Bubbles on meat patties | 6 Ways to prevent them

Bubbles will form on meat patties when air is trapped by the fat when cooking. This is more likely to happen if you have added water to the pan or if water is released from the meat patty. Making sure the pan or grill is preheated, salting just before cooking and only adding a small amount of fat will help to prevent bubbles on top of your meat patties.

This article will explore why bubbles form on meat patties and easy steps to stop them.

Why bubbles form on the top of meat patties

Bubbles will form on top of the meat when the fat released from the burger traps air. This is more likely to happen if you add water to the pan which bubbles and steams. The fat will trap the air forming small bubbles on the top.

There is nothing wrong with eating the bubbles. Most of the time they will pop and the fat will flow back over the burger and into the pan.

You can scrape the bubbles and the fat off with a spatula. You can also take the burgers out of the pan when they are cooked and absorb the excess fat with some paper towel.

How to stop bubbles forming on the top of meat patties

Here are 6 easy steps to stop bubbles from forming on top of the meat patties.

1. Leave the meat patties on the bench for 15 mins before cooking

A great way to reduce the amount of water lost from the meat patties and reduce the chance of bubbles forming on the top is to pop the meat patties on the bench before cooking. Take them out of the fridge or make them 15 minutes before you are ready to cook.

This will help to quickly trap the moisture as the outside of the patty is cooked quickly.

2. Preheat the grill or pan

Before you cook your patties make sure the pan or grill is preheated. This will make sure that the outside is sealed fast, trapping the moisture and keeping the burgers juicy.

Trapping the moisture in burger patty will help to reduce the amount of bubbling that will occur on the top of the patty.

3. Salt the burgers just before cooking

Another great tip is to salt your burgers just before you cook. If you add salt to the patties too early the salt will draw the moisture out of the meat. This will cause it to bubble more when the patty is cooked.

4. Only add a small amount of oil to the pan before cooking

Adding too much oil to the pan or grill before you cook burger patties can trap more air and more bubbles will form on top.

The best way to avoid excess bubbling is to only add a small amount of oil. I like to brush oil onto the pan before cooking. I will preheat my pan or grill and then add the oil in small amounts.

Check out this easy guide to grilling burgers.

5. Use mince with around 20% fat

To avoid excess bubbling on your patties choose mince with around 20% fat. This will avoid too much fat from being released but still keep the burgers juicy.

6. Minimize the amount of flipping

Another great way to reduce the amount of bubbling on your patties is to minimize the amount of flipping you do. It is important to allow the meat patty to form a crust on the first side before flipping this will seal the moisture in. You can then flip them and seal them on the other side.

Sealing the burgers on both side will trap the moisture in which will reduce bubbling and fat globules forming on top of the burger.

Bubbles on meat patties | Summary

Bubbles will form on meat patties when air is trapped by the fat released from the meat or added to the pan.This is more likely to happen when water is added to the pan or released form the meat. Take steps to trap moisture in the meat and stop water from being released and you will have less bubbles on top of your patty.

Happy cooking.