Does White Castle Grind Their Own Beef?
Courtesy of White Castle
"Why do we take holes in our burgers?" asked White Castle Vice President Jamie Richardson, rhetorically. "Well, there's the metaphysical answer, which is: They simply do."
One might not expect someone from White Castle corporate to get then deep on the chain's burgers (or mayhap you would?), but unfortunately we aren't looking for philosophical takes. White Castle -- beloved fast-nutrient slinger of tiny sliders in sacks, massive cases, and grocery store freezers -- serves upward burgers with v mysterious holes in its square meat patties. In that location's ane in each corner and one in the center. And we went direct to the acme of the Castle to find out why.
"OK, there'southward also a functional answer, likewise," Richardson conceded.
Equally it turns out, there are two reasons why the five holes exist. And they essentially helped shape White Castle's distinct gustation.
The origin of the v holes
Like the Big Mac and the Filet-O-Fish, White Castle's negative-space innovation came in-firm from an employee suggestion.
In 1954, a burger flipper working the grill in a Cincinnati White Castle left a note in the shop'due south proposition box. His proper name was Earl Howell, and his theory stated that putting holes in White Castle'south patties would assistance them cook faster and help the kitchen go on up with ascent need.
"At that time, we were having a major burger smash," Richardson said. "Earl was trying to figure out ways for u.s. to go our burgers out faster because the store was having trouble keeping up with orders. We tested out his theory, and well... he was right."
By the end of the year, every White Castle patty in America had five holes in it, and Earl Howell cemented his place in the White Castle Employee Hall of Fame.
"No, we actually have a White Castle Hall of Fame, and Earl is in information technology," Richardson confirmed, just in case we thought he was joking.
Why it works
To understand why this less-than-traditional method works specifically on White Castle burgers (there's a reason every burger doesn't await similar Swiss cheese) you accept to understand how they melt 'em.
White Castle burgers aren't grilled, they're steamed. They stack a pile of onions on the grill, then put 30 patties (exactly the number in a Require Case!) on top. The steam travels through the onions and cooks the burgers, while the holes in the burgers allow the steam get inside and through the patties. This ensures an even cooking surface beyond the patties and eliminates the demand to flip the burgers (think, they are being steamed). It also ways they need to spend less fourth dimension on the grill -- and they can exit faster.
The holes make everything sense of taste better
One of the reasons White Castle has such a singled-out flavor (yous tin taste it in your mind right at present, can't you?) is because the essence of the onions is contained in the steam that literally cooks the burger. All that flavour mixes together to give the patty one of the more unique profiles in all of fast foodom.
"We likewise realized that not only do these holes make things faster, just they were actually making our hamburger sandwiches taste better, too," Richardson said. "The holes let the patty capture even more of that flavor, and, when we put the bun on elevation of the patties on the grill for just a 2nd, the steam travels through the onions and the patty and fuses with the bun."
That'south why everything on a White Castle slider -- fifty-fifty the bun -- has that onion-y, meaty gustatory modality. At present you can see why Earl Howell was a commencement-ballot White Castle Hall of Famer.
"I guess you would call that flavor umami," Richard said. "But I just recall it's White Castle."
Enter the Meat Horn
Logistically, creating the holes is merely part of the initial patty-making process. They even invented a device to help out.
"Nosotros really own the patent on the automobile that makes the v holes," Richardson said. "It's called a Meat Horn."
White Castle starts with a stack of 100% beefiness ("We telephone call that a beef log," said Richardson) that then goes through the Meat Horn, which puts the holes in the log. The patties are then sliced and sent out to White Castles across the nation gear up to be steamed.
The holes are hither to stay
So it seems like these holes genuinely helped brand White Castle the fast-food behemoth it is today. Are there -- or were there e'er -- any plans to tinker with the Meat Horn's blueprint?
"You know, nosotros attempt to heed to our employees and our customers. The stores are e'er where our best ideas come up from. That's where the truth of our business lies," said Richardson. "This is i of those instances where we did that, and it really changed everything.
"I don't think we desire to mess with this one, it's big part of who we are, and why people love u.s.a.. I call up we'll stick with it. At that place's a simple elegance to it that simply works."
The next time your buddy asks you at 3am why White Castle tastes then, so damn practiced, you tin tell him: Meat Horns, holes, and steam -- White Castle's defining trio.
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Wil Fulton is a staff writer for Thrillist. He actually blames Gwyneth Paltrow for most of the globe'south problems. Follow him @wilfulton.
Source: https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/why-white-castle-burgers-have-holes