Posted on 10/09/2010 8:18:48 AM PDT by big black dog
Maybe a couple of years ago, I gave up on ever expecting any quality product from the big 3 pizza stores. Without exaggeration, I could get a much, much better product by simply picking up a frozen Tombstone pizza and baking it. (Pizza Inn is great though. They don't deliver here, but I gladly go and pick it up rather than order the crap the big 3 serves.)
On to burgers. I used to love McDonalds and Burger King hamburgers. However, for some time, when I would eat them, they just didn't taste right. Especially McDonalds -- It's like I was eating a meat substitute or something. I thought maybe I just didn't like hamburgers anymore.
It has been a long, long time since I cooked any hamburgers at home. But just on a whim, I tried it last night. Didn't do anything special. Just took some ground beef, sprinkled in some salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and fried it up on the stove.
Ate a hamburger using 2 pieces of bread with mustard. It was the best hamburger I've had in years! Crunchy outer texture of the fried burger with a juicy interior; I know I'll never eat that crap again at the national joints -- just like with the pizza.
The best pizza in my area is from a non chain, locally owned shop, and they deliver here:). The best burgers are usually small, locally owned burger joints, however, I do like In and Out burgers. The absolutely best burger I ever had was in a small place in a small town just south(or maybe just north, it has been a long time)of Bakersfield. We used to have to locally owned places in this area that made great burgers, not down to one, due to the influx of McDs and Burger King, which can’t compare in flavor to the one locally owned burger place but are cheaper and faster. I opt for flavor over speed and cost:)
I sometimes make my own potato chips in the oven.
A little garlic salt, pepper and olive oil.
Mmmmm, nothing like hot tasty tater chips.
If everybody had the same perfect culinary discernment skills that I do the line would away be too long at my favorite. restaurant. I am not going to tell you all what restaurant are best because I don’t want you in line in front of me. I have discovered some generic guide lines to judge restaurants with out tasting the food.
If you want a good pizza look for a older building. Most good pizza places will be darker inside and have wine bottle hanging from the ceiling that will fall off and hit you in the head during an earthquake.
Hamburgers joints are a little bit harder. You need to understand early childhood psychology to fully comprehend why some people enjoy McDonald’s type burgers while others must have a Fuddruckers or some other “gourmet” burger. There are a few, the Chuck Norris type that need to kill the cow themselves but that is a whole different thread.
To make it simple we can all agree that it is a privilege to live here in America where we still have are choice of hamburgers. We can all agree that this freedom is being challenged and could be limited by the current regime in the white house. We can still gather together and protest this current regime eating are wide choice of burgers and only in the back of our minds thinking “How can anybody eat what that guy calls a hamburger.
>>There’s also a great chain here in New Mexico: Blake’s Lottaburger! [ http://www.lotaburger.com/ ]
>>If you’re ever around, be sure to get one of the burgers w/ Green Chlie! :)
Dangit, I made myself hungry.
I’m going to go out to get a lottaburger.
IF anyone on the NM ping-list is unfamiliar w/ Lottaburger you’re missing out.
(Ping list pinged because it’s an NM chain.)
If you run across one, try it out.
Ah yes, Lotaburger. Used to eat there in the mid sixties. I think it was on Eubank NE.
If you see on the label that it has chicken broth added for flavor or some such crap, then it has that added water along with extra sodium. You pay for the water weight in that chicken. I learned that from a dog rawfeeding group I belong to. The “enhanced” meat - both chicken, pork and beef - make some dogs react with diarhea which mine were. Found chicken at our local HEB with no enhancements. We raise out own beef - longhorn, very low cholesteral, and have venison as well.
Oh, man...between that picture and the one you posted of that chocolate pie, I'm salvating.
I want both of those things NOW.
Yeah, just very little of it. I find them over priced and not that great tasting. I do like their horsey sauce though and their fries.
The family fries are the better deal, but, they have raised the price on them now, so its not as big a savings as it was. I find their burgers a bit greasy. They can be a bit pricey, too.
I had some burgers at Johnny Rockets and those were good.
Hardees now has the best, AFAIC. I especially like their jalapeno burgers.
Powdered eggs?
I was cured of McD's back in the 70's. A couple of friends from work would go there for lunch (not my choice) and I noticed tiny white bugs crawling on the lettuce. That did it for me, but, they were diehards and we went there again a day or so later and the little white bugs were on the lettuce again. I never felt a need to go back.
My favorite toppings are some buffalo wing sauce, sliced jalapenos and crumble bleu cheese...Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
Either that or coarse-ground horseradish and spicy dill pickle slices :-)
Now I am really hungry for a burger. Guess that is what I am going to have today.
I find that my George Foreman grill squishes every last drop of juice out of everything and they become DRY. Tried steaks, burgers and chicken breasts. Ack! I use mine as a panini press now.
I did find a 3 1/2 quart table top grill that I do burgers in and they stay nice and juicy.
I think it was a guilt trip from some liberal who would NEVER eat at McDonalds in the first place. And yeah, the fries taste like crap. If I want to save my heart I'll walk or have less stress in my life or something - when I want a burger and fries - I WANT THEM TO TASTE GOOD.
I had that problem when I first bought mine a few years ago...then I realized it was because I always bought the leanest ground beef I could find.
I think if you try 80/20 or even 70/30 you'll find that problem goes away. At least it did for me :-)
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