TikTok’s Latest “Water Burger” Craze Has People in a Heated Debate

published Jul 31, 2023
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Burger patties cooking on griddle.
Credit: Emma Christensen

TikTok has the unique ability to show you content that not only inspires, but also teaches you something new in the process. With countless viral recipes worth trying available at your fingertips, it’s no wonder the popular social media app has so many people turning to it for new ideas (like using cottage cheese in a host of different ways) lately. 

The latest TikTok trend we’re seeing? Water burgers — two words together we absolutely never saw coming. 

In a video posted to TikTok by Tbabenailz, the water burger trend is a process of cooking hamburger patties in boiling water. While this method for cooking meat is nothing new, using it for hamburgers might feel like it’s coming out of left field. And if you read through the comments below the video, it’s pretty apparent that this is a very controversial topic indeed.  

“Boiled hamburger, absolutely not,” commented one concerned user. Another user chimed in to echo the sentiment: “So this is a thing but she used way too much water. It’s supposed to be enough to simmer, not boil.”

Although the end result may look like a soft, gray puck of ground beef that most people would probably avoid, there is some merit to this method. Adding just a little bit of water to ground beef can result in juicier burgers that brown easier, but submerging the patties in boiling water does seem a bit extreme. 

If you ask us, sticking to a classic grilled burger is the move you’ll want to make this summer. Although if you find your curiosity getting the best of you and decide to make a water burger, remember what Tbabenailz says in her video: Trust the process!