Food - News
How To Prevent Burgers From Shrinking When Grilling Them
By REBECCA CHERICO
Chef Vanessa Cantave, a New York-based caterer, told Mashed that burger mass loss is common when cooking ground meat. As she put it, "with all that fat melting, your burger is going to lose about 30% of its volume." The elements that impact the rate and amount of shrinkage are the amount of fat in your meat, the moisture content, and the heat at which you cook the burgers.
Many stores add water and salt to boost the weight of their meat products, which will quickly cook away once the patties hit a hot surface — so check the label for what's inside and avoid additives. Leaner meat shrinks less but also yields a less juicy burger; a juicy but not too-fatty option is 80% lean meat.
Pauline Loughlin at I Really Like Food suggests putting a "dimple" in the middle of your burger and Cantave says she shapes the patties a little wider and flatter; a wider burger with a slight middle depression avoids meat loss in the critical zones. Loughlin also says that a lower heat will prevent some shrinkage, so not closing the lid on your grill will help keep the burgers intact.