I was on a Burger King fish sandwich kick a while back and arrived at some of the same conclusions: they’re not held and usually made to order, ‘fresh’. But, just in case, I also began ordering without cheese since it doesn’t add much but also compels a new sandwich. The cool chunked lettuce & tartar + hot steamy fish was quite a nice treat and I had good luck getting well made ones.
It’s been at least 15 years, though. My job had me eating on the road a few days a week and I found a few reliably tolerable things to fall back on: Wendys chili & baked potato, Subway tuna, plain fried rice at Panda Express, 7 Layer Burrito at Taco Bell.
I feel silly for asking but then got excited at the idea of weighing condiment portions: I enjoy food metrics. That’d be about ‘four ounce’ American, a common size for a potent product like hot sauce or horseradish but little single use droppers wouldn’t be so strange, Tabasco has those.
Just be aware: this is not peanut butter or similar. You don’t want to put a thick layer on your toast! This is perhaps why so many people think they hate it: they used far too much.
A judicious thin layer - just enough to cover up the butter - is the way to go.
Yeah, no kidding! I think of the various -mites as being more similar to miso than peanut butter, at least as far as the intensity of flavor is concerned.
I’m a mite lover, and tend to slather it on pretty heavily. I’ve consumed over 1.5 kilos of a 2.5 kilo tub of vegemite purchased a couple years ago. While knocking off jars of marmite and cenovis. Yet even I consider less to be more, and enough vegemite or marmite to cover up the butter would still be a hell of a lot, IMHO. I’d recommend starting with enough to discolor the butter a little.
The story is, a franchisee in a heavily Catholic area (Cincinnati?) who was not selling much of Fridays came up with F-o-F as a substitute. Ray Kroc himself objected strenuously saying he didn’t want any fish, “stinking up the place.” He came up with the Hula Burger – a slice of grilled pineapple in place of the patty – instead. The franchisee was dubious so both were offered to see which would be more popular. The fish won handily.
I’m not the one doing the “detailed analysis”. And I don’t know what you mean by “scant experience”. I’m quite familiar with some McDonald’s products, and also some from Wendy’s and Burger King. But I rarely go to any of them – maybe something like once every few months at most. I don’t think I’ve been to BK in nearly a year, and due mainly to its inconvenient location I don’t think I’ve been to Wendy’s in maybe five years. McD’s has the advantage of being really close by and being open 24x7.
I’m pretty sure i got fresh ones before i realized i could ask for that, but it’s been a few years, and i am not certain. I never thought, “ug! old and soggy”
I have them occasionally, too, and I’ve gotten one or two that were “warming cabinet” quality. Now if I have one, it’s on a Friday. Our local McDonald’s sells 'em cheap for the local Catholics and they’re always fresh those days.
Old, old McDonald’s employee here. There were no warming cabinets back in the day, they stayed in the “warming bin”/serving tray and were tossed after 15 minutes if I’m remembering correctly - same as everything else. McD’s, including the franchises, were more tightly standardized on quality control even relative to other fast food venues. It’s how they maintained market share - a near-uniformity in product output. I flat-out don’t believe the “hours” thing from random Redditors is at all common.
That said perfect quality control is impossible and I also don’t like 10-15 minute-old filets. They do dry out and get less palatable. If I bother ordering one, I ask for it to be dropped fresh and wait on it. I also do think they’ve declined slightly in quality since the switch from cod (firmer texture) to pollock (slightly mushier) in 2013.
Also having worked at a McDonalds and having favored the filet, I’ve had the opportunity to try them with a full slice of cheese - it doesn’t work. While I’m sure it does help on the budget, the old McD claim that too much cheese overwhelms the fish is accurate. I tried it twice thinking I’d like it more. Nope - it’s worse.
Also why no lettuce and tomato? Because NO McD product had lettuce and tomato back in the day . They didn’t introduce such luxuries until the mid-1980’s when I was working there, as it clashed with the production model. The first McDLT polystyrene containers were quite the two part monstrosity - designed to keep the meat warm in the heating bin while somehow keeping the lettuce and tomato from wilting in the same environment by double-insulating them. Bit of a failure, really (though I liked them when fresh).
I’ll certainly defer to your experience, and thanks for sharing it.
I have no knowledge of their “warming” practices. And I can understand why they wouldn’t want to keep too many Filet O Fish sandwiches ahead. Not worth the potential food poisoning risk.
I would never say how long those sandwiches were kept before being sold, but on more than one occasion, the bun was chewier than one would expect for a freshly-made sandwich. My only-on-Fridays practice – and only a couple times a year – has kept me safe from the chewy buns.
It’s weird to get a craving for something you had as a kid, and you know it’s really not that great. We used to get cinnamon rolls that were factory made in a crimped aluminum tray, about an inch thick, with fake plastic icing. Was in the bread aisle, now nowhere to be found. Endless similar bakery items.
Any particular favorites? The Buldak spicy ones are really good, although 10% too spicy for me. Akuan spicy wide noodles are fantastic too. And making either “fancy” just involves frying an egg or adding chicken.
Agreed. I get those once in a blue moon, but have to be in the mood for the spice hit. Usually it’s Shin Ramyun Black which is not a favorite of the cognoscenti, but easy to find and still a step up from the likes of Sapporo.
. They didn’t introduce such luxuries until the mid-1980’s when I was working there, as it clashed with the production model. The first McDLT polystyrene containers were quite the two part monstrosity - designed to keep the meat warm in the heating bin while somehow keeping the lettuce and tomato from wilting in the same environment by double-insulating them. Bit of a failure, really (though I liked them when fresh).