I do that, after removing the meat. Isn't a.k.a. 'deglazing the pan"?

Well, I meant cooking it off with meat still in pan

Fat doesn't evaporate. Water does. Fat can shrink when incidental water steams off. Fat can also burn off.

If your hamburger releases a lot of water, which it can, if you leave the water, you'll steam your burger. If you're trying to sear it, that's bad. You won't get a good caramelization, and it'll be gray. If you've already seared it before the water migrates out, steaming for the rest of the cook could help keep it juicy. Lots of pros add a squirt of liquid when something is mostly cooked to steam it. The liquid can also kind of wash off some of your seasoning.

Try it. What have you lost if you don't like the outcome compared to value of knowledge gained?

I hate it when meat is gray, can hardly eat it due to its appearance. Guess I will drain every time. Thank you pillog

Good heavens! Do not drain the moisture off of your meat! That's where the flavor is! If your burgers are releasing a lot of moisture in the pan...up the temperature of the pan before you put them in....your goal is to sear the burgers, brown them and keep that moisture from leaking out.
Fat does not shrink when water steams off....and if fat burns off you will know it by the smoke!
Put your burgers into a very hot pan....don't crowd them as that makes the pan cool off....cook at a fairly high heat, browning them and turn about every2 minutes, until as done as you like them....no need to cook them until they are like a hockey pucks but just until the inside is no longer pink...160 on a meat thermometer.

If you are browning the meat to use in other things- sloppy Joes, taco meat etc. it will only be a little fattier if you don't drain. But it could end up unattractivly greasy, with fat floating on top, if you don't. I always drain.

I deglaze the pan w/ a little water and pour it over the meat.

A.k.a. gravy = )

If you are browning the meat to use in another dish, again....higher heat and less meat in the pan or a larger pan so it browns rather than steams. It's the Malliard reaction that produces the flavor of "browned meat". I use a draining spoon to get browned meat out of the grease in the pan. And remember that 80% lean ground meat is 20% fat and when you drain the grease you are also draining 20% of what you bought.

I'm not disputing Linda's cooking experience or recommendations, but scientists have tested the assertion that searing seals in the moisture. In fact, searing dries the outside enough to make the inside seem juicier by comparison, but it doesn't prevent the moisture from coming out. As to whether you should drain off excess water, it depends on your meat. Some meat, especially ground beef, has a lot of loose water in it. Some doesn't have much water at all. The flavor you want to keep is in fat. Other than where the seasoning might have washed off into the water, the water itself doesn't have much flavor. The good sear you get when there's no water in your pan, has the most flavor of all.

After draining, separating the liquid results in fat thrown away and "juice" added back to the meat.

AL

helps with that clay-based soil ... and is a great fertilizer

This may be the strangest thread we have ever had under square foot gardening.

When you cook burgers at a high heat, it browns and evaporates the liquid at the same time. in order for meat to brown, not to turn brown as in no longer pink, but to "brown" as in produce a mailliard effect, the moisture has to evaporate first. When cooking a steak, if you dry the surface the outside will brown faster. But that is impossible to do with hamburger.....so you use a very hot pan!

This was a cross posting for some reason but lots of myth-busting in the kitchen and in gardening the past decade.

ModenistCusine, FoodLab, ...

No moisture/water at all in my burger pan.

If you are game, try something new....like a dry brine. On a flat dinner or salad plate, place your formed burgers, fresh formed or frozen fully thawed, on a folded p-towel. Top with a dry rub....about a loose light tBsp. Rub a bit to cover the topside only. Place in fridge un-covered for 4-6 hours up to 8 hours. -I use a homemade umami blend similar to the TraderJoe's umami without any of the salt. Just use pepper for a test. Pepper/spice blend side down in a pre-heated cast iron....or your handy pan of choice. Straight from the cold fridge. Medium to medium high...no need for the testosterone hot-as-heck to smoking point.

All our burners are different as are our pans...let that first side down gain a sear/crust and slide in the pan. The top side will still be visually raw....then flip and go one minute for rare/med-rare, another minute for pink/medium...further for well done. An easy method to give every family member what they want and still have a nice crust on that one, now top, side.

Put your 'well done' teens preferred burger at 12oclock and work around.

I do the same with a roast chicken or duck...dry rub, then often overnight in the fridge un-covered....= crispy skin.

I can put six burgers in my larger cast iron and have everyones preferred cooking with out any water in the pan. If some like cheese....add that after flipping, then add a lid for 30 seconds to steam and melt the cheese.

If you are browning ground beef to use in a recipe, season the meat after you drain off the liquid or you are pouring your seasonings down the drain.

I sometimes drain and RINSE the meat after cooking; back in the pan, add seasonings and heat ... especially for tacos. I loathe greasy tacos...

I don't buy cheap ground beef, very little moisture comes out.

I was going to say what Colleen said. It's about the quality of your meat. No water will come out of good beef. I buy 5% fat beef which some would find too lean, for burgers. I like them rare in the middle so they're not dry. I think if you want a well done burger, you'd need more fat in it. It shouldn't need draining. If you can't get good mince, mince your own meat. You'll see a world of difference.

I used to know a local butcher. He told me that unethical butchers add shaved ice to the meat as it is ground to increase the weight. ( I am not saying that is the case in all ground meat. )

So, I prefer to grill the burgers. But also, I like to cook them on the pan because it gives them a tasty sear. Well, you should hot the pan very well. After that, you can put the meat on high heat. Cook them for three minutes on each side. Don't overcook because you can get dry burgers. My advice is to choose the rest of the ingredients carefully and choose baking your buns. The perfect homemade buns need to weigh each ingredient on a food scale weight. Choose that recipe that includes milk and butter, so they are more fluffy.

I find that giving a burger a short burst (1 minute in my microwave) removes a lot of watery stuff, so the burger browns better on the stove, and doesn't spit all over the hot plate.

This thread may have been revived for nefarious reason but there is a way around needing to drain.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda per lb of ground beef. The meat will keep the liquid and it is easier to properly brown the meat. Usually I'll add it right after I put the meat in the pan but have added it later when I've forgotten and it still helps.

I Can’t Believe How Well This One-Ingredient Trick Works for Cooking Ground Beef | The Kitchn