And the quest for the perfect gas station sandwich goes on; as you know, I’ve tried a lot of these over the years, as a search of the site will reveal. There have been profiles of industry giant AdvancePierre, (who also makes the frozen Steak N Shake burgers), and regional companies like “Mom’s” out of Fort Worth. I’ve had ’em from the Dollar Store, AM/PM, Walgreens, various gas stations, grocery stores, you name it. Done that, been there.
If you have the slightest curiousity about how sandwiches are made “em masse,” I found this video a year ago.
Today’s victim is from Landshire, a fifty year old firm outside of St. Louis, recently acquired by the aforementioned AdvancePierre. Landshire cranks out over 50,000,000 sandwiches a year, both the ready to eat and heat and eat variety, which end up on the shelves of C stores, gas stations, groceries, and in vending machines across the country.
In the case of the “Double Charbroil with Cheese,” it as on the shelf at WalMart. Instructions call for heating it for less than a minute, in the wrapper with one end cracked.
The sandwich weighs 6 ounces and is comprised of two beef patties (beef, textured vegetable protein and a gaggle of other ingredients), American and “mild white” cheese, and a “fresh baked sesame seed bun.” The package is boldly emblazoned with “New Look!”
The taste and texture is OK, better than most of these types of products. It has a little hint of “grill flavor” (smoke) on it, and it’s kind of salty it seems. The bun survived the microwave well. Sometimes you can get very unsatisfactory results with microwave buns (hard as a rock or mushy) or at least I have. The bottom bun is a little ‘damp’ from the steam created during the cooking stage, but that dissipates if you let the sandwich sit a minute before consuming. (You were gonna pile on the condiments, anyway, weren’t you)?
Nutritional make-up is not on the package, nor on the website even though there is a page for it. Depending on those figures, these are probably good to keep on hand for quick kid meals.
I’d buy it again if I had the quick burger urge. A lot better value than comparably sized fast food offerings.
In package, prior to nuking
Out of the microwave
Landshire Factory
Landshire Double Charbroil Review