1. Schloss & Joachim - "Mastering the Grill"

They advise adding five ice-cold tablespoons of water to 85% lean ground beef so that "as the burger cooks, the fat melts and the water steams, helping the burger to cook through faster...and if you choose to eat your burgers rare, the cold water will migrate toward the center, resulting in a burger so juicy at its core that you will be reaching for a second napkin."

To me, in this case, juicy does not mean more flavorful.

2. Bruce Aidells & Dennis Kelly - "The Complete Meat Cookbook"

They advise mixing the cheese with the ground beef. "Why not mix in the shredded cheese rather than pile it on top to spill and burn?"

My experience is that this results in mostly vaporized cheese.

3. Serious grillers are always divided about whether to ever close the grill hood. The most compelling reason I've read for never closing it, (I believe from Cook's Illustrated) is that the prolonged build-up of soot etc. on the grill hood will impart an off-flavor to food.

This makes sense to me, so I cover the food in tin in needed. Or you can clean the grill hood each time, but that's a lot of awkward work.

4. Josh Ozersky admonishes, with typical needless insistence, that a good char only matters on the top of the burger. Because the top of the mouth is where we taste the most. The method directs that the VAST majority of grill time be devoted to the first side, then just a nominal duration after the flip for the second side.

5. Is buttering a burger cheating? And does it even help? I don't notice a difference with or without.

Your thoughts?