# Anybody try the new, fresh McDonald's Quarter pounder? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 21, 2018, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-the-new-fresh-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder/814593 "2018-05-21T22:45:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-the-new-fresh-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder/814593/21 "2018-05-22T16:21:23Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > We have them, but I always figured they were just the same QP patty on a better bun with special toppings. But, I’m a McDouble man myself. For the consumer, note that MCD single burger patty is 1/10 lb, so a McDouble contains 2/10 of a lb of meet, vs the 1/4 pounder. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-the-new-fresh-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder/814593/22 "2018-05-22T16:24:55Z")
Had one a week or so ago. I wasn’t aware anything was supposed to be different, and didn’t notice that it was. > [@BwanaBob](#): > > Let me say that I worked in a McDonald’s from 1976-77 (in HS) so I remember when quarter pounders were grill cooked in batches of 5. The key was that they were frozen and I remember that they took 5 minutes to prepare. When I ordered my burger on Sunday, I was told it would take 3 minutes. **Seemed odd that you could shave 40% of the time by being pre-thawed.** Why is that odd? ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-the-new-fresh-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder/814593/23 "2018-05-22T16:28:13Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > I had one while waiting for a concert venue in DC to let people in. Let me say that I worked in a McDonald’s from 1976-77 (in HS) so I remember when quarter pounders were grill cooked in batches of 5. The key was that they were frozen and I remember that they took 5 minutes to prepare. When I ordered my burger on Sunday, I was told it would take 3 minutes. Seemed odd that you could shave 40% of the time by being pre-thawed. Part of that is the grill is much faster since then. I work in MCDs about 14 years ago and quarter pounders took maybe 2 minutes to cook. So 3 minutes (cook time plus prep time) sounds about right when being made to order. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-the-new-fresh-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder/814593/24 "2018-05-22T16:29:57Z")
I ordered a quarter pounder last week. Didn’t seem any different. Nothing on the menu indicated it had changed. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-the-new-fresh-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder/814593/25 "2018-05-22T16:58:44Z")
My son works at a McD’s now as a “burger maker” and I can confirm that there’s no grill per se…it’s a “press” machine that cooks all the burgers. Need to ask him if the new fresh patties are cooked differently. He did say that those patties are now accessed via the fridge walk in and not the freezer, so it is true that they are not frozen any longer. His job consists of cooking the patties of whatever and then they are placed in warming trays to await assembly once ordered, and he told me that the patties in the warmers only have a fifteen minute shelf life so they have to be careful how many they pre-cook depending on business so they’re not throwing a bunch of them away. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-the-new-fresh-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder/814593/26 "2018-05-22T17:11:56Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I ordered a quarter pounder last week. Didn’t seem any different. Nothing on the menu indicated it had changed. Maybe it hasn’t rolled out nationally everywhere yet? I’m not sure. But at my McDonald’s, there was nothing on the electronic menu that advertised the fresh beef, but (and I looked around to make sure it was being offered at that McDonald’s, in case this wasn’t a nation-wide thing) I did find a poster off to the side advertising the fact. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-the-new-fresh-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder/814593/27 "2018-05-22T17:33:22Z")
Honestly, I prefer frozen patties at fast food places. A frozen patty put on a grill doesn’t have a chance to go bad. Raw hamburger can go bad quickly. I hope McD has fully trained its people in properly preparing raw meat. Tummy aches or worse aren’t great advertising for a new menu item. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-the-new-fresh-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder/814593/28 "2018-05-22T18:38:00Z")
I ordered a Quarter Pounder a month a so back. It was probably the first hamburger I’ve had there in years that wasn’t as dry as the Sahara. Definitely an improvement, but if I want a really good hamburger I’ll go to Wendy’s. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-the-new-fresh-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder/814593/29 "2018-05-22T21:04:05Z")
Here is a detailed review of the fresh quarter pounder from a sharp dressed lad who goes by “The Report Of The Week”. He even inspects his with a flashlight after being told that the purchase was “cash only”. A 7.5 out of 10 on his scale means average, he rarely doles out 9s. I won’t reveal his rating here… (review is just over 11 minutes long) ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-the-new-fresh-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder/814593/30 "2018-05-22T21:16:14Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > **Honestly, I prefer frozen patties at fast food places.** A frozen patty put on a grill doesn’t have a chance to go bad. > > Raw hamburger can go bad quickly. I hope McD has fully trained its people in properly preparing raw meat. Tummy aches or worse aren’t great advertising for a new menu item. In keeping with that thought, cooking frozen patties at home isn’t too bad either. Sometimes you’re pinched for time. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-the-new-fresh-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder/814593/31 "2018-05-22T21:59:37Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Honestly, I prefer frozen patties at fast food places. A frozen patty put on a grill doesn’t have a chance to go bad. > > Raw hamburger can go bad quickly. I hope McD has fully trained its people in properly preparing raw meat. Tummy aches or worse aren’t great advertising for a new menu item. Wendy’s does just fine, as do a million other places that use fresh meat (Five Guys, In N Out, etc.) I’m sure it won’t be much a problem, especially as all these places cook their meat well (much to the chagrin of some, although for 1/4 or smaller patties, I don’t particularly care.) ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-the-new-fresh-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder/814593/32 "2018-05-22T22:07:46Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Honestly, I prefer frozen patties at fast food places. A frozen patty put on a grill doesn’t have a chance to go bad. > > Raw hamburger can go bad quickly. I hope McD has fully trained its people in properly preparing raw meat. Tummy aches or worse aren’t great advertising for a new menu item. To me, this is worth thinking about. The whole point of “fresh” “never frozen” is that the meat is indeed fresh. If the meat is ground 1,500 miles away, then put in a refrigerator truck for 2 days, then sits in the walk-in for 2 more days, then gets grilled and put in the warming tray for 15 minutes…well, that’s not really gaining me much over frozen, innit?. Frozen locks in the nutrition until it is cooked. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-the-new-fresh-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder/814593/33 "2018-05-22T22:08:55Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Wendy’s does just fine, as do a million other places that use fresh meat (Five Guys, In N Out, etc.) I’m sure it won’t be much a problem, especially as all these places cook their meat well (much to the chagrin of some, although for 1/4 or smaller patties, I don’t particularly care.) If by “cook their meat well” you mean “well done” rather than “good job”, I kinda get that. For some weird reason though, even if I had the ability to order a medium burger at such a place (and cooking a burger that way requires a pretty thick, fresh patty) I wouldn’t. I only seem to be able to order a burger that way at a good restaurant, or at home. As if somehow the quality of the beef and/or the handling of the process was better and done with care rather than apathy. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-the-new-fresh-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder/814593/34 "2018-05-22T22:26:14Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > If by “cook their meat well” you mean “well done” rather than “good job”, I kinda get that. Yes, “well” as in “well done.” From a fresh patty, it’s somewhat difficult to get a anything under medium well for anything 1/4 pound or thinner, I would say. That is, if you want a reasonably cooked exterior crust. I have heard of people frying up burgers from frozen for that reason: that they can get a crusty exterior while still maintaining a lower level of doneness on the interior patty for a comparatively thinner patty. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-the-new-fresh-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder/814593/35 "2018-05-22T22:36:43Z")
Huh, I haven’t eaten MdD burgers since I was a kid, and I got permission from my mom to get something else. But maybe I should try this. Can you get it as just a burger on a bun, without condimints? As a child, I HATED that the burger had mustard on it, and refused to eat them. I’m still not a fan of burgers with lots of stuff on them. Maybe some ketchup. If the meat is good, just salt and pepper is ideal. Mustard, mayo, onions, pickles, lettuce, tomato, all detract from my enjoyment to various degrees. And I still won’t eat a burger that has mustard, and if I mistakenly get one with mayo, I’ll scrape most of it off. So I don’t usually do fast food burgers. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-the-new-fresh-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder/814593/36 "2018-05-22T22:37:49Z")
I’d be curious who can actually tell the difference between frozen and NOT frozen in a blind taste test. I had one unknowingly yesterday and didn’t notice anything. Taste like the same ol’ burger to me. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-the-new-fresh-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder/814593/37 "2018-05-22T22:39:57Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Huh, I haven’t eaten MdD burgers since I was a kid, and I got permission from my mom to get something else. But maybe I should try this. Can you get it as just a burger on a bun, without condimints? > > As a child, I HATED that the burger had mustard on it, and refused to eat them. I’m still not a fan of burgers with lots of stuff on them. Maybe some ketchup. If the meat is good, just salt and pepper is ideal. Mustard, mayo, onions, pickles, lettuce, tomato, all detract from my enjoyment to various degrees. And I still won’t eat a burger that has mustard, and if I mistakenly get one with mayo, I’ll scrape most of it off. So I don’t usually do fast food burgers. Whether or not they’re cooked to order, every fast food restaurant prepares their food to order now, so you can have it however you want. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-the-new-fresh-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder/814593/38 "2018-05-22T22:49:34Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Whether or not they’re cooked to order, every fast food restaurant prepares their food to order now, so you can have it however you want. Yeah, but why bother? No one has ever said to me, “wow, McD has great meat in their burgers”. People who like them tend to say things like > [@pulykamell](#): > > …but I guess when I go to McDonald’s is because I want a low-rent McDonald’s burger,… I assume most people like mustard and pickles and stuff on their burgers, and probably enjoy that stuff more than the underlying burger. (Whereas I often eat just the burger, without even a bun, when I have one at home.) ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-the-new-fresh-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder/814593/39 "2018-05-22T22:55:29Z")
I believe a standard QPw/C comes with just pickles, ketchup, and onions. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2018, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-the-new-fresh-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder/814593/40 "2018-05-22T23:02:04Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I assume most people like mustard and pickles and stuff on their burgers, and probably enjoy that stuff more than the underlying burger. Well, no. The Quarter Pounder is a fairly minimalist burger, by most people’s standards. (Or maybe I should say “by modern standards.” One of the reasons I like the quarter pounder is because it’s not loaded with a crap ton of toppings. But for me, ketchup, mustard, ketchup, onions are the base standard ingredients for a burger.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-the-new-fresh-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder/814593.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-try-the-new-fresh-mcdonalds-quarter-pounder/814593.md?page=3)