With these issues in mind, they had been searching for an alternative when they first came across the AccuTemp Accu-Steam™ griddle at the NRA Show in Chicago. They tested a standard model for a while and liked it. They had tried ALL kinds of griddles and technologies over the years, but couldn’t find anything that worked like an Accu-Steam™. So they asked us to create a special griddle just for them.

White Castle needed a very special griddle solution. They wanted to pull out their old, inefficient gas drop-in griddle and replace it with an electric model that would fit in the same opening. The cook surface had to be the same size to perfectly accommodate a brick of buns. The griddle needed to be perfectly flat, to keep their onion slurry from running across the griddle surface; and had to have a lip to help corral those juices.

The AccuTemp product development and manufacturing teams went to work and designed and produced custom units specifically meeting the unique needs of White Castle. With Accu-Steam’s unique steam-jacketed cook surface, the entire griddle surface heats uniformly and it is the exact size for batch cooking their burgers and buns.

White Castle actually steams their burgers at a low temperature, which is a unique and signature burger cooking process. Our Accu-Steam™ prototype provided total uniformity across the entire cooking surface at their low cooking temperatures, with full surface product loading. They have found they can cook product for a set time then HOLD the food on the griddle. In fact they can cook and hold product at the same time!

The White Castle engineering and operations team lead by Neal Shawler placed Accu-Steam™ units in working restaurants in several regions. This extensive testing found that product quality over time remained PHENOMENAL. They could hold product for half-an-hour and not lose quality. Their store policy is not to sell food held that long, but the Accu-Steam™ griddle has allowed them to double their cooking productivity and extended their recommended hold time significantly.

In addition, radiated heat from the griddle and kitchen temperatures have dropped dramatically. Air conditioning costs dropped 50% in the stores equipped with the Accu-Steam™ griddle. Their overall energy costs have dropped, as well. (Their old gas griddles ran 24/7, with no thermostat.) The new griddle is also easier to clean. There is no sticking whatsoever. A spatula slides under product easily and food slides right off. This is new for them!

Stores equipped with an Accu-Steam™ are able to serve hotter sandwiches. Cheese melts better and food is cooked evenly throughout. There is very little food waste. The new griddle keeps up with customer demand with its higher throughput; and cooks quickly and faster than before. They are able to prepare better for rush times. White Castle also does breakfast. The Accu-steam Griddle is a breakfast champ and helps them prepare sausage, eggs and hash browns that are cooked to order.