Sliders for Purists

Published on Wednesday, November 10, 2010, by Sarah Perry / Edit Post

Is a slider just a tiny burger? Not at all. "I think people who think there is no difference between a slider and a burger have never really had a real slider (or slyder)," says ipsedixit. "They've only had small burgers." "The phenomenon is that White Castle is popular, serves a unique burger, and has thusly been imitated, but only the size has been replicated," says kevin47.

"It's not just the size," says ipsedixit. "A proper slider, aside from being smaller than a burger, is made with a thin beef patty, seared first on a griddle with onions, and finished by covering it and steaming the beef and onions together to create one unique flavor profile. Cheese optional and pickles optional." kevin46 agrees. "The White Castle burger is unique. It doesn't taste like any other burger, insofar as its flavors derive from the sugars in the onions and bun," he says. "As far as burgers go, the whole thing works (sorta) to the degree that the onion powers the flavor. It's a way to make bad ingredients taste good. It makes no sense for a restaurant with a chef that makes a good burger to offer sliders. What you will get is burnt nonsense, with a 600 percent markup." Restaurant menus may feature pork loin "sliders," duck "sliders," and even soft shell crab "sliders," but only the stripped-down onion-beef concoction is a true slider.

"It's like that age-old question, 'what's the difference between a dumpling (jaozi) and a xiao long bao?'" says ipsedixit. "The trite answer might be something like, 'I know it when I see it.'"

Discuss: The Slider Phenomenon

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  • Actually a slider is any hamburger like sandwich with a patty that is less than 5 ounces. A quarter pounder is not a burger it is technically a slider. To qualify as a burger the meat must way 5 ounces or more.

    As far as the White Castle version of a slider it is quite good, but Krystal's (which is White Castle in the South) is a little better. Nashville it a neat city in that you have White...+READ

    Actually a slider is any hamburger like sandwich with a patty that is less than 5 ounces. A quarter pounder is not a burger it is technically a slider. To qualify as a burger the meat must way 5 ounces or more.

    As far as the White Castle version of a slider it is quite good, but Krystal's (which is White Castle in the South) is a little better. Nashville it a neat city in that you have White Castle's across the street from Krystal's so you can easily do your own taste test. Oddly enough in Nashville you will also find Long John Silver's across the street from Captain D's.-COLLAPSE

  • We can't all be gourmets! I remember White Castles for 10 cents, "buy'em by the sack". I live in Mexico, they didn't go over very big here. I still like them once in a while when I go back to the USA. That's not to say I don't like a good meal, at a good restaurant. I believe we all like a little "junk food" once in awhile.

  • Don't these folks realize that White Castle tastes like s**t?
    I'm all for improving food... that what gave us folks like Jose Andreas, Thomas Keller, Wylie Dufrenese, etc... so I say, bring on the Duck, Kobe, Lamb's tounge, and whatever other "slider" you want. Especially in these days of small bites, the slider is a welcome nomer, even if occasionally mis-placed... Perhaps we should expand the...+READ

    Don't these folks realize that White Castle tastes like s**t?
    I'm all for improving food... that what gave us folks like Jose Andreas, Thomas Keller, Wylie Dufrenese, etc... so I say, bring on the Duck, Kobe, Lamb's tounge, and whatever other "slider" you want. Especially in these days of small bites, the slider is a welcome nomer, even if occasionally mis-placed... Perhaps we should expand the definition.-COLLAPSE