Skip to main content
Epicurious
Bon Appétit

The Basically Burger

By Claire Saffitz
Image may contain Burger and Food
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Anna Billingskog

A great burger is not about a fancy brioche bun or homemade ketchup. It’s about achieving the ideal proportion of juicy, cheese-cloaked beef, sharp onion, crunchy lettuce, and sweet-tangy “special sauce,” wrapped in a soft toasted bun. This one nails it.

What you’ll need

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

Read More
Steak Salad With Feta Dressing
Juicy steak, crisp lettuce, and a blender dressing come together for a breezy summer dinner.
Juicy Bison Burger With Cucumber–Red Onion Slaw
Upgrade any cookout—or keep the cooking on the stovetop—with these smashed cast-iron bison burgers, then stack with lemon mayo and a crisp cucumber-onion slaw.
Coney Island Hot Dogs
Be the cookout MVP with our recipe for Coney dogs—beef franks topped with meat sauce, chopped onions, and a squidge of yellow mustard.
Steak With Cherry Tomato Chutney
A steak dinner that’s more about the sauce than the meat.
Jalapeño Popper Skillet Tacos
Roasted poblanos, jalapeños, and red onion are coated with a melty sauce—warm with the flavors of pepper jack, and stabilized with a block of cream cheese.
Chicken and Cabbage Stir-Fry
Juicy ground chicken and charred cabbage are the stars of this family-friendly meal.
Gingery Pork Stuffed Tomatoes
We reimagined pork dumplings as a filling for juicy stuffed tomatoes.
Spiced Meatballs With Golden Raisin–Pistachio Pilaf
Spiced, tender meatballs get cooked atop a bed of rice pilaf speckled with pistachios and plump golden raisins in this quick, one-pot dinner.