White Castle

White Castle restaurants is the oldest hamburger chain, founded in 1921. They put chopped onions on the grill and place square thin burgers on top and grill. They are called "Sliders".The thing that killed me and I have been a Chef for 30 years and have trained many cooks, is........They cook the burger from the bottom up and place the burger bun on top of the raw meat. I guess I can't really put them down for this they have been open for almost 90 years. The thing is I would never train any one to have the raw meat come in contact with the bun. ................Bill

The white castle patties are NOT raw when placed on the bun. They are so thin that they only need to cook on one side without flipping them in order for them to be cooked through!! If we are talking about a regular sized patty that one might make at home, then this theory would apply. Has ANYONE ever had a "raw" white castle hamburger???????

Nope...they are so thin they cook in seconds...but they're so bad, they're good!!!!!

Love those White Castle cheeseburgrs!  The patties also have 5 holes in them so the steam can cook through the burgers so they don't have to flip them.

Has anyone tried their new BBQ pulled pork sliders?  They are so bad, they're terrible!  And I do mean terrible...nasty stuff.

White Castle...the greatest thing invented after you have had to many drinks late at nite.

It burns my ass...literally.

MyTerry - There is a very famous place in Pittsburgh whose food also improves in direct porportion to the amount of alcohol one has had prior to eating there....

I love White Castle! 

Baah Ben


MyTerry - There is a very famous place in Pittsburgh whose food also improves in direct porportion to the amount of alcohol one has had prior to eating there....

I love White Castle! 

In my younger years I knew some women that would fit the description...Russ

nysharks


Has anyone tried their new BBQ pulled pork sliders?  They are so bad, they're terrible!  And I do mean terrible...nasty stuff.

I almost got one the other day, but I managed to stick with my craving for half a dozen Castles. Thanks for the heads up. I shall no longer wonder about the new things.

What about the little chicken sliders they have, are those good?

Foodosaurus aka braunsteinm


What about the little chicken sliders they have, are those good?

I've never tried one.

the classic is a "sack" of sliders. I started going in the mid '60s when I think they were 7 cents apiece.

Through high school we had contests, with predetermined ratios of fries and shakes per # of burgers.  Loser would pay.

White Castle was (at least in NY City area) here ahead of all the later fast food places. Also was the first and often only to be open 24 hours per day.

Very hard to get the smell of the onions out of the car, but very hard to pass without stopping.

I definitely remember White Castle hamburgers costing twelve cents each back in the mid-'60s. IMO, they don't taste quite as good nowadays as they did "back when", but I still get a craving for them occasionally. 

When I was a kid in the 50's  we never went out to eat, tight money, except when White
Castle ran a coupon special in the newspaper. IIRC you got 5 burgers for a quarter. Yep a nickle a piece, I think that might have been around half price. WC was strict about the coupons and the limit of 5  per person, I remember Dad asking friends to save the coupons if they weren't going to use them. He'd buy 5, Mom would buy 5, me, my brother. Good stuff, great memories. Too bad today's WC's don't taste nearly as good or compare in size to those burgers of the 50's And back then nobody called them sliders, the term hadn't been invented yet.

nocarolina & jimcor,
WC's haven't changed but your taste buds do change over time! If anything, the quality of the WC meat has improved to be compettive with those Johnny-come-lately's like McDonalds & BK  & Wendy's!!

nysharks


Love those White Castle cheeseburgrs!  The patties also have 5 holes in them so the steam can cook through the burgers so they don't have to flip them.

Has anyone tried their new BBQ pulled pork sliders?  They are so bad, they're terrible!  And I do mean terrible...nasty stuff.

 
Hey Shark----thanks for confirming my suspicions about WC  PP----and stay as far away as you can from BK sliders==atrocious at best===agree with all those other flower children from the 60's----back then with a bag on the best was WC by the bag ----sadly these days IMHO they go straight to the trash bag!
 
Russ

When we go back to visit my wife's people in Tennesee we always visit Krystal Burger a lot,hope they show up in Phoenix someday.I grew up with White Castle in the Twin Cities, but Krystal is better.My homemade recipe is some dang good eatin' too!

nysharks


Love those White Castle cheeseburgrs!  The patties also have 5 holes in them so the steam can cook through the burgers so they don't have to flip them.

Has anyone tried their new BBQ pulled pork sliders?  They are so bad, they're terrible!  And I do mean terrible...nasty stuff.

Indeed the BBQ pulled pork is dried out and so sweet it is awful.

bowtieman, I have to disagree with you. I grew up with White Castles, and I've eaten at Krystal a number of times in my southern travels. There's just no comparison; Krystal's burgers aren't nearly as flavorful as White Castle's. I don't think WC's little burgers taste quite as good as they did when I was a kid, but still.... 

NC - I'm with you.  But, if you live in parts that don't have White Castles, then it's the next best thing. 

nocarolina


bowtieman, I have to disagree with you. I grew up with White Castles, and I've eaten at Krystal a number of times in my southern travels. There's just no comparison; Krystal's burgers aren't nearly as flavorful as White Castle's. I don't think WC's little burgers taste quite as good as they did when I was a kid, but still.... 

Nothing will taste as good as when you were a kid! The older we get, the more our taste buds deminish. Plus the quality of the product deminishes under the increased costs of doing business. Krystals are just as good if not better, as WC's IM(not so humble)O! 

bowtieman


When we go back to visit my wife's people in Tennesee we always visit Krystal Burger a lot,hope they show up in Phoenix someday.I grew up with White Castle in the Twin Cities, but Krystal is better.My homemade recipe is some dang good eatin' too!

OK Smarty Pants! How 'bout posting the recipe and let us be the judge!!

Baah Ben


NC - I'm with you.  But, if you live in parts that don't have White Castles, then it's the next best thing. 

I agree with Baah Ben!  Krystal tastes pretty darn good when you can't get the real WC's.
 
QFan
Bonita Springs, FL

Food - Do you know a lot about Krystals?

Just wondering if they have their own commissaries for their rolls and send them to big firms like Sysco to distribute along with the burgers, etc.

Or do they have a baking spec and a confidential Agreement and farm it out to local commercial bakers to make them for them in different distribution points.  Not unlike some of the national ice cream brands, who contract with local dairies to make their products under some sort of confidential Agreement.

I do like that they bring the food to you.  But, the two that we have here are vastly different in quality of service and appearance.  Is it a franchise? 

Consistantly, for years, the one on International Speedway has been much cleaner and far, far more efficient.  The one near Mason Avenue is a nightmare!  So, I'm wondering if they are store owned or is it a franchise?

Thanks.

I'm not saying that Krystal's hamburgers taste bad; if they did, I wouldn't have eaten them as many times as I have. I just don't think that they're near as tasty as White Castle's burgers are. My visits to Krystal have been in several different states, and I've noticed that the quality does vary from location to location ( typical of chains. ) And yes, I agree that, if you're far from the nearest WC when the urge hits, Krystal's burgers will help "scratch the itch".   

How much does a basic White Castle slider cost today?  How about the equivalent Krystal burger?

As someone who grew up around neither restaurant, IMHO they are almost the same.  I lived 25 years without either, and spent 2 years in MI near WC, then 3 years in Southern AL around Krystle, then 2 years in the St Louis area around WC again, and I like them equally.  I really think those who grew up around one vs those who grew up and THEN tried them is the real debate.

nocarolina


I'm not saying that Krystal's hamburgers taste bad; if they did, I wouldn't have eaten them as many times as I have. I just don't think that they're near as tasty as White Castle's burgers are. My visits to Krystal have been in several different states, and I've noticed that the quality does vary from location to location ( typical of chains. ) And yes, I agree that, if you're far from the nearest WC when the urge hits, Krystal's burgers will help "scratch the itch".   

 I agree with you.  The only place that I had ever known  was Krystals.  I was not impressed with  them at all.  I had my first introduction  to  White Castles  about 3 years ago  and  just loved them.  In fact,  I buy the frozen ones at the super market now  as there are no  White Castles near us.

as a former white castle chef , I can tell you they do not put the buns on raw meat...first the onions , then the burgers,then flip burgers , then put bun on...thats the white castle way!!!

MiamiDon


How much does a basic White Castle slider cost today?  How about the equivalent Krystal burger?

Castles were 60 cents each today. I have no idea how much a Krystal might be. Then again, considering that every time I've ever eaten a Kr ystalburger I've become rather ill, it wouldn't matter to me how much they cost.