After ‘Vodka Butter’ and ‘Girl Dinners’, there’s another food trend that’s gotten the Internet engaged in righteous debate. This time it’s the contentious ‘Water Burgers’.
Contrary to what the name might suggest, these burgers are not some exaggerated diet version of the popular comfort food. ‘Water Burgers’ are regular burgers with their patties cooked, or rather boiled, in water instead of on a grill or seared in oil. The trend started on TikTok and migrated to Instagram where user Joshua Godfrey (@JoshandMomma) tried the trend and sent the Internet into a frenzy.
What are ‘Water Burgers’?
Usually, the patty is shallow fried in oil or grilled for a burger. This latest viral food trend calls for the patty to be cooked in boiling water instead. According to trend supporters, this technique makes the patty juicier by retaining moisture and also adds a whole new layer of flavour to it. The opposing camp argues that it only makes the patty soggy and brings nothing to the table flavour-wise.
Does the technique really work?
‘Water Burgers’ might be new on the Internet but the technique to make meat juicier using boiling water is not new. East Asian cuisines use this technique to make the meat filling in dumplings juicier. Former MasterChef judge Graham Elliott has previously shared a hack for making burger patties juicier where he placed an ice cube in the centre of the patty while cooking it for the same effect. While the ‘Water Burger’ is a great way to capture eyeballs and gain traction on Instagram, this hack by Elliott might be a more elegant and simple way to achieve the same end result.
Would you try making your burgers this way?
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