Posted on 04/20/2021 12:53:19 PM PDT by mylife
Takeout contributor Danny Palumbo recently wrote about how the fries at beloved West coast burger chain In-N-Out are very bad. Those are his words, not mine. These are now my words, not his: The fries at In-N-Out are bad. I still eat them, though, usually animal-style (mostly out of novelty, and yes, I know, I know, the fries get weird when the cheese starts cooling off, but I’m well aware of what I’m getting into).
I get the obsession with In-N-Out. The burgers are awesome, and I love my Double-Doubles, animal-style. If I’m in an area that has an In-N-Out, I’ll stop bye, It’s a solid place. But there are great burger places a lot closer to home, too, and I started to wonder: does the Midwest have a spiritual analogue to In-N-Out, something we can only get here, and which is special to us in the same way as Californians embrace In-N-Out? After doing some soul-searching I came to a conclusion. The answer is yes: We’ve got Culver’s.
Now, people often feel the need to compare In-N-Out with Shake Shack. This seems like an unnecessary, played-out, coastal ego war. Shake Shack is great too, but it’s brutally expensive. At the location nearest to me, a double Shackburger, fries, and shake, plus tax, costs around $20. Bye!
By the numbers, Culver’s has the bigger spread, by a long shot. In-N-Out currently has 358 locations in 7 states. Culver’s website indicates 796 locations (as of April 2021) in 25 states, The two states with the most Culver’s locations by far are Wisconsin (where it was founded) with 142 outlets and Illinois with 122. There are four lucky states that get to enjoy both In-N-Out and Culver’s: Utah, Arizona, Texas, and Colorado, for those who want to do a side-by-side comparison.
(Excerpt) Read more at thetakeout.com ...
In the midwest (missouri), Carl Jr’s goes by the name Hardees.
Whataburger is excellent - Patrick Mahomes mentioned it was his favorite burger place and I think they have built one in the KC area.
In-N-Out fries their burgers in onions, which really don’t agree with my digestive system, and they don’t wash the starch off of the fries (which is how you get a crisp fry)which makes the greasy and soggy.
The only fast food burger I prefer is Culver’s because they are always hot when you get them, unlike the other fast-feeders which are lukewarm at best.
If it’s a cheap burger you’re wanting, I don’t know of any place better than WhattaBurger! A girl I used to date here in GA was from OK and we made a trip home once in the mid-2000’s to see her mom and I fell in love with the place! The girl? Not so much, unfortunately.
The closest one to GA was in AR back then. If only they would open up some places east of the Mississippi I could die a happy man.
Culver has good food. Shake Shack has good burgers with their potato bun, but the fries are so-so. In-&-Out burgers are good, fries not really. That’s my review....
I don’t know about “real” fries, but In and Out fries aren’t very good. They generally lack flavor and they don’t age well, you’ve got to eat them first cause they don’t hold their temperature, and get even blander.
Poking around online it says they use Kennebec potatoes, but they go fresh from sliced to oil. “Proper” cooks say Kennebec should be soaked overnight before frying. That will give them a crispier exterior and softer interior. They definitely have room for improvement.
Five guys. Best fries, juicy burgers.
I like Whataburger fries with spicy ketchup, it’s one of my weaknesses, the burgers are ok too, especially that Monterey thing with peppers and onions..
A Texan told me that Whataburger was better than In-N-Out. It sucked. In-N-Out rules!
None you mffers have frozen custard!!!
When I lived in CA I went to a few In-N-Outs and wasn’t impressed. I call them a California chain with a few locations in other Western states.
despite being chains I think many of these places suck due to local management/staff, find a place where the cook got it going on...
we just liked the bumper stickers cuz you could make them say “in and and out urge”
That unfortunately, is the problem. While most things are better fresh, that isn't the case with french fries, which are much better and crispier if blanched first. Fresh fries also have to be eaten immediately, so unless you are eating in store, they won't be very good. 5 Guys fries have the same problem. Not bad if still hot and crispy but even in store, by the time you are half way through your burger, they are wilting and getting soggy.
Whataburger was horrible.
Because they’re not broken.
Former NYC born boss was bitching about fast food on a road trip til I took her to Covers where she almost bawled over how good the frozen custard was. All their food is great.
I only like a couple things at Culvers, and they are not in the main menu (fried cod sandwich and a non-hamburger beef item).
In-and-Out has a good animal-style burger and each shake is tasty.
Sonic Drive-In has solid shakes and a good sundae, but also decent cheeseburgers and chicken sandwiches.
On Tuesdays, there’s a Sonic that provide 5 1/4 cheeseburgers for $5.95. That is literally the finest bargain of all restaurants. We feel guilty only getting that, so we buy other things, too.
I liked Whalburgers that the Brothers own. Just saw that their Mom Alma died the other day.
my wife and I love In and out’s fries but only fresh if you eat them there... drive home with them and they suck!
good timing on the post, In and out is literally the only fast food burgers we have ate in the past few years now... until last week that is, my daughter brought home Culvers. Their fries really sucked and while I had no complaints on the burger, I think I would have preferred one from in and out, and that is before even considering Culvers cost almost twice as much.
“They peel potatoes, push ‘em through a slicer and then fry them in sunflower oil. Add some salt. That’s it. Those are real french fries. Period.”
If you don’t think there is any more nuance to making good french fries than that, then you aren’t really qualified to comment on the matter.
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