Holly Moore

I've never had a kobe beef burger. Haven't really been wanting one either. But probably have to try one just to see if my preconception that Kobe beef isn't going to make a great meaty, greasy burger is anything more than a preconception. How much for Bersuvio's version and can you provide a brief description?

But I said a great hamburger. And great hamburgers are especially rare and not well done in Philadelphia. Considering what is available in Center City, a 90 minute drive to slop down a few White Manna Burgers is a minor inconvenience.

Follow old Rte 66 about 20 miles south to Willowbrook IL and a Rte 66 landmark, Del Reha's Chicken Shack. Excellent fried chicken and order a side of corn fritters. Well worth the trip.

Alas, Herb. You underestimate the draw of a great hamburger. Or a Red's lobster roll. Or a Rutt's Hut Ripper. Or BBQ from Allen and Sons or Oysters from Bowen's Island. The food is the thing, no other reason is necessary and distance is but a minor obstacle.

Philadelphians seem to be size freaks, the bigger, the messier, the more it falls apart the better. I march to a different drummer. My favorite local burgers are out of Center City and mostly out of Philadelphia. Only exception was Wolf's Market, when it was still Wolf's Market. Assuming I'm not home and cooking, I'd point you to Dilly's, just north of New Hope, the Charcoal Pit on Rte 202 in Wilmington or Charlie's in Folsom.

Your chef, obviously a man of worldly taste, might have encountered the whiz cheezesteak. If so, he will be tres disappointed if you return with provolone.

D.C. - those within the beltway - are infamous for screwing up whatever they apply their efforts to.

Rib eye, neither aged nor prime, is the beef cut of choice.

A bit of business has me driving from Philadelphia to Boothbay, one day each way. I'm looking for some grease stain worthy lunch stops along the way - no more than 3 or 4 each way - and somewhat evenly spaced - Places I haven't already written up on HollyEats.Com On the menu, hopefully, hot dogs, burgers, fried clams, lobster roll, bbq and whatever else falls under the umbrella of "Road Food." And some more hot dogs. On the way up I'll be taking the Parkway system from NYC to New Haven, then up through Hartford, to the Mass Turnpike, bypassing Boston, the NH and Maine Turnpikes to Route 1. Same route the way back, but stopping over in Boston. Then, if there is some good eating along the way, home via Danburry CT and across the Tapanzee.

When my mother was a hostess at Shrafts and was dating my father, Chumley's was their regular hangout.

Willing to name names, Katie?

So, strictly in terms of the stated mission of this elite club, what will determine the best burger. Or is it like porn, you will know it when you eat it? Would take all the fun out of it, but you could simply make the pilgramage to Jersey, fill up the counter at White Manna and put a quick end to your noble quest.

My problem with Cracker Barrel is it is just so forced corporate hokey. Like someone said to a New York designer, build me a place where those hicks at Petty Coat Junction would feel comfortable eating. In my ideal Southern Breakfast I don't have to waste time focusing because it's all there on the table in front of me.

Maybe just one little lesson? You having that fryer and all.

Once Madonna brought back French Kissing on national television, I felt ok saying French Fries The first process cooks the fries, although some moisture is probablylost in the process. And we've all learned the hardway that refrigeration and even freezing does dry out the exposed surfaces. And that is probably good for french fries. But suspect the difference is minimal and that either way works fine.

Probably isn't necessary on the paper towels. I was doing it because I was using a pasta cooker with perforated holes as opposed to a fry basket. I'm not sure whether cooling or refrigerating them with a coating of oil helps the process. In theory the oil would seal the fries defeating Dave the Cook's suggestion that the refrigeration or freezing dehydrates the fry surface making it crisp better. Maybe the process is different with British chips.

Varmint I use the terms oil and shortening interchangably for deep fat frying. Doesn't mean I'm correct. May be that shortening has to be solid. In my Hamburger University days, one of the opening classes was on McSpeak - my term. No rags at a McDonalds, only towels. No specials, just grills. And no grease, just shortening. The Belgian Frite shops and probably many other locals used to fry exclusively in lard. McDonalds used a product that was 25% lard. Nowadays just about everyone cooks in vegetable oil of one kind or another. Usually peanut or canola oil. Canola has gotten a lot of good PR re fats, so is probably most popular. Peanut oil is relatively expensively but may produce a better fry.

abbeynormal Fat Guy The buttering is best done prior to caramelizing. And it is best done when the buns are surface grilled as opposed to dry or radiant toasted. Caramelizing refers to the heat from the grill turning the sugar in the buns a golden brown.

Foodman: Chilling is not necessary. Back when McD was using fresh cut fries they never chilled them between fryings. It's the way I've been shown by a couple of people and the way I've always done it. Perhaps it has to do with the shock of chilled potato hitting the hot shortening. The counter to that is the chilled potatoes bring down the heat quicker, lengthening the shortening's recovery process. Next batch I will try without chilling the potatoes. FatGuy Yes, Idaho or other russets, though I've always used Idaho's. Like I say in the class, a lot of people use Yukon Gold's. In fact I've heard it said that Yukon Gold's are closer to the Betije - a European variety of potato favored by Belgium Frite shops. Any other baking style as opposed to boiling style potato should work ok. The reason I prefer Idaho is that they are typically longer than golds. I like long fries. McD drummed that into me. Alas my home style cutter isn't long enough to hold the long Idahos so I end up cutting them down.

Yup. My screwup re spelling.

Stone: At one point I was going to offer both versions. But turned out I had chugged all the beer intended for the beer batter. Beyond which the lesson was getting long. So I chose the rings we did at Sip and Sup Drive-In. I know them well. Used to peel, slice and bread at least on fifty pound bag of onions a day. Drive-In wise I think breaded are more the norm than batter dipped. Jason: It's been my experience that the occasional removal of a small piece of one's intestine does the trick. Beyond that it's not like I eat this stuff for breakfast, lunch and dinner. For breakfast I tend towards scrapple and eggs or biscuits and gravy. As a grease stained shirt has become my logo I have no need for such products. Meklor: Back at Hamburger University it was drummed into us that salt and shortening are arch enemies. We were told to be very careful when salting the cooked fries not to let the salt fall into the shortening. It breaks down the oil, shortening its cooking life. For that reason I'm against salting or seasoning between cooking steps. I've heard of places using them for batters. And bars sometimes use them for blenders. And science labs like them for scientific stuff. But I just use mine for shakes and malts. The goal is to mix the ingredients as quickly as possible, keeping them cold, and doing so without generating heat in the blending process. My non-sceintific theory is that the Hamilton Beach blender's approach to mixing is more efficient for a shake than other blenders where the blades sit at the bottom of the mixer. Fat Guy: Usinger's all beef franks run in the area of $4 a pound, the Angus franks about the same. The killer is the air freight. But buy some of their other products, and the fresh brats are a must, and the air freight dollars are spread out more. Chain-wise it's the combination of minimizing labor costs, dealing with unskilled help, speeding production and achieving a consistent products from coast to coast, continent to continent. Diner-wise it's laziness and all of the above. There is no reason for a diner or any other place at that cuisine level or higher, not to prepare these products from scratch. Home wise, there is no excuse for burgers or hot dogs. Fries and onion rings are a problem in what to do with the shortening. If you fry every day it's not that much of an issue. But if it's a weekly or monthly event, you'll be tossing out a lot of good shortening. But I put most of it on the silent majority of fast food and restaurant customers. They wolf down what's put before them. They choose the chains over the dying out independents. The parents only expose their kids to pre-chewed onion rings and well done factory stamped out, precooked and zapped burgers and, in doing so, set the expectations lower and lower for each following generation. I'm hoping that all this has paved the way for new places to open up serving drive-in fare the way Richie, Ralphie and the Fonze knew it and it will be so much better that they will flourish, educate and raise expectations. alacarte: I've never had this problem and I shudder at the thought of adding binders as you describe. My only guess is that either you're using too lean a beef mixture that won't bind together naturally or that you're going too loose on forming the patties. Size could be a factor if you're cooking half pound or larger patties. Shape should not be an issue. I've even experimented with hot dog shaped bun shaped burgers. Perhaps you're cooking at too low a temperature. I like to sear first and then lower the heat if necessary. Fat Guy: Or might not. My waspish recollection of Kosher laws is that only the front half of the steer is used (or maybe only certain cuts from the front) and that it must be soaked and salted. I can see how the soaking and salting might remove the natural binding properties of ground beef. Just a guess. Maybe someone less Protestant has better insight.

I'm telling you, go to a BK or McD today and you won't see anything sitting under a heat lamp. They don't use the old system where they'd make 50 Whoppers and put them in the chute and the cashiers would pick them up until they got low, and then they'd make 50 more Whoppers. Now, they have computers and a different assembly system. They make a zillion Whopper patties and they line them all up in a drawer where they sit until needed -- just the patties. When an order comes in, it is transmitted from the POS terminal (aka cash register) to a computer screen in the prep area. A Whopper order comes up, someone grabs a piece of paper wrap, a bun, a patty, and all the other toppings, quickly assembles them, sticks the whole package in a high-power microwave for a few seconds, and drops it in the chute. Holly, can you elaborate on this if you're reading along? Prince Castle Dedicated Holding Bin One more reason Ray Krok is spinning about in his grave. Prince Castle at one point was owned by McD execs. May still be. They invent most of McD's specialized equipment. Back when I worked for BK and to some point in, I'm guessing, the 90's, BK's burgers were truly flame broiled, through a conveyor belt broiler. "Have It Your Way," was the greatest fast food marketing positioning of a point of difference, stressed BK's greatest advantage at the time. McDonald's discouraged special orders, calling them "grills" when ordered so customers wouldn't hear that they could change them. At BK, when you ordered a special, the assembler would pull the next patty coming through the broiler and build your sandwich, "your way." Now it's all changed. I haven't been in a BK kitchen since they changed, but from what I've heard, it's pretty much as FG explained it. All the national burger chains, with the possible exception of Wendy's have gone down hill, way down hill, since they've over-expanded their menus and since the driving forces such as Ray Krok, have died or been bought out by corporations.

Welcome to eGullet John B and congradulations on "delurking." I'm a great fan of the original Tacconelli's but have not ventured to the Jersey offshoot yet. I'd encourage you to spring for the $3 toll and give Tacconelli's Port Richmond a try. It is such a wonderfully unique restaurant that I don't see how even the original Tacconelli's could duplicate the experience at a second location. For one thing I'm betting no 70 year old bread oven dominates the kitchen. Has anyone hereabouts who is familiar with the orginal tried the Jersey version?

Any idea of the derivation of "blue John?" Milk with the cream seperated out has a bluish hue, hence the name. I've never bought skim milk, but I imagine that it's 'corrected' before being put into the carton these days. And the "John" part?

Any idea of the derivation of "blue John?"