At first glance, White Castle's slider may seem like a hamburger shrunk down to a fun-sized
version of itself. But in reality, the slider is very complex. So why exactly is this tiny
burger so incredible? It turns out, there's a lot to it. Here's why White Castle's slider
is so delicious.
There are seven grams of fat per White Castle slider, to be exact. Since the sliders are
meant to be eaten three to four at a time, it can add up to about 28 grams of fat per
meal. That's a pretty hefty amount of fat when compared to the McDonald's hamburger,
which clocks in at just 9 grams of fat.
While that means White Castle sliders may not be the most nutritious daily choice, the
fatty patty has an amazing taste that simply cannot be replicated in leaner burgers. Ultimately,
if you're watching the nutrition facts, you may want to stick to just one slider.
But if you're willing to go all in, that fat is exactly what will leave your mouth watering
and fill you right up, as you somehow continue to crave more of the tiny juicy burgers.
The hand-held size of White Castle's sliders is fully intentional. White Castle created
the slider with a less is more mentality, and the mini meal was originally called a
slider because just one of them can slide right down with ease.
In fact, one pound of beef can make a full 18 sliders. They're made specifically so patrons
will want to eat one, and then another, and then another. Not only that, but the White
Castle slider is the original slider, with other tiny burgers simply following in White
Castle's footsteps. So while they may be small, they are still mighty, packing in a full burger's
worth of flavor in every fun-sized sandwich.
Every fast food company has their super secret methods, and White Castle is no different.
As the pioneers of the fast food burger, White Castle was the first to innovate ways to trap
in those rich, fatty juices and seal them into the patties. So what's the secret? White
Castle flattens the patty until it's incredibly thin and then sears the meat on both sides
to lock in flavor while keeping the beef tender and moist.
In fact, this strategy works so well that other fast food companies picked up on it
over the years and copied it. But while other restaurants were making hand-shaped, individually
cooked burgers, White Castle has mastered a more uniform method that no longer involves
searing. They still use those thin slider patties, however, resulting in delicious,
juicy burgers.
"Please tell me there's another White Castle in town?"
"No."
White Castle has also rethought the way employees cook burgers. They no longer flip the patties,
instead opting to steam grill the burgers on a bed of onions. This is more effective
for several reasons. For one, the burgers don't risk dents and deformation when workers
flip them. They can also be left alone for longer and will cook faster.
But more than anything, the bed of onions works to propel flavor directly into the beef.
As onions cook, they sweat out an enormous amount of liquid in the form of steam. This
is why onions taste so good when sautéed.
When the onions create a bed beneath the White Castle slider patty, that flavored rises directly
into the meat of the burger, making White Castle sliders extra flavorful from the inside out.
Ever wonder why White Castle that flavored steam rises directly into the meat ? Just
like everything else in the famous fast food sandwich, the dice-like punch outs are entirely
intentional. More surface area means more room for the patty to take on heat, so the
holes in the burgers help the steam travel through the burgers so they cook even faster.
They're part of White Castle's dedication to getting fresh burgers out to customers
as fast as possible.
As for the shape, well that's just more efficient. When the sliders can be lined up on the grill
in a grid-like pattern, you can fit a lot more on there and not have to worry about
wasted space. For this reason, many fast food franchises have pivoted to square burgers,
allowing their staff to cook more burgers even faster. But those five distinctive holes
remain unique to White Castle.
Remember those onions White Castle cooks their patties over? Well, they're not exactly sliced
onions like someone might cut up at home. For the burgers made on location and the frozen
version of the sliders available in grocery stores, White Castle uses dehydrated onions,
which they rehydrate before serving.
While factory-dehydrated onions may take away some of the fresh factor from White Castle
sliders, they make it possible to cook the fun-sized burgers on a budget. This makes
it possible for White Castle to recreate their burgers in the freezer section of grocery
stores across America. Ultimately, the ultra-concentrated flavor of the dehydrated onions result in
a slider that is full of White Castle flavor.
White Castle uses real American cheese that they place onto the burgers right at the end
of cooking. That said, it's definitely reminiscent of the real cheese that can be found in a
grocery store.
Additionally, White Castle definitely adds artificial color to the cheese to give it
that uniform shiny orange glow, but artificial coloring practices are common among fast food
cheeseburgers.
However, when it comes to their frozen grocery store sliders, White Castle actually refers
to their cheese as a quote, "log of cheese," which is maybe not the most appetizing imagery.
Still, in a world where cheese can make or break your fast food burger, the White Castle
slider's cheese definitely makes it, semi-processed chemicals, artificial colors, and all.
White Castle doesn't cut any corners with external bun suppliers. The popular business
has their own somewhat less well-known bakeries, from which buns are shipped fresh to restaurant
locations. The buns are baked in batches and shipped whole before getting sliced in half
on location.
The restaurant saves the slicing for last so the insides of the fresh bread doesn't
dry out and get stale. Those buns are steamed right along with the burgers, so they're soft
and full of flavor, just like the slider patties.
The buns are also perfectly sized to match the tiny burgers, which means by the time
the customer is served the whole slider, it can be held in just one hand and will not
fall apart. This is yet another feature that makes White Castle sliders super snackable.
"I want 30 sliders, five french fries, and four large cherry Cokes."
"I want the same except, make mine diet Cokes. Chuck."
White Castle essentially invented the fast food burger industry in 1921, developing a
strategy of meals that were not only fast and delicious, but also nearly identical.
So not only did White Castle create fast food, they created the kitchen assembly line to
standardize their sliders and get them out the door as fast and orderly as possible.
While the Ford Motor Company was revolutionizing factory production, White Castle was doing
the same thing for sliders. Through this strategy, each slider comes out looking and tasting
just like the last, which means wherever customers are, on whatever day, their sliders will always
taste and look familiar.
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