# So what's on your meatloaf? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 14, 2010, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-on-your-meatloaf/546615 "2010-07-14T01:03:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-on-your-meatloaf/546615/21 "2010-07-14T03:56:31Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > šŸ˜‰ Fine, be that way. > > Anyway, I googled it. It was what I was thinking of. So yes, I have had meatloaf with ketchup. I remember thinking it was weird. Likeā€¦hamburger, but without all of the other parts to the burger. Why would anyone do that anyway, when you can take the same meat and have an actual burger? Meatloaf is not just hamburger. Thatā€™s your first mistake. It needs, at a minimum, a second meat(usually ground pork) and most of the time a third(usually veal, but I use ground lamb). NOW you have meatloaf. I personally use a horseradish/ketchup top, baked in. Brown gravy always seemed institutional to me. School cafeteria/public cafeteriaā€“steam tables. But, itā€™s probably as others sayā€“because thatā€™s how mom made it. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-on-your-meatloaf/546615/22 "2010-07-14T04:00:15Z")
> [@](#): > > Meatloaf is hamburger mixed with other stuff to make the meat go further. Usually crackers or bread crumbs in my part of the world Iā€™ve used crushed potato chips. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-on-your-meatloaf/546615/23 "2010-07-14T04:04:53Z")
> [@](#): > > Anyway, I googled it. It was what I was thinking of. So yes, I have had meatloaf with ketchup. I remember thinking it was weird. Likeā€¦hamburger, but without all of the other parts to the burger. Why would anyone do that anyway, when you can take the same meat and have an actual burger? Thereā€™s a noticeable difference between a fried egg and a scrambled egg. And thatā€™s the same ingredient cooked by the same method. Thatā€™s a lot more difference between hamburger and meatloaf. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-on-your-meatloaf/546615/24 "2010-07-14T04:07:55Z")
I like a deep Red and Brown Gravy. Thereā€™s no reason tomatoes canā€™t belong in a gravy. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-on-your-meatloaf/546615/25 "2010-07-14T04:14:32Z")
I almost hate to write this but I was at a dinner one time and the wife served a huge meatloaf. She cooked it for a long time. Then stuck it in the refrigerator until it was cold. Then she put icing on it like a cake and served it. It was weird. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-on-your-meatloaf/546615/26 "2010-07-14T04:15:33Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Thereā€™s a noticeable difference between a fried egg and a scrambled egg. And thatā€™s the same ingredient cooked by the same method. Thatā€™s a lot more difference between hamburger and meatloaf. Ah, okay. Maybe my mom did it wrong. Also, this was probably twenty years ago or so. My memory could be faulty. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-on-your-meatloaf/546615/27 "2010-07-14T04:19:12Z")
I answered brown. As to the question ā€œwhat is meatloaf,ā€ no, it does not need to have multiple meats (although that is quite nice.) Basically, you have meat + stretchers (soaked bread, bread crumbs/croutons/crackers/etc, even mashed potatoes) + (often) binders (eggs) + vegetables (usuallyā€“at least onion) + spices. You bake it and you serve it. Itā€™s nothing like hamburger, and it irritates me when people make hamburger in the style of meatloaf and call it ā€œhamburger.ā€ No, itā€™s a meatloaf sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-on-your-meatloaf/546615/28 "2010-07-14T05:41:56Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > . Itā€™s nothing like hamburger, and it irritates me when people make hamburger in the style of meatloaf and call it ā€œhamburger.ā€ No, itā€™s a meatloaf sandwich. - I find that quite ironic\*, as the original Hamburger is a Frikadelle and more meatloaf, farce, or faggot -like than its modern inheritance. ---
**Author:** ![In\_Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-on-your-meatloaf/546615/29 "2010-07-14T05:42:40Z")
It all depends on how I feel. Sometimes itā€™s barbecue sauce, sometimes itā€™s a few sprays of Worcestershire sauce. It might be a brown gravy, or it could be mushroom soup, undiluted and in a trench on top. Sometimes there could even be some Stovetop stuffing on there with a little bit of margarine melted into it, or it might be a steak sauce like Heinz 57 or A-1. Iā€™ve even used salsa or taco sauce, butā€¦ ā€¦ketchup is for kids! . ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-on-your-meatloaf/546615/30 "2010-07-14T05:50:45Z")
I hate meatloaf, but Iā€™ve always had it served with a tomato-based sauce. I suspect Iā€™d hate it with gravy too, though, because my horror is a texture issue, not a taste one. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-on-your-meatloaf/546615/31 "2010-07-14T05:52:29Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I answered brown. > > Itā€™s nothing like hamburger, and it irritates me when people make hamburger in the style of meatloaf and call it ā€œhamburger.ā€ No, itā€™s a meatloaf sandwich. Really, I think thatā€™s why White Castles are so popular. Those are nothing more than meatloaf burgers, The steamed meat and onions.. steamed breadā€¦ really a deconstructed frikadelle. the mustard clinches it. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-on-your-meatloaf/546615/32 "2010-07-14T05:58:47Z")
Hereā€™s how I make hamburgers/meatloaf: I get several pounds of meat, together with other ingredients, in a big bowl. I mix everything with my hands until everything is evenly distributed. Then I start making hamburger patties and put each one in a freezer bag. At some point my hands get so cold or so tired that I stop. Whatever is left is put into a meatloaf pan. So contrary to what my mother did, the burgers and meatloaf are the same. And to answer the OP: ketchup. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-on-your-meatloaf/546615/33 "2010-07-14T06:53:11Z")
I use ketchup, and sometimes salsa, tomato paste, or other tomato based ingredients _directly in the meatloaf_. Enough comes out in residual caramelization and extrusion that it adds to my perfect brown gravy made with the drippings. I donā€™t typically do the old fashioned ketchup and brown sugar glaze, coatings, or pools that seems to be sometimes classic in iterations. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-on-your-meatloaf/546615/34 "2010-07-14T06:59:05Z")
Definitely donā€™t use jars of gravy or cans of gravy. My only cheat is Kitchen Boquet or maggi. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-on-your-meatloaf/546615/35 "2010-07-14T13:04:11Z")
Gravy on hot meatloaf. Ketchup on a cold meatloaf sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![MTCicero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@MTCicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTCicero)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-on-your-meatloaf/546615/36 "2010-07-14T13:58:55Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Did someone sayā€¦Meatloaf? > > _ā€¦Opportunity blessed my soulā€¦I really dig that rock and rollā€¦_ Quick nitpick: Itā€™s actually ā€œHot Patootie Bless My Soulā€. I know it makes no sense. But then, this _is_ **The Rocky Horror Picture Show** weā€™re talking about. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-on-your-meatloaf/546615/37 "2010-07-14T14:02:45Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > I almost hate to write this but I was at a dinner one time and the wife served a huge meatloaf. She cooked it for a long time. Then stuck it in the refrigerator until it was cold. Then she put icing on it like a cake and served it. It was weird. There are so many questions I want to ask about thisā€¦sadly I imagine that only the hostess herself knows the answers. Iā€™ve seen meatloaf ā€œcakesā€ with mashed potato frosting, but if it had been that youā€™d have said so. Iā€™m just intrigued. I usually make meatloaf without any sauce or glaze. My son and I both like the outside to be nicely browned and a little crispy. He pours A-1 on it at the table, but heā€™d pour A-1 on his corn flakes if Iā€™d let him. I do prefer recipes with a lot of moisture in them. I donā€™t like a dry meatloaf. Recently I did try a recipe for an ā€œasian influencedā€ meatloaf which had hoisin sauce in the recipe, and called for a glaze of hoisin and ketchup combined. As a kid I was completely unaware of tomato products on or in meatloaf. At my momā€™s table meatloaf came with mashed potatoes and a canned vegetable, either green beans or corn. Frenchā€™s brown herb gravy was served in our most elegant pyrex measuring cup. ---
**Author:** ![MTCicero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@MTCicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTCicero)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-on-your-meatloaf/546615/38 "2010-07-14T14:04:22Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > Really, I think thatā€™s why White Castles are so popular. Those are nothing more than meatloaf burgers, The steamed meat and onions.. steamed breadā€¦ really a deconstructed frikadelle. the mustard clinches it. Mustard is not, repeat, _not_ normally served on a White Castle. Itā€™s just: pickles and onions. ---
**Author:** ![MTCicero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@MTCicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTCicero)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-on-your-meatloaf/546615/39 "2010-07-14T14:07:54Z")
I like meatloaf with a ketchup glaze (actually, I mix ketchup and yellow mustard together), with brown gravy, with baconā€¦ hell, I like it nearly any way you can serve it (except with the aforementioned icing). But Mom made it with ketchup, so that was my vote. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-on-your-meatloaf/546615/40 "2010-07-14T14:11:37Z")
> [@MTCicero](#): > > Mustard is not, repeat, _not_ normally served on a White Castle. Itā€™s just: pickles and onions. And White Castle burgers, so far as I can tell, do not contain any filler in the same way a meatloaf does. It doesnā€™t taste anything like meatloaf. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-on-your-meatloaf/546615.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-on-your-meatloaf/546615.md?page=3)