Adding water to a pan-fried burger I picked up this trick from one of the restaurants I used to work at. 

When cooking a beef hamburger on a med-high stove-top, they would add a half ounce of water midway through cooking and cover the pan. It's the only way I cook my burgers now, as I've noticed a significant difference in fat content reduction.


Can anyone explain the science behind this reduced fat content?
With this method, you are effectively steaming the meat which allows the top of the burger to cook directly, instead of the gradient heating that happens from pan to bottom to top of the burger. Therefore the cooking time will be reduced because you can cook for less time once you flip to the other side.

I've not seen this technique used to reduce the fat content before, and I can't comment on the science behind that.