Is most of the appeal of the In-N-Out burger the "spread"?

[Chronos]

True fact: Some ingredients, when combined, actually manage to taste better than the ingredients individually. Funny, isn’t it?

[ekweizn]

@Taomist

Yeah. I mean, you’ve gotta pay extra for asscream.

If you want to sound cool, order your burger Santorum-style.

[garygnu]

@pulykamell

Concur. Although, I have to admit, In N Out is the one hamburger joint where I do away with my usual onions, pickles, mustard, ketchup toppings. I don’t like mayo on my hamburgers (whether on its own or in a “special sauce”), but In N Out is the exception to the rule. I also let them put lettuce and tomatoes on the burger, something else I don’t do at any other fast food joint. The burger is just right as it is, although it’s fine without all those toppings, too.

My mother tells the story of her first trip to In-N-Out as a teenager. Her whole life she’d eaten only dry burgers at home or at a diner with her parents. This time she was with a large group of high school friends. To avoid looking like a wussie in front of her peers, she just ordered a burger however they chose to serve it, and the result (spread and all) was the most wonderful and memorable culinary experience of her life.

The lesson I learned is that when you’re ordering a restaurant’s signature dish, eat it as they make it. It has served me well, from fast food joints to high end fine dining.

[Lynn_Bodoni]

What makes In-N-Out great is the simplicity of the burger coupled with the very high quality of the ingredients.

My main complaint about most fast food items is that the quality of ingredients is as low as possible. There’s a local joint that uses high or at least medium quality beef in its burgers, and you can really taste the difference. It’s worth a special trip. Their onion rings sing. Unfortunately, they let their fries cook too long, but you can’t have everything.

[EvilTOJ]

@ekweizn

If you want to sound cool, order your burger Santorum-style.

Ever since they switched from KY to generic lube the taste is inferior.

[Tamerlane]

@sh1bu1

French dressing is the American version of nothing actually French.

Yeah, but there are multiple national versions of “French dressing,” all of them equally lacking in frenchiness ;).

But at any rate, I misspoke. As Miss Woodhouse notes, it is actually 1000 Island dressing. Also a sweetish orange glop like American FD and equally as disgusting on salads IMHO, but somehow it works on burgers.

[NAF1138]

@Miss_Woodhouse

The spread is 1000 Island dressing. In-n-Out also toasts the buns. So if you want to see if they have good burgers, make one for yourself. Pan fry a middle quality pre-made frozen beef patty. Toast a basic hamburger bun (not the fancy kind with sesame seeds.) Put about 1 T of 1000 island dressing on the bun then dress it up with 1 leaf of iceberg lettuce and a slice of tomato. If you like that, you’ll like In-n-Out, which tastes pretty much exactly like that hamburger would taste.

I do like their burgers, but they really aren’t anything to brag about. The shirts are kind of fun though.

This isn’t even close to true. Take it from someone who has spent the last 8 almost 9 months pining for an In-N-Out burger. I have not been able to duplicate one at home and I have tried.

First the burger. You can’t get store bought burger patties with high enough fat content. According to A Hamburger Today it’s a 60/40 blend of chuck, but I suspect it isn’t straight chuck as just upping the fat of the beef doesn’t get it quite right. They don’t freeze their meat which changes the flavor and texture. It’s a thin patty, but it’s high quality stuff.

Second the cheese. I can not for the life of me find a cheese that tastes right. It’s just American cheese, but all the Kraft products taste wrong. I think they make their own, but I could be wrong about that. Same with the buns. They make their own and while they don’t have sesame seeds (they are old school) they are very good in their simplicity. Store bought buns aren’t as good. Actually, Martin’s Potato Bread buns are really really good but not the same.

I have found a cooking technique that duplicates grilling on a griddle, I have found pickles and can make (I think better) grilled onions. The above article even contains a recipe for spread that is damn near perfect. But it is hard to make an In-N-Out burger at home. The total is greater than the sum of its parts and there is a zen simplicity to everything that I think you probably miss on first blush especially if you are expecting a giant thick juicy burger. That’s not what it is about.

Here is another great article that compares IN-N-Out to Five Guys and Shake Shack is side by side taste tests.

[Mosier]

In n’ out is extremely cheap (in the low 2.00 range) but still manages to taste very good. Without a doubt it’s the best taste to cost ratio available for burgers. If you haven’t tried one with grilled onions yet, please do yourself a favor and give it a chance. Special sauce optional.

[Tanbarkie]

@NAF1138

Here is another great article that compares IN-N-Out to Five Guys and Shake Shack is side by side taste tests.

The writer of that article actually does a great series in which he takes a scientific approach to figuring out how to cook chain restaurant meals. He’s got one on the In-N-Out Double Double that’s a must-read.

[Chronos]

There’s a local joint that uses high or at least medium quality beef in its burgers, and you can really taste the difference. It’s worth a special trip. Their onion rings sing. Unfortunately, they let their fries cook too long, but you can’t have everything.

If their onion rings are so great, who cares about their fries? Given the choice between fries and even decent-quality rings, I’ll take the rings every time.

And NAF, have you tried getting (non-Kraft) American cheese from the deli counter? It’s a lot better than the Kraft products.

[NAF1138]

@Chronos

If their onion rings are so great, who cares about their fries? Given the choice between fries and even decent-quality rings, I’ll take the rings every time.

And NAF, have you tried getting (non-Kraft) American cheese from the deli counter? It’s a lot better than the Kraft products.

I have tried other brands of non Kraft American cheese, but hadn’t thought about the deli counter. As a general rule I like Kraft’s Deli Deluxe cheese for most of my American Cheese needs and if I am going to the Deli counter it’s to get a frankly better quality cheese than American. I’ll give that a shot though, it might be the solution.

[miss_elizabeth]

@SenorBeef

Needless to say? You make it sound like a normal reaction. You’ve wondered about it for a long time, had a chance to grab a bite to eat there for a few bucks, but skipped it based on th existance of topping that isn’t odd or disgusting or anything, and you assume that this would be so obvious that everyone would do the same in your place? Odd.

Exactly. I mean, why not go to In-N-Out and, I dunno, this is going to sound crazy… ask the people working there about the “spread”? You could have gotten an answer and a burger. But, then you wouldn’t have gotten to come here and write this awful, condescending OP. :rolleyes:

[No_umlaut_for_U]

@garygnu

My mother tells the story of her first trip to In-N-Out as a teenager. Her whole life she’d eaten only dry burgers at home or at a diner with her parents. This time she was with a large group of high school friends. To avoid looking like a wussie in front of her peers, she just ordered a burger however they chose to serve it, and the result (spread and all) was the most wonderful and memorable culinary experience of her life.

The lesson I learned is that when you’re ordering a restaurant’s signature dish, eat it as they make it. It has served me well, from fast food joints to high end fine dining.

I had a similar experience the first time I had Wendy’s, at the defunct indoor amusement park Old Chicago. Fresh onion! Lettuce! How exotic!

[Ephemera]

@Chronos

If their onion rings are so great, who cares about their fries? Given the choice between fries and even decent-quality rings, I’ll take the rings every time.

I’d take the fries. Even great onion rings get gross about three rings in.

[Lynn_Bodoni]

@Chronos

If their onion rings are so great, who cares about their fries? Given the choice between fries and even decent-quality rings, I’ll take the rings every time.

Sometimes I’d rather have fries than onion rings, and sometimes I know that onion rings will upset my digestive system. Usually, though, if I’m up for a burger, I’m willing to eat the onion rings.

[Yookeroo]

@NAF1138

Second the cheese. I can not for the life of me find a cheese that tastes right. It’s just American cheese, but all the Kraft products taste wrong. I think they make their own, but I could be wrong about that.

The cheese is big part of it. Underrated. And you’re right, it’s American cheese…but better. An yet not deli cheese. If you don’t like cheesebrgers, or don’t like I&O’s cheese, the burgers will be good, but nothing special.

Of course, if you never actually tasted the burger…