Butter-Toast, No-Smash, Perfect Patties: Chef-Backed Rules for Juicy Home Burgers

A Fontainebleau executive chef shares how to avoid common burger mistakes at home to achieve restaurant-quality results: toast buns in butter to build flavor and crust (instead of soaking them in patty juices), rest burgers for 3–4 minutes after cooking, avoid smashing the patties while they cook (smash only when raw for crust), keep patties uniform in size, use a digital thermometer and pull heat about 5 degrees early for carryover cooking, and let the meat come to room temperature briefly before cooking; brioche or potato buns are preferred but any bun works, with gentle heat to prevent burning on the grill.