Yes, but also neither has ham or turkey. Reuben is typically corned beef, while Rachel is pastrami, though in unofficial forms you may see either. Note that these are popular in Jewish cuisine, and ham doesn’t make much sense there.
And Russian dressing vs. Thousand island, but I think there is some overlap in the Venn diagram there as there is not official definition of either.
Liver and onions is better than liver and bacon.
To my view, a Reuben is a grilled sandwich with corned beef, sauerkraut, and either Russian or Thousand Island, on rye bread. Cheese is not strictly necessary, but (unless you’re keeping Kosher) should ideally be included, and if it is, it should be Swiss.
It is, of course, possible to make variations on any of these points and end up with a good sandwich. It just won’t be a Reuben.
(A local deli has one such variation on their menu, listed as “Reuben’s brother”. To which the obvious question is “Which one?”. Reuben had a lot of brothers.)
To me (though I do not really come from the land of Reubens), a Reuben is usually corned beef & sauerkraut (though I find pastrami an acceptable substitute) on rye with either thousand island or russian dressing (the version of russian dressing that is basically mayo & ketchup-based sauce, not the stuff that looks more like Catalina or “French” dressing.) When I think of a Rachel, the primary substitution is coleslaw for sauerkraut, and then turkey or pastrami for the corned beef. I’ve run into more of the turkey type of Rachels than the pastrami types (but it seems to me the pastrami type is more usual). In all cases, though, it was coleslaw, not sauerkraut on the sandwich.
On reubens…my Pacific NW datapoint is that most places here use pastrami instead of corned beef, while still calling it a reuben. We’re about as far from NYC as you can get though.
I’ve had In-n-out. It’s great for a fast-food burger, but it’s not the Second Coming. Certainly not enough for you lot to strut around snerking about their “secret menu” like you personally accomplished something great. Besides, their fries are utter garbage.
Miller’s Bar in Dearborn makes a burger that is easily better than anything In-n-out has, and actual decent fries for like a buck more at most.
A Reuben Sandwich is:
Corned beef, Swiss Cheese, Russian Dressing, Saurkraut on Rye Bread and lightly grilled until the cheese just melts.
No coleslaw, no thousand island dressing
We didn’t do the chicken thing yet, did we? In regards to white meat vs dark meat, I’m usually a dark meat man. There are cases where I’m fine with it (some kinds of sandwiches and stir fries–oh, and chicken wings if you want to get technical about “white meat”), but even in those cases, much of the time it’s better with dark meat. Advertising your food thing as “white meat only” will usually dissuade me from buying it. Same with the “No MSG” stuff. I don’t know why, maybe it’s because I have a contrarian streak or maybe because I really do just love the stuff, I avoid restaurants that proudly advertise they don’t use MSG.
::tosses gauntlet:
Peeps are best eaten stale, and firm.
Fresh peeps are just oversugared marshmallow.
As has been said a million and one times before, whenever this comes up: for a chain, and at that price point, In-N-Out can’t be beat. You can one-off all the better burgers in the country all you want. Personally, for a chain burger I prefer The Hat. But their burger is a buck more and they aren’t nearby, whereas there’s an In-N-Out just down the street.
Noelq - Peeps are best 6 months stale and used as .22 targets.
The chicken thing: I’m in the ‘white meat’ camp. I admit it does dry out too rapidly and it’s nasty when it does happen. Also some recipes do truly need chicken thighs, NOT breasts. But 99% of the time, I prefer the white. Use the right recipe, ingredients, cooking techniques to preserve the moisture and flavor, and I loves me some breast meat. Marinated, poached chicken breasts that are shredded with a fork, mixed with cream cheese and sweet corn, and then used to stuff enchiladas is divine. Especially since Silenus schooled me on proper use of corn tortillas!
The MSG thing: I too avoid places that advertise they’re MSG-free. MSG = savory flavor to me.
Dark meat is moist and has better flavor, I just hate dealing with the bones and gristle that comes along with it. Breasts are a large, unbroken expanse of meat. Boneless thighs are pretty great though, too, for similar reasons. I just don’t like drumsticks as much as I did as a kid.
Is there anyone here who’s tried both Rally’s (or Checkers) and In-and-Out? Rally’s prices are certainly better, but I can’t say on the quality, having never had In-and-Out.
White meat vs. dark meat (and similarly, which kind of wing piece) are, I think, the opposite of a feud. If you’re eating with someone with the opposite preference, you’re both happier, because you each get the kind that you want (as long as you don’t both do the overly-polite “no, you take the good kind” thing). You’re more likely to get a fight if eating with like-minded folks.
And peeps are best used as decorations. But if you absolutely must eat them, yes, they have to be stale.
b. Truth. One of the things that sold me to the spousal unit was that I liked the part of the wing she didn’t.
Treis. Peeps are just…wrong.