zxcvbob over
I buttume that from what some of the other posters said that they themselves have never encountered ground beef infused with water. The amount of water exuded is astonishing and is unmistakable. The amount of water has nothing to do with how hot the pan is, how loaded with beef, etc. In my one experience with ground beef that I'm absolutely positive had been infused with water, a single patty (maybe about 5-6 oz) I was frying gave off at least 1-8 a cup of water, probably more. I remember pouring off the water so that the burger would fry instead of braise. I have not encountered that again; in fact, I haven't encountered again free water in the pan with ground beef, even a pan full of ground beef that I was browning.
I think that we're right to think that our marketplace is remarkably free of fraud (mislabeled meat, water infusion, etc) but it still occurs, along with a few other tricks of the greedy merchant. Ellie I'm sure has encountered a fraudulant butcher in France. Her kitchen sense and experience has told her that, her description "confirms" it IMO.
Mac
