In-N-Out Burgers: Are they really that good?

Here's a pic of one:
IMG_01.boc2013.anaheim.k_1_1_JB2UGG9_L4224624-1.jpg

American cheese, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and their special sauce, on a sponge bun. The sauce has sugar in it, which is the secret to why people love them so much. Here's a recipe:
https://dinnerthendessert.com/wprm_print/11365
Is that one of those lying, doctored up images that so many fast food places slap up on the outside of their windows as advertisement, to entice hungry food-goers, where once inside and you receive your order, the burger is half the size (if you're lucky), where instead of using a nice slab of tomato as shown in the image, your burger has two tomato ends in it with the hard green tops still attached, and lettuce that's been sitting around in a plastic bin for 3 days?

And then, if you're sitting down at a burger joint where some girl delivers your order to your table, not only can you choke down a sub-standard, garbage burger that you could have made at home for a fraction of the price and with fresh ingredients, you now get to choke down the fact that a tip is in order.
 

The same thing happened when In and Out came to Reno. Long lines of Californians. When I traveled with California expats they wanted to hit the In n out at the first opportunity. I have tried them several times and never been impressed. I like patty melts so I tried a burger animal style. Still not impressed. Must be a throw back from their childhood. Maybe it is the bragging rights of being able to say you were in line for 14 hours.
What does "animal style" mean? I do like patty melts. Is it like that?

I know I would never wait 14 hours for a hamburger, that is insane. I like the hamburgers we make at home on the grill.

We do have Krispy Kream donuts here and people really like them but they just seem like glazed donuts.
 
I like an occasional "fast food" burger, but I wouldn't make getting one any kind of priority, or wait in a long line for one. I did try one of these "non meat" burgers a few weeks ago, and it was OK, but nothing great. I do, however, look forward to a McDonald McRib, every Fall/Winter when they serve them for a few weeks.
 

They do look mighty fine, in the photo shown. I'd be shocked if any of the real burgers you actually get look like that in the real world but hey; if they taste great, that's really what you're looking for in the end anyway!
 
Never having had one, I suspect they're a bit different from the gut bombs of my youth. When up in S. Chicago staying with relatives, we ate White Castle sliders by the bags full. Later on in the teen years downstate, Steak n Shake was the burger of choice. I still long for one of their original cheeseburgers (they've gone way down hill with crap beef), fries and chili. DQ also made a decent burger in places. The last really tasty burger I had was Red Robin's Whiskey River BBQ concoction.
 
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Here's a pic of one:

American cheese, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and their special sauce, on a sponge bun. The sauce has sugar in it, which is the secret to why people love them so much. Here's a recipe:
https://dinnerthendessert.com/wprm_print/11365
I made some burgers this evening and made that sauce, and they were pretty damn good! I don't know if they tasted like In-and-Out burgers since I've never had one, but that sauce makes the burger! I left the sugar out, since I'm a health nut, but to compensate, I had some chocolate chip cookies for desert. :)
 
Nothing is as good as a "Cook Out" burger if you order the "Huge" one.
Then share one of the double-patties with your dogs.
They always have a high sanitation score (not the dogs).
Once it was over 100! It was 105!

Interesting note:
I asked them why I never see 105 score anymore and they told me
they have to pay the health dept extra for that!!...huh?
 


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