most important suggestions I've discovered for enhancing your hamburger experience, whether in the yard or the kitchen. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Optimal Temperature Control for Savory Seared Burgers

In bread, this can be a good idea, but with hamburgers, overhandling can produce an unwanted dense texture. (Including extenders, like eggs or breadcrumbs, or extra seasoning, like onions and herbs, also requires you to strain the meat and distract 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 link more easily. This is a great thing in sausages, which ought to have a company texture, but with hamburgers, you desire looseness. A burger should be tender, with plenty of pockets for juices and rendered fat to collect.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Browning your patties deeply takes full advantage of flavor. Credit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Whether you're making a big hamburger on the grill or a crisp-edged smash burger on a griddle, browning is flavor, and high heat is crucial. For thicker grilled or griddled burgers, wait until your pan or grill is hot before including the patties, and prepare them till they're well browned on both sides.

This makes the most of flavor while keeping juiciness. Do not 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 actually had an opportunity to drip out.

Smash BurgersCredit ... Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Restaurant 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.

How to Master the Ultimate Griddle Patty

Upgraded May 7, 2026, 8:42 a.m. CTI've always been a hamburger fan. Growing up, I 'd gladly chew 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).

Catch me on the best day and I may admit that a cheeseburger is my favorite food. Actually, I may state that on a lot of days. And you might state the same. But even if you do, it's most likely we do not have the very 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 end the ones I understand people like but I simply. do not. get. Yes, I know your favorite isn't there. Maybe we have various taste. Perhaps I haven't tried your favorite hamburger yet. Maybe I'm out to get you (simply kidding).

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 shimmer, some glistening 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 burnt to assist lock in the juices, however not too crusty.