If there is one thing social media has been giving us over the last few years, it is countless, and sometimes alarming, food trends.
Almost every month there is something new in the social media archives to talk about. And recently, it’s 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 it and sent the internet into a frenzy.
While this method for cooking meat is nothing new, using it for hamburgers might feel like they are coming out improperly. And if you read through the comments below the video, it is pretty apparent that this is a very controversial topic indeed.
Critics argue that the technique may render the burger soggy instead of juicy, leaving a lot to be desired in terms of taste and texture.
Some have suggested adding seasonings to enhance the flavour even further, pointing out that a lack of seasoning could undermine the overall experience. There is also a section of users who view the water burger trend as a mere gimmick aimed at garnering attention and generating views on the internet.
They claim that the person behind the trend has a history of sharing bizarre food experiments that do not necessarily yield appetising results.
“Boiled hamburger, absolutely not,” commented one concerned user. Another user echoed the sentiment: “So this is a thing, but she used way too much water. It’s supposed to be enough to simmer, not boil.”
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 Elliot 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 social media, this hack by Elliot might be a more elegant and simple way to achieve the same result.
You can read the latest Food digimag here.