Tastes like McDonald's fries

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I have to say I love McD's french fries.

But, I have been making my own at home, and baking them. Skin on, I like mine better.
 
When McDonalds started, it wasn't the hamburgers that they focused on - they claimed it was the french fries that kept bringing people back time and again. The potatos were par-boiled, throughly dried, frozen and then cooked at 375 degrees in a blend of peanut and coconut oil. It was the coconut oil that was their secret ingredient until the "saturated fat people" complained.
 
Does that mean they're cold, hard, and inedible?

I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. I remember the last time I went to McDonald's (back in 2001) I ended up with fries that were cold and hard. The next time I went, it happened again. I stopped going there. Burger King was always my first love anyways. :)

But I'm going to give this recipe a try.

mj1 -

No a big deal to fix that. I don't visit either of those places anymore. However, to get the best product capable from them (i.e. hot and fresh), and ask for no salt on your fries which requires a new batch be fried. For a fresh burger, I'd ask for extra pickle, or onion.

Bob
 
When McDonalds started, it wasn't the hamburgers that they focused on - they claimed it was the french fries that kept bringing people back time and again. The potatos were par-boiled, throughly dried, frozen and then cooked at 375 degrees in a blend of peanut and coconut oil. It was the coconut oil that was their secret ingredient until the "saturated fat people" complained.

Really?

I seem to recall McDonalds being one of the last FF restaurants to stop cooking their fries in lard in the early 90's.

In fact, I did remember this correctly...

From rense.com: (an exerpt from Fast Food Nation - great book, worth the read)

For decades McDonald's cooked its french fries in a mixture of about seven percent cottonseed oil and 93 percent beef tallow. The mixture gave the fries their unique flavor -- and more saturated beef fat per ounce than a McDonald's hamburger.

No disrespect to Arky, but Schlosser's research that supported that massive muckraking tome has been, to this date, unassailable, though many have tried.
 
The Metal Chef - I stand corrected - sort of - Yes, the original formula was 7% cottonseed oil and 93% beef tallow, but when they began experimenting with other oil combinations, coconut oil and peanut oil went into the blend in at least one store - My son worked at McDonalds, and his store was one of the experimental ones where they try new things (new hamburgers, salads, kid's meals, etc.) for the public, and I recall him talking about the F.F. oil blends, of which there were several, and some tasted better than others. I thought they had used the coconut oil, peanut oil, safflower oil blend nation wide since it created one of the better tasting fries, but I could be wrong.
 
The Metal Chef - I stand corrected - sort of - Yes, the original formula was 7% cottonseed oil and 93% beef tallow, but when they began experimenting with other oil combinations, coconut oil and peanut oil went into the blend in at least one store - My son worked at McDonalds, and his store was one of the experimental ones where they try new things (new hamburgers, salads, kid's meals, etc.) for the public, and I recall him talking about the F.F. oil blends, of which there were several, and some tasted better than others. I thought they had used the coconut oil, peanut oil, safflower oil blend nation wide since it created one of the better tasting fries, but I could be wrong.

I've no doubt they experimented with all kinds of blends during the four or five years prior to their abandonment of tallow - that's why they resisted the change so vehemently - the tallow was the signature flavor of those fries. It was only when they managed to find a chemical company that could produce a coating for the fries that contained enough beef flavoring to replace the tallow that they finally switched to veggie oil.
 
Seeing the name of McDonald's, I always think of the scene where Michael Douglas gets into one of those fastfood restaurants (I think called Whammy Burger), finally manages to order lunch, but gets outraged when the burger he receives looks nothing like the thick, juicy one shown on the menu board. Although the type he plays isn't exactly an admirable one, he does have a point: usually there is indeed a difference between the picture on the board and what you find in your wrap/carton afterwards...
 
Mmmmmm beef tallow....:punk:

I thought the part about there being more beef in the fries than the burgers was kinda scary... :LOL:

But hell yeah. Lard = win, in my book.

I cooked up a batch of chicken fried chicken a few weeks ago, and deep-fried the chicken in bacon grease, then made sawmill gravy. YUUUUUUMMMMMMM!!!!!!
 
fries

I love anything potato..And will definitely try recipe..I like McDonald's fries, its perfect companion to my all time favorite quarter pounder with cheese...I could not imagine burger without fries..:mad:
 
Tastes like McDonalds fries & cheaper than buying them!


Dissolve 1/3 cup of sugar in 2 cups of warm water. Place two large potatoes (peeled and cut fry size) and let set 15 to 30 minutes. Heat deep fryer to 350 degrees. Remove potatoes from water and dry off all excess water. Cook potatoes for one minute and remove. Allow oil to go back up to 350 degrees then place potatoes back in oil and cook until golden brown. Remove from oil, drain and salt to taste. (Even though they tastes good just like that I have a fry salt that I use which I mixed garlic pepper seasoning, sea salt, paprika and cayenne to taste)

sounds yummy. I try not to fry too often, might haveto make an exception though....;) love MD fries over BK!!!!!
 
I love McDonalds fries too!! Call me weird, but I looove dipping them in ranch dressing ;) haha
 
From what I understand, the unique flavor of McDonald's fries is from a beef flavoring. I believe they used to use beef tallow instead of vegetable oil and when the pressure came down on them for health reasons, they switched to a beef flavoring and vegetable oil.

It's been a few years since I read the article.

I thought it was pork lard, not beef. Who knows....
 
Goes to show that everything we like in this world contains either SUGAR or FAT. :( Life isn't fair.

ha ha.. That was funny on your side. Well, you are hoping to get the fries without any potatoes.. lol.. But that was a nice way to prepare french fries. I just hope that they would really taste like McDonald's French Fries. If they really would, then one can easily have them prepared at home and no need to go to McDonald anymore.
 
No need to go to McDonalds??!! Wash your mouth out with soap. That's almost blasphemous!
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I haven't tried this since I don't make fries at home.....too messy and just not worth the effort to make a small batch just for me. Pre-fry the potatoes and then cool them in the fridge or even freeze them. Supposedly the cool fries stay nice and soft and moist in the center; but get very crispy on the exterior.:cool:
 
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