There are plenty of people out there who would
argue that McDonald's World Famous Fries are the best thing to come out of the golden arches.
But how do they actually end up on your tray or in that drive-thru bag? Let's find out. McDonald's decided to share all about how
their famous fries are made after years of people asking if they used some sort of potato
goo to get the process started. Well, there's no goo here. According to McDonald's, their
world famous fries start with whole, fresh-from-the-ground potatoes, grown on U.S. farms. The potatoes McDonald's uses are so ideal
for their famous fries that they weren't willing to stray from them a few years ago and move
to another option. When J.R. Simplot engineered the "Innate" potato, a variety that would
bruise less and release fewer compounds when fried, a McDonald's spokesperson said they
had no intention of switching to the GMO product. They said: "McDonald's USA does not source GMO potatoes
nor do we have current plans to change our sourcing practice." Long live the real potato! McDonald's serves up a very specific shape
of fry, and that comes from the way the potatoes are cut. The potato-cutting machine looks
like a giant wood chipper, shooting potatoes into high pressure water knives at 60 to 70
miles per hour. One McDonald's factory employee on Reddit
went even further to describe the machine's incredible strength, making it sound, well,
terrifying. They said, quote, "Somebody stepped in a water waste flume once
and got sucked under and almost drowned. Somebody passing by had to pull him out. This wasn't
a flume where fries go, but it still has water moving about the same speed. For the flumes
that carry product, just imagine a few hundred pounds of fries every minute going by at lightning
speed." “Mary Mother of God.” If you look closely at McDonald's ingredient
list for their fries, you'll notice a few ingredients that definitely aren't potatoes.
Two of those, dextrose and sodium acid pyrophosphate, are added at the factory, essentially giving
the cut potatoes a nice chemical bath. There's no need to worry, though. According
to Heathline, dextrose is a simple sugar made from corn, which is often used as a sweetener.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest says sodium acid pyrophosphate actually reduces
the levels of acrylamide, a carcinogen present when potatoes are fried, so there might be
some chemical additions we should be applauding. As an added bonus, they also help keep those
fries a delicious golden color, no matter where in the world you order them. Once the fries are cut and bathed, they're
partially fried at the factory to speed up the cooking process later on once they arrive
in stores. According to one McDonald's Factory employee's AMA on Reddit, the processing is
all part of setting the store up for success. "Uncooked food is harder to manage bacteria
growth [...] It's also easier if the restaurants can just reheat than actually cook." The fries then travel about 50 yards through
a flash-freezer tunnel to complete the process, which is crucial for their uniform appearance
and storage. One of the most unique additives you'll see
listed among McDonald's french fries ingredients is their, quote, "natural beef flavor." Yes,
you heard that correctly. Natural beef flavor. And we owe it to that added beef flavor for
not being able to put those beautiful french fries down. Years ago, McDonald's used to fry their french
fries in beef fat, and it just became part of their signature flavor. According to NPR,
the company switched to a vegetable oil base to quell concerns about saturated fat, but
still incorporated essence of beef until vegetarian groups protested. Today, McDonald's continues to mimic that
flavor with the help of their natural beef flavor containing hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed
milk, which makes it safe for vegetarians, but not vegans. During service, especially during busy times,
fries are made pretty much constantly. When it's time to put a fry basket down, the fries
are actually designed to cook within three minutes, all thanks to the preparation beforehand
in the factory. At one time, McDonald's used a partially hydrogenated
oil for their fries, until they completely switched over in 2008 to eliminate trans fats.
They spent seven years on the hunt for a replacement, testing 18 different types of oils before
they ultimately decided on Clear Valley high oleic canola oil, which allowed McDonald's
to fry in an oil with no trans fats and the lowest saturated fat content of any of the
vegetable oils. According to McDonald's, they've figured out
the ideal amount of salt for their fries based on their customers. In answering one of their FAQs on the McDonald's
UK website asking about why McDonald's fries have so much salt on them, they responded
by explaining, "Extensive research has shown that the majority
of McDonald's consumers prefer a light sprinkling of salt on their french fries. A typical serving
of a small portion of french fries contains 0.5 grams of salt." With that standard, that puts a small order
of fries serving up to 160 milligrams of sodium and large with 350 milligrams of sodium. Compared
to your daily recommended amount of sodium of around 1500 milligrams, that's not outrageous
after all, is it? McDonald's Canada took to their website to
answer the many questions their customers have about their food, and one popular topic
was how long fries sit in the heat tray before they are finally discarded. Corporate told
one enquirer, "[...] the longest amount of time we'll keep
our World Famous Fries before serving them to you is 7 minutes. (But their popularity
means they're usually on your tray and in your mouth much faster than that.)" "No, sorry mate, five second rule!” “I thought it was a ten second rule.” “No, it’s definitely five seconds.” “Seven?” “Right-oh, seven. Six, and seven. Time’s
up.” And what about that thing where customers
think they're pulling one over on MickeyD's by asking for fries with no salt, just to
get a fresh batch? According to another crew member on Reddit, all you need to do in order
to get fresh fries is ask. "Did you know that you can simply ask for
fresh fries if that's what you wanted? They'll actually most likely be newer than asking
for no salt!" But if you do ask for fresh fries, be sure
to remember they will take a few more minutes than normal. One employee told Reddit it takes
about 3 ½ minutes to complete the order, and that's actually not long at all to wait
for that box of golden deliciousness. Check out one of our newest videos right here!
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They are actually vegan in most of the world. America is the exception Obviously.
Not only are their fries not vegan, nothing about mcdonalds is vegan. Not even a little bit.
Burger King and Wendy's fries are as vegan as you are going to get with Fast food (no animal products). But, you have to be ok with a shared fryer.
fuck being vegan, mcdonalds isn’t even edible. 😂🤢
Plus they already make a completely vegan burger in Finland called the McVegan that sells like gangbusters that they could easily sell at every restaurant worldwide, yet they don’t.
And they use chemicals for the “fry smell” no thanks.
They're vegan everwhere but in Trumpistan.
They're vegan in Canada
In Australia they're vegan. I think this applies to America?