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A NYer here. I lived in Cal for a few months. In-n-Out, has been one of my favorite restaurants after just two visit. I mean it. The ingredients are fresh, and

A NYer here. I lived in Cal for a few months. In-n-Out, has been one of my favorite restaurants after just two visit. I mean it. The ingredients are fresh, and I could watch the workers make the burgers. ALL FRESH. Too bad, In-n-Out won't come to NY. It makes sense though.

mathperson 9y ago
I think a great part is you can watch someone take a REAL potato with real dirt on it, clean it, cut it up with a massive guillotine thing, insert it into boiling oil, and hand it to you. Beautiful.
- tcoff91 9y ago
  I love me some in n out burgers but unfortunately their fries, while commendably fresh, aren’t very good. You have about 3 mins to eat them before they become cardboard. There are legitimate culinary reasons to freeze potatoes before frying, it bursts the cell walls which helps to achieve a better fry. As far as west coast burger chains go, The Habit has way better fries. In N Out’s burgers though are so good, double single animal style with peppers is heaven.
  - Domenic_S 9y ago
    Have you tried ordering them well done?
    - tcoff91 9y ago
      Yes, then they are just stiffer and hotter. Well done is better but not great. A fry should be crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside which is not gonna happen with taking a fresh potato and frying it. Freezing and blanching before hand make for better fries.
      - azinman2 9y ago
        Part of the problem is that they cut them into shoestring. But another is that they only fry once -- if they did a second fry they'd be far better. I believe McDonalds and other chains pre-cook their fries before they arrive at the restaurant.
    - mikekchar 9y ago
      In case anyone is wondering why that doesn't help the OP's issue... In order for the potatoes to be soft on the inside, you have to gelatinize the starch. That means bringing the temperature up to about 60C. However, this results in a gelatin-like block -- no matter how crunchy the outside is. If you want the inside to be fluffy you need to subsequently crystalize the gelatinized starch. You do that by cooling it down. If you've ever eaten cold potatoes or rice, you know how dry it seems -- that's the starch crystals. If you then heat it up again, these crystals re-gelatinize, providing a fluffy interior. It's often good to go through the cycle more than once, which is why you see recipes for "triple fried" french fries. I tend to like to blanch in salted water, freeze, blanch in oil, freeze and then fry. This also dissolves some of the starch on the outside and provides more surface area for the oil to create crunchy bits. Yeah, it takes all day... Never been to In-N-Out, so can't comment on what they do.
      - lifeformed 9y ago
        I'm sure you've read this, but here's further reading for anyone else interested in the science of french fries: http://aht.seriouseats.com/2010/05/the-burger-lab-how-to-make-perfect-mcdonalds-style-french-fries.html http://aht.seriouseats.com/2010/05/the-burger-lab-how-to-mak...
      - SOLAR_FIELDS 9y ago
        I worked the fryer at 5 guys and their method is to double fry them. I would drop the fries in for 3 minutes and take them out for 1 then drop them back in again for another minute. Crisps the outside and leaves inside fluffy. We also soaked the potatoes for several hours to de starch them before frying
        runevault 9y ago
        Huh interesting to know (as someone who thinks Five Guys makes the 2nd best fries I've ever had, first being a place local to Denver + Colorado Springs)
        ccoggins 9y ago
  - pktgen 9y ago
    You can get the fries well-done. Also, animal style fries (peppers optional).
  - blackrock 9y ago
    I for one, love the In-N-Out fries. In fact, I can no longer eat fries from anywhere else (McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, The Habit, etc.), because I know that they use fake fries. At In-N-Out, you know that you are eating a freshly sliced potato, that was deep-fried, and served to you.
    - wastedhours 9y ago
      As has been mentioned in the thread, just because it's not been frozen doesn't really mean anything. Frozen peas are just as good as fresh after all. The freezing of fries can and does make them better, keeps the inside fluffier after frying as the ice crystals blow up inside. Even Heston Blumenthal freezes them [0] [0] http://www.redonline.co.uk/food/recipes/heston-blumenthal-triple-cooked-chips http://www.redonline.co.uk/food/recipes/heston-blumenthal-tr...
      - jedberg 9y ago
        > Frozen peas are just as good as fresh after all. In what universe? Fresh peas are significantly better, and I'm not even sure that's an opinion as much as fact. Edit: If HN had controversial markers, this comment would have one. I've watched the points on it go up and down, negative and positive, for the last hour. Apparently frozen peas is quite controversial.
        wastedhours 9y ago
        I never realised it was controversial. In every conversation I've had with chefs, cookery programmes watched, experience with both fresh and frozen, never once have I come to the conclusion fresh was better. Added to the fact they last much longer, I can't see any reason to buy fresh (we're talking petit pois style, rather than runner bean style).
        jedberg 9y ago
        To me at least (and my wife) previously frozen peas taste floury.
  - triplesec 9y ago
    Top tip; ask for the fries without salt. You can taste them properly then. I wonder if you can ask for them thick cut too.. I might have to see if there's a secret menu option for that
- listentojohan 9y ago
  I love their burgers. But their fries. I had to give up. And I love fries! It was like cardboard, which felt so weird after being able to see the process...
- nkrisc 9y ago
  Unless their potatoes are magical or your description is inaccurate or incomplete, that doesn't sound like a recipe for very good fries. The best fries I've ever had are usually frozen in between frying twice.
  - readams 9y ago
    Yes the fries are not very good because they only fry them once. Same with five guys. They're a bit better if you ask for them well done though.
CaptainZapp 9y ago
What surprised me most were the onions. You bite into real, crunchy onions. Not into some fuzzy crap that seems to come straight out of a food lab.
- Elvewyn 9y ago
  I have a part time job at Burger King right now. We have bags of fresh onions in the walk-in fridge that we peal and cut ourselves. Same with tomatoes. The lettuce, tho, the lettuce comes out of plastic bags and tastes oddly sweet.
smallnamespace 9y ago
I really want to know how they manage their supply chain. One reason McDonalds seems so bland and generic is most of the ingredients come out of a factory, so everything is centralized. To get fresh ingredients you generally need a local supplier, but then scaling that up must be a logistical nightmare.
- yeukhon 9y ago
  Not sure, but if indeed local suppliers, would work the same way Whole Food does. But since In-n-Out operates in Cal, In-n-Out can scale well.
- jedberg 9y ago
  That's exactly why In-N-Out is pretty much only in California, with a few exceptions. Because they only use local suppliers, and they haven't figured out how to get everything they need locally anywhere else.
  - greedo 9y ago
    Arizona has quite a few locations, Utah and Texas are growing, and Colorado is next up. Poor Oregon only has two...
  - at-fates-hands 9y ago
    I live in the Midwest and have been told this is the main reason this will most likely remain a West Coast chain. I've also been told it's a case of freshness. If they have to ship all the ingredients from California to Iowa, it's not as fresh as they want it to be. Keeping the supply chain close and using local suppliers for specific ingredients allows them to have a consistent product no matter where you get it. At the end of the day, as an owner, that's what you want. No matter where the customer goes, they always get same fresh, great tasting product.
  - memco 9y ago
    Can't remember where, but IIRC they only operate at locations which can be reached from their distribution centers by a truck in the same day. I also recall that they recently opened another distribution center in Texas (which is why they are now opening locations there). So they are indeed expanding eastward, but it will probably be a while before they establish a presence on the east coast.

mathperson 9y ago

I think a great part is you can watch someone take a REAL potato with real dirt on it, clean it, cut it up with a massive guillotine thing, insert it into boiling oil, and hand it to you. Beautiful.

tcoff91 9y ago
I love me some in n out burgers but unfortunately their fries, while commendably fresh, aren’t very good. You have about 3 mins to eat them before they become cardboard. There are legitimate culinary reasons to freeze potatoes before frying, it bursts the cell walls which helps to achieve a better fry. As far as west coast burger chains go, The Habit has way better fries. In N Out’s burgers though are so good, double single animal style with peppers is heaven.
- Domenic_S 9y ago
  Have you tried ordering them well done?
  - tcoff91 9y ago
    Yes, then they are just stiffer and hotter. Well done is better but not great. A fry should be crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside which is not gonna happen with taking a fresh potato and frying it. Freezing and blanching before hand make for better fries.
    - azinman2 9y ago
      Part of the problem is that they cut them into shoestring. But another is that they only fry once -- if they did a second fry they'd be far better. I believe McDonalds and other chains pre-cook their fries before they arrive at the restaurant.
  - mikekchar 9y ago
    In case anyone is wondering why that doesn't help the OP's issue... In order for the potatoes to be soft on the inside, you have to gelatinize the starch. That means bringing the temperature up to about 60C. However, this results in a gelatin-like block -- no matter how crunchy the outside is. If you want the inside to be fluffy you need to subsequently crystalize the gelatinized starch. You do that by cooling it down. If you've ever eaten cold potatoes or rice, you know how dry it seems -- that's the starch crystals. If you then heat it up again, these crystals re-gelatinize, providing a fluffy interior. It's often good to go through the cycle more than once, which is why you see recipes for "triple fried" french fries. I tend to like to blanch in salted water, freeze, blanch in oil, freeze and then fry. This also dissolves some of the starch on the outside and provides more surface area for the oil to create crunchy bits. Yeah, it takes all day... Never been to In-N-Out, so can't comment on what they do.
    - lifeformed 9y ago
      I'm sure you've read this, but here's further reading for anyone else interested in the science of french fries: http://aht.seriouseats.com/2010/05/the-burger-lab-how-to-make-perfect-mcdonalds-style-french-fries.html http://aht.seriouseats.com/2010/05/the-burger-lab-how-to-mak...
    - SOLAR_FIELDS 9y ago
      I worked the fryer at 5 guys and their method is to double fry them. I would drop the fries in for 3 minutes and take them out for 1 then drop them back in again for another minute. Crisps the outside and leaves inside fluffy. We also soaked the potatoes for several hours to de starch them before frying
      - runevault 9y ago
        Huh interesting to know (as someone who thinks Five Guys makes the 2nd best fries I've ever had, first being a place local to Denver + Colorado Springs)
        ccoggins 9y ago
- pktgen 9y ago
  You can get the fries well-done. Also, animal style fries (peppers optional).
- blackrock 9y ago
  I for one, love the In-N-Out fries. In fact, I can no longer eat fries from anywhere else (McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, The Habit, etc.), because I know that they use fake fries. At In-N-Out, you know that you are eating a freshly sliced potato, that was deep-fried, and served to you.
  - wastedhours 9y ago
    As has been mentioned in the thread, just because it's not been frozen doesn't really mean anything. Frozen peas are just as good as fresh after all. The freezing of fries can and does make them better, keeps the inside fluffier after frying as the ice crystals blow up inside. Even Heston Blumenthal freezes them [0] [0] http://www.redonline.co.uk/food/recipes/heston-blumenthal-triple-cooked-chips http://www.redonline.co.uk/food/recipes/heston-blumenthal-tr...
    - jedberg 9y ago
      > Frozen peas are just as good as fresh after all. In what universe? Fresh peas are significantly better, and I'm not even sure that's an opinion as much as fact. Edit: If HN had controversial markers, this comment would have one. I've watched the points on it go up and down, negative and positive, for the last hour. Apparently frozen peas is quite controversial.
      - wastedhours 9y ago
        I never realised it was controversial. In every conversation I've had with chefs, cookery programmes watched, experience with both fresh and frozen, never once have I come to the conclusion fresh was better. Added to the fact they last much longer, I can't see any reason to buy fresh (we're talking petit pois style, rather than runner bean style).
        jedberg 9y ago
        To me at least (and my wife) previously frozen peas taste floury.
- triplesec 9y ago
  Top tip; ask for the fries without salt. You can taste them properly then. I wonder if you can ask for them thick cut too.. I might have to see if there's a secret menu option for that
listentojohan 9y ago
I love their burgers. But their fries. I had to give up. And I love fries! It was like cardboard, which felt so weird after being able to see the process...
nkrisc 9y ago
Unless their potatoes are magical or your description is inaccurate or incomplete, that doesn't sound like a recipe for very good fries. The best fries I've ever had are usually frozen in between frying twice.
- readams 9y ago
  Yes the fries are not very good because they only fry them once. Same with five guys. They're a bit better if you ask for them well done though.

CaptainZapp 9y ago

What surprised me most were the onions. You bite into real, crunchy onions. Not into some fuzzy crap that seems to come straight out of a food lab.

Elvewyn 9y ago
I have a part time job at Burger King right now. We have bags of fresh onions in the walk-in fridge that we peal and cut ourselves. Same with tomatoes. The lettuce, tho, the lettuce comes out of plastic bags and tastes oddly sweet.

smallnamespace 9y ago

I really want to know how they manage their supply chain. One reason McDonalds seems so bland and generic is most of the ingredients come out of a factory, so everything is centralized. To get fresh ingredients you generally need a local supplier, but then scaling that up must be a logistical nightmare.

yeukhon 9y ago
Not sure, but if indeed local suppliers, would work the same way Whole Food does. But since In-n-Out operates in Cal, In-n-Out can scale well.
jedberg 9y ago
That's exactly why In-N-Out is pretty much only in California, with a few exceptions. Because they only use local suppliers, and they haven't figured out how to get everything they need locally anywhere else.
- greedo 9y ago
  Arizona has quite a few locations, Utah and Texas are growing, and Colorado is next up. Poor Oregon only has two...
- at-fates-hands 9y ago
  I live in the Midwest and have been told this is the main reason this will most likely remain a West Coast chain. I've also been told it's a case of freshness. If they have to ship all the ingredients from California to Iowa, it's not as fresh as they want it to be. Keeping the supply chain close and using local suppliers for specific ingredients allows them to have a consistent product no matter where you get it. At the end of the day, as an owner, that's what you want. No matter where the customer goes, they always get same fresh, great tasting product.
- memco 9y ago
  Can't remember where, but IIRC they only operate at locations which can be reached from their distribution centers by a truck in the same day. I also recall that they recently opened another distribution center in Texas (which is why they are now opening locations there). So they are indeed expanding eastward, but it will probably be a while before they establish a presence on the east coast.