Burgers and fries...

[don ewald]

The pizza thread got me thinking about my very favorite "go-to" meal, the good ol' USA classic burger and fries.

I've ate lots of different places. Some chain restaurants and some small town, hole in the wall, geasy spoon diners, and I must say, I've never, ever had a "bad" burger. Some were much better than others, but I've never left one on my plate and walked out.

I'm not real picky. I mean, it's kinda hard to screw up a simple cheesburger, right? I guess the worst I ever had was a Carl's Jr. bacon ranch burger. Of course, I'm not a big fan of ranch dressing anyways.

To me, if I were gonna describe a perfect cheeseburger, it would be cooked medium rare on an open flame, served on a Kings Hawaiian sweet bun, topped with Miracle Whip, French's yellow mustard, with iceberg lettuce, fresh garden tomato, dill piclkes and lots of red onions. Pair that up with a big pile of steak fries or crispy onion rings and an ice cold Coke or IBC root beer and I'm in hog heaven!

Some of the best burgers I've had actually come from some very unsuspecting places such as Chilis and Cracker Barrel. Whataburger is good stuff too. Especially their patty melt, muy bueno! But for a plain and simple no frills burger, I like Braums.

Now I realize that some of you here are absolute burger snobs and would scoff at some of my picks, but that's ok too. You do you and I'll do me. But I'm always searching for an awesome cheeseburger. So please, tell me your pics and maybe someday, I'll check em out!

Can't talk about cheeseburgers without our dear and departed buddy, who left this world way too soon.

A real onion burger with cheese and crispy fries. Or, an In-N-Out double double animal style with grilled onions.

 

[T. MIKE SMITH]

I too like a Chili's burger but I hear they may be on the way out- folks just balk at $15 for a burger and fries I guess. I'm in El Reno and grew up on Johnnies and Robert's Grill- there have been others but these are the oldest 2 survivors. I don't go much since the price has got high though. I bought a mandolin slicer and slice those onions thin- ball me up a 1/4 ponder and smash a wad of them onions into the meat and cook in a cast iron skillet, mostly in the winter- head to the grill in the warm months. And since I hate to waste the charcoal, I grill a chicken breast and a ring of smoke sausage for sausage sandwiches in the morning and Frijeta's for dinner later.

 

[THAT Gurl]

I too like a Chili's burger but I hear they may be on the way out- folks just balk at $15 for a burger and fries I guess. I'm in El Reno and grew up on Johnnies and Robert's Grill- there have been others but these are the oldest 2 survivors. I don't go much since the price has got high though. I bought a mandolin slicer and slice those onions thin- ball me up a 1/4 ponder and smash a wad of them onions into the meat and cook in a cast iron skillet, mostly in the winter- head to the grill in the warm months. And since I hate to waste the charcoal, I grill a chicken breast and a ring of smoke sausage for sausage sandwiches in the morning and Frijeta's for dinner later.

I dunno if you've tried this but America'sTestKitchen has a video that shows you how to get a crazy amount of caramelization in better time than just letting the onions cook off. Soon as my kitchen is done, I'm gonna give it a try. It's intriguing, to say the least, because you ADD water to the pan. But she explains the science behind it, which is fascinating ...

 

[xseler]

I dunno if you've tried this but America'sTestKitchen has a video that shows you how to get a crazy amount of caramelization in better time than just letting the onions cook off. Soon as my kitchen is done, I'm gonna give it a try. It's intriguing, to say the least, because you ADD water to the pan. But she explains the science behind it, which is fascinating...

We attended an America's Test Kitchen Gala in Boston some years back (maybe 2019, just before the Covid crap). Got to meet all the 'stars' and test their food after you watched them cook. There were also booths that showcased many of New England's best. Tried my first Shake Shack burger at this event.....very tasty!


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