Rating the hamburger chains

[SmithOp]

Being British-American I don't think much of any American fast food fries, but Five Guys are not bad if you put some malt vinegar on them. Thick English chips should be par boiled, chilled, then fried twice in beef tallow.

I don't have a big preference for burgers, but I only like them with mustard, can't stand slathered in catsup and mayo with a soggy bun. I mostly order from In-n-Out with the mustard fried patty because I prefer the toasted bun with lettuce and tomato, hold that special sauce

I do like Culver's Fish, either the Cod or Pike. There are a few chippys in SoCal that make decent fish n chips.

America's Test Kitchen have a nice recipe.

 

[amycurl]

Cookout is the best ever. Culver’s has great custard, but they’ve not eaten into the Cookout market share in the Carolinas.


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[linsj]

I can't speak to the hamburgers at Red Robin since I can't eat beef, but their turkey burgers are excellent.

 

[Zak0022]

Classic American fast food joint awarded WORST burger in rankings

Analysts from Tasting Table reviewed online commentary alongside their own firsthand experiences to rank 21 popular American burger chains.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Thanks for sharing; it was an interesting read. Even while I don't always concur with these rankings, it's fascinating to observe how various critics and consumers have such diverse opinions about the same chains. Taste is a very personal thing.

 

[dioxide45]

I'm not sure I would quantify Five Guys or Shake Shack as fast food. More like fast casual. There is a difference and comparing fast casual to fast food really isn't apples to apples.

 

[callwill]

Whopper or impossible whopper, no cheese. No mayo no ketchup. Xtra lettuce xtra onion xtra pickles xtra tomato. Lite mustard lite BBQ sauce. Same selections for their chicken jr.

 

[easyrider]

Speaking of Portillo's, DW told me about their Chocolate Cake Shakes OMG! My blood glucose spiked just imagining it:

I'm always looking for a new recipe for a new Vitamix drink concoction. Usually it does involve alcohol. Maybe the chocolate cake with Rum and Kahlua using ice and coconut water to make a slushy beverage. It sounds good.

Bill

 

[dioxide45]

Speaking of Portillo's, DW told me about their Chocolate Cake Shakes OMG! My blood glucose spiked just imagining it:

They sound good in theory, but I found them to be a slimy gross abomination. One and done. Yuck.

 

[easyrider]

They sound good in theory, but I found them to be a slimy gross abomination. One and done. Yuck.

Too sweet or just really slimy ?

Bill

 

[dioxide45]

Too sweet or just really slimy ?

Bill

A consistency thing. Image mixing milk and a slice of cake. Kinda turns into slime. I may have liked it as a kid, but not as an adult.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

I'm not sure I would quantify Five Guys or Shake Shack as fast food. More like fast casual. There is a difference and comparing fast casual to fast food really isn't apples to apples.

I had never really thought about that much, a quick google search shows lots of conflicting opinions about the classification of both.....

I like Five Guys, but don't like Shake Shack, or at least I've been disappointed both times I tried the one near our house.

Never tried Culvers, but will be on the lookout for one in our travels.

 

[jp10558]

Well, I agree In and Out just doesn't cook their fries for some reason. The burgers are fine. Five Guys would be OK but their buns just turn to mush and ick! Decades ago I was Whopper / BK all the way, now it's sooo bad, but for some reason my mom and BIL are just in love with BK. IDK. I think Steak and Shake was a revelation to me in Branson - one of the best parts of that town and I loved their food, but it also was basically fast casual. McDonalds burgers are just bad - where I live they're always luke warm at best, and only edible after microwaving for 30 seconds or so. Everything McDs does in a burger is now beaten at Chilis and at least as long as they have their $11.99 deal, it's cheaper too. Wendy's used to be good, got real meh in the last 2 years.

Most of the fast food where I live is so slow, it's better to do the fast casual, though Chilis sit down takes longer.

When I had Culvers on my trip to Branson it was a big meh.

On my recent trips south and back, we actually have come to prefer gas stations for "fast food" to any chain. Sheetz is the best currently IMHO. WaWa is second but their bathrooms could be bigger / have more stalls / less wait. Third is probably Buckee's only because their hot food is tasteless and not good, they don't have Gatoraide / Cool Blue / Gingerale / Lemonade for drinks, but for grab and go sweets and the bathrooms are A+++.

Overall, I think I'm mostly off hamburgers - the best on my 3 weeks in FL was a diner, one with Argentinian beef had so much mayo sauce I was sick for a day afterwards, and really the "fancier" burger joints tend to make me and my sister sick so...

 

[easyrider]

Overall, I think I'm mostly off hamburgers

I've been off bugers for a while too. The best burger I've had was at a friends mountain camp. They were burgers from his cow, cooked on a Blackstone flat iron grill. Nothing special regarding the buns or condiments. Chips instead of fries. Beer instead of soda. That burger was a good one.

Bill

 

[1Kflyerguy]

I've been off bugers for a while too. The best burger I've had was at a friends mountain camp. They were burgers from his cow, cooked on a Blackstone flat iron grill. Nothing special regarding the buns or condiments. Chips instead of fries. Beer instead of soda. That burger was a good one.

Bill

Sometimes, simple is best. Not to mention good friends and ambiance can help to make a meal taste extra special.

 

[ScoopKona]

Well, I agree In and Out just doesn't cook their fries for some reason.

Their whole schtick is pulling a raw potato and running it through the cutter. People who don't cook prefer that to seeing a bag of frozen fries being poured into a deep fryer. But in this case, the frozen fries are the superior product -- because they've already been boiled, dried, blanched, dried again, chilled and then frozen. The hard work is done. They just need the final turn in the deep fryer. They're not as good as actual pomme frite. But they're better than what In-N-Out is doing.

This looks very impressive. But this is "How not to make French Fries 101."

 

[easyrider]

Sometimes, simple is best. Not to mention good friends and ambiance can help to make a meal taste extra special.

Yup. Sitting around a mountain fire definitely makes beer with friends taste extra special. I get your point.

Bill

 

[CO skier]

Whataburger.

Mic drop.

 

[PigsDad]

Whataburger.

Mic drop.

Pick up that mic, their burgers are meh.

Kurt

 

[DrQ]

Whataburger.

Mic drop.

Used to be ... UNTIL the family run company was sold to a Chicago corporation.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Those are my road trip burgers. Sometimes a chicken sandwich. For the morning it's hard to beat the McGriddle and coffee, imo.

Bill

I love the sausage and egg McGriddle. I have had them about four times. It's way too unhealthy but so delicious! I like McD's coffee too.

We don't eat breakfast out. I eat a protein pancake every morning, Kodiak, 1/4 cup mixed with water with a tsp. or sugar-free maple syrup. It holds me 'til noon because of the protein.

 

[rickandcindy23]

@PigsDad Did you ever eat at the Whataburger on Pecos and about 74th? Ate there once, couldn't see anything great about it. Closed years ago, a Unique Burger moved in, not all that different from Jim's Burger Haven, but it also went out of business. Both north locations of Jim's Burger Haven are still thriving. I like those burgers, but Culver's is better. I don't eat the bun and those burgers are really great without a bun.

We ate at a Whataburger on the road last year (was meh) and should have tried the Cooking Out fast food next door. Sounds like that would be the place to get a good burger.

 

[dioxide45]

sugar-free maple syrup

Blasphemy. As a Canadian, there is no such thing!

 

[BJRSanDiego]

I'm impressed with all you hamburger aficionados. I've joked to people that I will eat most anything as long as it isn't alive and moving. (The last time I ate something alive and moving (in Paris) I wasn't impressed.)

We don't have any Culvers burgers in California. Kind of a shame as I would like to try one. We do have a single Fatburger (10 to 15 miles away) in San Diego plus a McD's, BK, In/out, Wendy's on almost every corner. After Jack-in-the-box had an E-coli problem 30 years ago, people joked that the problem was fixed when they started to "cook the crap" out of the burgers. (Tongue in cheek - - apologies to Jackinthebox - - I've had them and they're okay).

When we are doing a drive-to vacation (like most of our vacations) and we get hungry my culinary expectations aren't very high. We just want a place where it is not out-of-the-way and is quick. So, just about anything is okay. We typically do Mc D's just because of the consistency - - always about the same and good enough. When we finally arrive at our timeshare or hotel destination then I'll be looking for something other than a hamburger and at a more upscale restaurant.

 

[rickandcindy23]

California needs some Culver's Burgers. The frozen custard is terrific as well. Rick likes the fries but I get broccoli and no bun for the burger. The prices have really increased at Culver's. Five Guys is too expensive for a family.

Smash Burger used to have the Colorado Burger with green chiles on it. That was good but they stopped doing it. I could always buy my own chile and lay it on the top.

 

[kanerf]

The problem with these rankings is that most of these chain's are only out West and those of us in the East cannot sample them. I am in the DC area and many of these chains do not have a presence here.