These are a pretty straight-up, classic cheeseburger—except that they defy one of the most notorious myths of burger-making: to never smash the patties down while they're cooking, or the juices will run out and they'll go dry and tough. But if you smash your burger as soon as it hits the skillet—while the meat and fat are still cold—there won't be any juices (yet) to lose. You'll maximize the points of contact with the raging hot pan, so it all sears into a salty, beefy crust. But even more than the noted benefits of smashing, I love this burger because it also takes out pretty much all guesswork. As long as you have an extremely hot pan and you follow the protocol, this all happens so fast that you don't need to test anything for doneness, you just need to move. <br />Adapted slightly from J. Kenji López-Alt and <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/03/ultra-smashed-cheeseburger-recipe-food-lab.html"><strong>Serious Eats</strong></a>. For more on Smashed Burgers and many many more brilliant recipes, check out <a href="https://food52.com/shop/products/2853-the-food-lab-better-home-cooking-through-science-signed-copy"><strong>The Food Lab</strong></a>,

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