Why White Castle Burger Patties Have Holes In Them

While America is packed with standard fast food giants like McDonald's and Burger King, most of them stick relatively close to the classic backyard burger. Some chains, though, come with truly unique ideas of what a burger can or should be. In-N-Out is known for its semi-secret customizations, and there's Wendy's square burger, of course. But one of the most unique and longstanding takes on the simple, classic dish comes from White Castle, and it might surprise you to learn that its sliders have had five holes in them since 1947. And those holes are all about adding flavor.

According to the White Castle website, the idea came from an operator in Cincinnati named Earl Howell. A batch of sliders at White Castle starts with a bed of onions on the grill. The holey patties are placed directly on top, allowing the moisture and flavor from the aromatics to heat through the meat. This creates their iconic taste — a famously steamed, rather than grilled, burger. Because of the five holes, the patties don't have to be flipped, and they cook faster, allowing White Castle to get them out to hungry customers as quickly as possible.

Unlike many burger chains, White Castle has been family-owned since 1921, so it may have been easier for the company to accept and approve Earl Howell's idea. White Castle even patented the device that makes the holes in the ground beef in 1954. It punches holes through an entire "log" of beef that is then sliced into individual patties, ready to hit the grill. While a regular flat-top- or fire-grilled burger is crispy and salty on the outside, these guys are soft and unctuous, umami-heavy flavor bombs, just like the onions they're cooked over.

And, sure, White Castle may not have scored incredibly high on Food Republic's ranking of fast food burgers, but it certainly has a devoted following. One Google reviewer in Scottsdale, Arizona, wrote, "White Castle Scottsdale hits the spot! Crave-worthy sliders, hot and fresh every time." On Reddit, a user commented, "White Castle sliders are [the] best, and I can't [get] enough of [them]!!"