IreneA Low Sodium Homage to In-n-Out
I'm supposed to be on a very-low sodium diet, and I'm usually very good about it. And fast food is just a no-win game for someone avoiding sodium.
Nevertheless, I had lunch from In-n-Out the other day. Yes, there are better hamburgers, heck, I've cooked better hamburgers. I cook a great open face burger, on sour dough with mayo and horseradish brown mustard, a slice of onion, and a fried egg on top. That doesn't matter, In-n-Out just rocks.
Nobody has the same back story as In-n-Out. I've been eating their burgers and drinking their lemonade for 40 years now and I can still remember shopping at Snyder's Meat Market. Nobody else can cook that much personal history into a burger.
It was a revelation 25 years ago when I learned to order my fries very, very well done. I prefer them golden brown and actually crisp. I can't stand a limp or mushy french fry, and the very, very well done In-n-Out fry is just a whole different model from their normal fry, which isn't bad either, if you like pale fries.
I've remembered that ever since I learned it. I always order my fries that way. What I hadn't remembered is that I also used to order my burger with no salt and my fries with salt on the side and no ketchup.
An In-n-Out burger has enough character to live up to a salt restricted diet. I don't know if their bun to patty ratio matches Nancy Silverton's standards, but the bun is always fresh and freshly toasted. The lettuce is always a big leaf of iceberg, there's a goodly amount of tomato. There are sweet slabs of white onion waiting, and their own spread, which is a "russianesque" combo of good mayo, a little ketchup and pickle relish, maybe some lemon juice or horseradish, but maybe not, too. I'd love to see horseradish added to it, but you don't fix it if it ain't broke.
I used to be quite happy with no salt on my burger, salt on the side for the fries, no ketchup.
Some things just need a little salt, if you can, and potatoes are among them. It is amazing how little salt you can be happy with if you sprinkle your own. And if you carry your own kosher salt with you, you can use a lot less salt on those fries, and they'll have more flavor. Again, that's if you can do a little salt once in a while. If you can't, well, cooking them that dark adds a lot of flavor, enough so that they're a lot more delicious on their own. If you must dip your fries, order a side of spread. It's free, and it's lower in sodium than plain ketchup.
(I've even made my own version of their dressing, at home with salt-free ingredients. Not as bright or sharp as theirs is, but adding lemon and horseradish made a big difference. I'm considering a bit of mustard powder.)
The thing is, I could have ordered it salt free, which would have cut the sodium in half. The other half of the sodium is mostly, you guessed it, the bun. And the people who substitute ketchup and mustard in place of the "spread" end up eating more of everything except for fat. Of course if you want to be really good, you order it "Protein style" with lettuce instead of a bun. If you really want to eat that healthy, what are you doing at In-n-Out in the first place?
But a hamburger with spread and no added salt comes to roughly 450 mg. of sodium. Add a third of the usual salt to the fries and you're talking around 100 mg. Be really good and order it Protein Style with no salt, and do the light salt on the fries. You've got yourself a yummy, healthy meal, with potatoes for the carbs, and you've eaten just under 300 mg. of sodium and a lot of lunch, about 80% of it vegetable. By the way, the only sodium-free beverage is iced tea and the worst offender is a carton of milk weighing in at 190 mg!
Next time I'll remember. I have to go run errands tomorrow...we'll see.
Nevertheless, I had lunch from In-n-Out the other day. Yes, there are better hamburgers, heck, I've cooked better hamburgers. I cook a great open face burger, on sour dough with mayo and horseradish brown mustard, a slice of onion, and a fried egg on top. That doesn't matter, In-n-Out just rocks.
It was a revelation 25 years ago when I learned to order my fries very, very well done. I prefer them golden brown and actually crisp. I can't stand a limp or mushy french fry, and the very, very well done In-n-Out fry is just a whole different model from their normal fry, which isn't bad either, if you like pale fries.
I've remembered that ever since I learned it. I always order my fries that way. What I hadn't remembered is that I also used to order my burger with no salt and my fries with salt on the side and no ketchup.
An In-n-Out burger has enough character to live up to a salt restricted diet. I don't know if their bun to patty ratio matches Nancy Silverton's standards, but the bun is always fresh and freshly toasted. The lettuce is always a big leaf of iceberg, there's a goodly amount of tomato. There are sweet slabs of white onion waiting, and their own spread, which is a "russianesque" combo of good mayo, a little ketchup and pickle relish, maybe some lemon juice or horseradish, but maybe not, too. I'd love to see horseradish added to it, but you don't fix it if it ain't broke.
Some things just need a little salt, if you can, and potatoes are among them. It is amazing how little salt you can be happy with if you sprinkle your own. And if you carry your own kosher salt with you, you can use a lot less salt on those fries, and they'll have more flavor. Again, that's if you can do a little salt once in a while. If you can't, well, cooking them that dark adds a lot of flavor, enough so that they're a lot more delicious on their own. If you must dip your fries, order a side of spread. It's free, and it's lower in sodium than plain ketchup.
(I've even made my own version of their dressing, at home with salt-free ingredients. Not as bright or sharp as theirs is, but adding lemon and horseradish made a big difference. I'm considering a bit of mustard powder.)
The thing is, I could have ordered it salt free, which would have cut the sodium in half. The other half of the sodium is mostly, you guessed it, the bun. And the people who substitute ketchup and mustard in place of the "spread" end up eating more of everything except for fat. Of course if you want to be really good, you order it "Protein style" with lettuce instead of a bun. If you really want to eat that healthy, what are you doing at In-n-Out in the first place?
But a hamburger with spread and no added salt comes to roughly 450 mg. of sodium. Add a third of the usual salt to the fries and you're talking around 100 mg. Be really good and order it Protein Style with no salt, and do the light salt on the fries. You've got yourself a yummy, healthy meal, with potatoes for the carbs, and you've eaten just under 300 mg. of sodium and a lot of lunch, about 80% of it vegetable. By the way, the only sodium-free beverage is iced tea and the worst offender is a carton of milk weighing in at 190 mg!
Next time I'll remember. I have to go run errands tomorrow...we'll see.
