"whitecastle" news and stories

Every year for the last 16, the White Castle restaurant chain has run a contest in which they ask people to create a recipe that uses 10 White Castle hamburgers. Leslye Lewis, this year's winner was crowned on Monday and won the top honors for her creation that she calls, "The Latkes You Crave."

The recipe takes the hamburger patties off the buns and crumbles them into a batter of potato, onion, flour, eggs and seasonings. They are then cooked in vegetable oil and served warm with traditional latke sides (applesauce and sour cream). If you want to make your own White Castle latkes you are in luck, as the recipe is after the jump.

Other finalist dishes (all made out of White Castle sliders) included dim sum, a White Castle Ruben Bake, a Seven-Layer Burger and a White Casterole Breakfast Bake.

Source

As many of you know, I'm a huge fan of both White Castle and barbecue. So when I read that the Castle was experimenting with pulled pork on a bun, my reaction was a, long-drawn out "Nooooooo!!"

Is nothing sacred? Seems to me that two great American traditions, the State's first hamburger chain and barbecue, would be sullied by the Castle's introduction of pulled pork. That's not to say I have anything against pulled pork on a miniature bun. Done right, it's tasty as hell and a more healthful portion than the gigantic sandwiches one usually eats at barbecue joints.

Sadly I don't think the Castle is going to do justice to pulled pork. And I'm not just saying that because I want to lump their new product in the McRib category. Further reading of the article in Nation's Restaurant News (registration required) reveals that it will arrive at the store's frozen. I can't help but feel that it will also be saturated with liquid smoke and have the consistency of cat food.

I hope my suspicions about the quality of the Castle's pulled pork are wrong. All of a sudden, I'm craving a pulled pork slyder topped with an onion ring.

Source

Before anyone ever heard of Harold, much less Kumar, before the invention of the Crave campaign, before the word Slyder was trademarked I was a teenage White Castle worker. On this last day of National Hamburger Month I'd like to share my memories of working at America's oldest hamburger chain, as well as my thoughts on its present state of affairs.

I started working at White Castle during my senior year in high school. I'd eaten their burgers with my folks as a kid and had enjoyed their "restorative" effects after drinking with my buddies. We used to call the tasty little suckers "White Crapples." When one opened in my neighborhood, I figured what the hell, and applied for a job. After management determined I had a pulse and some level of manual dexterity, however minimal, I was hired.

Back then the uniform was slightly different than it is today. I remember wearing a brown shirt and a baseball cap. All burger cooking was done in clear view. To the left of the register, customers watched their square patties being steam-grilled. I still remember the time a Little League team ordered 100 burgers. Instead of letting the line back up, we opened another station and got to work.

Once after blowing a joint with my co-worker Max, the burgers on my flat top started burning. As I stared into space, he sounded the alarm by screaming, "Bang your head" at me. He averted disaster by ladling onion water onto my griddle. Back then there was no shortage of onion water, since we used dehydrated onions. Small dust clouds would form as we poured dried diced onion into stainless buckets before adding water.

It's five-for-one day here at Slashfood. Just kidding, who could possibly eat only one slider, much less make a meal of it. Hence today's headline. These specimens come from Powers Hamburgers in Fort Wayne, Ind. Powers is that town's answer to White Castle, i.e. a late-night establishment for when the mood strikes. I must say they look a helluva lot better than White Castle. For one thing, they're smothered in sauteed onions. I've had Krystal burgers and they were a step above the Castle's. These greasy little wonders appear to be a on whole other level all together.

It's that time of year again, when the air is filled with the scent of flowers and minds are filled with thoughts of love, romance and - what else? - White Castle. The burger joint is having their annual Valentine's Day celebration, complete with white tablecloths, candles, roses and tableside service from your own personal server. It's definitely a class act, especially if you take a cue from some of the people who have visited White Castle with their Valentines in the past, driving up in limos and dressed to the nines in tuxedos and fancy dresses.

New this year is a take-home version of the romantic meal: Cupid's Crave Kits. These takeaway meals include eight cheeseburgers, one sack of fries, two regular soft drinks, coupons and "keepsake items to heat up your homespun romance." Unfortunately, the website doesn't disclose what the "keepsake items" are, so you'll have to check out a participating store to see for yourself.

The romantic dinner only lasts from 5 to 8 p.m. on February 14th and reservations are required for both in-store and take-home meals.

Source