# McDonald's Shakes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 20, 2020, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-shakes/846708 "2020-01-20T17:02:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2020, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-shakes/846708/21 "2020-01-21T09:27:56Z")
Wendy’s frosties are my favorite. I can have such a tiny ammt it just makes me mad to have to toss most of it. So I just abstain. Alas, such is my life.☹ ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2020, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-shakes/846708/22 "2020-01-21T10:40:31Z")
get a kids meal beck … the frostys they give those are maybe 2 tablespoons big ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2020, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-shakes/846708/23 "2020-01-21T12:15:04Z")
I worked at McDonald’s in 1980. The shake machine was distinct from the ice cream machine and dispensed different stuff. You’d almost fill a cup full of shake stuff, add a squirt of syrup and then mix it in the mixer for fifteen seconds or so. We had chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. It wasn’t legal for us to call them “milk shakes”; always just shakes. They used stuff called ice milk rather than pure milk. Also it took like fifteen minutes to clean the machine each night not even close to anything like several hours. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2020, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-shakes/846708/24 "2020-01-21T13:32:30Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I haven’t bought a McDonald’s shake in at least fifteen years. > > I think they used to offer Strawberry? I’ll drink a chocolate shake but it’s not something I’d order. That’s a lot of calories for a drink flavor that I’m not craving. Wait—what? They no longer have strawberry shakes? Vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry were always the canonical shake flavors. When did that change? I must be really out of touch. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2020, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-shakes/846708/25 "2020-01-21T13:48:08Z")
I haven’t had a McDonald’s shake in probably 40 years so I can only imagine what changes have been made since then. However I can distinctly recall the texture and it was not like that of the soft serve stuff that was used in the sundaes. It was slightly . . .grainy (?) in a good way. I also seem to recall watching them being dispensed and it looked like one consistently mixed stream to me. These days I don’t really eat shakes - there’s other things I’d rather splurge my calories on- but damn if I don’t crave a shamrock shake every once in a while. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2020, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-shakes/846708/26 "2020-01-21T15:25:19Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I haven’t had a McDonald’s shake in probably 40 years so I can only imagine what changes have been made since then. However I can distinctly recall the texture and it was not like that of the soft serve stuff that was used in the sundaes. It was slightly . . .grainy (?) in a good way. I also seem to recall watching them being dispensed and it looked like one consistently mixed stream to me. > > These days I don’t really eat shakes - there’s other things I’d rather splurge my calories on- but damn if I don’t crave a shamrock shake every once in a while. I agree with you. I’m sure, years ago, there were two different spigots - one for vanilla and one for chocolate. This was before they offered cones. This awful thing I had the other night was definitely vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup “mixed” in. I don’t recall them mixing the shakes back in the day. And you are also correct when you say they used to have a slightly grainy texture. ---
**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:** [January 21, 2020, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-shakes/846708/27 "2020-01-21T16:14:21Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > It wasn’t legal for us to call them “milk shakes”; always just shakes. That sounds like an urban legend, like “KFC changed their name because it’s not real chicken.” I don’t think the FDA has an official definition of “milk shake.” Regardless, the first ingredient is milk: [Small Vanilla Shake: Soft Serve & Vanilla Syrup | McDonald’s](https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/vanilla-shake-small.html) ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2020, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-shakes/846708/28 "2020-01-21T16:24:47Z")
They have strawberry shakes here because that’s what my daughter always gets. I can’t stand the chemical taste myself and I’m not the least bit picky when it comes to most fast food, but I’d rather just not have a shake if McDs is the only option. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2020, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-shakes/846708/29 "2020-01-21T16:32:24Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I have heard that soft-serve ice cream gets its consistency in part from the same substance that makes Depends and the like absorbent. Does anyone know if this is true? > > :dubious: You’re probably think thinking of [xanthan gum](https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/xanthan-gum) which is a thickener often used in commercial ice cream and other food products, as well as lotions, including baby rash ointments. On cooking shows, cooks sometimes use it to instantly thicken things that aren’t cooked. This is on par with the “OMG, the same stuff in yoga mats is in [Subway bread](https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/03/06/286886095/almost-500-foods-contain-the-yoga-mat-compound-should-we-care-keep)!” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2020, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-shakes/846708/30 "2020-01-21T17:05:14Z")
I haven’t had one in years, but the thing I remember about Micky D’s shakes was that _they never melted!_ Then I found out about this goo they use to make ‘fake snow’ which maintains it’s snow-like consistency, even at ‘room temp’. Couldn’t ever enjoy a shake since. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-shakes/846708/31 "2020-01-22T00:52:47Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > You’re probably think thinking of [xanthan gum](https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/xanthan-gum) which is a thickener often used in commercial ice cream and other food products, as well as lotions, including baby rash ointments. On cooking shows, cooks sometimes use it to instantly thicken things that aren’t cooked. > > This is on par with the “OMG, the same stuff in yoga mats is in [Subway bread](https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/03/06/286886095/almost-500-foods-contain-the-yoga-mat-compound-should-we-care-keep)!” :smack: Xanthan gum is also used a lot in gluten-free baking, to make the texture more closely resemble that of gluten-containing breads and other baked items. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-shakes/846708/32 "2020-01-22T01:06:51Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > That sounds like an urban legend, like “KFC changed their name because it’s not real chicken.” I don’t think the FDA has an official definition of “milk shake.” Regardless, the first ingredient is milk: [Small Vanilla Shake: Soft Serve & Vanilla Syrup | McDonald’s](https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/vanilla-shake-small.html) It was forty years ago and a lot has changed. We definitely couldn’t call them milk shakes and it had something to do with the ingredients. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-shakes/846708/33 "2020-01-22T01:08:50Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > It was forty years ago and a lot has changed. We definitely couldn’t call them milk shakes and it had something to do with the ingredients. Ha! Vindicated. [McDonald's 'shake' is not a milkshake](https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-shake-is-not-a-milkshake-2017-6) ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-shakes/846708/34 "2020-01-22T03:59:19Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I haven’t had one in years, but the thing I remember about Micky D’s shakes was that _they never melted!_ > > Then I found out about this goo they use to make ‘fake snow’ which maintains it’s snow-like consistency, even at ‘room temp’. > > Couldn’t ever enjoy a shake since. Read my post above about xanthan gum and yoga mats and Subway bread, then read this [article](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-ice-cream-sandwiches-dont-melt_n_597f6b85e4b02a8434b84556) about why some commercial “ice cream” doesn’t “melt” TL;DR. Xanthan, guar gum and other approved thickeners, plus less cream = less melting. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-shakes/846708/35 "2020-01-22T04:14:07Z")
AFAIK, the difference between most soft serve ice cream (which used to be called ice milk because of the lower cream content) is the temperature of the machine. On Food Network there was premium ice cream shop that only had soft serve. They explained that they kept their churns at a lower temp, never allow the mix being fully frozen, which I believe below freezing temp (which is why to need to add salt to the ice in an ice cream churn. Just ice alone won’t do it). While high cream content ice cream can be churned into butter (as seen on cooking shows), ice milk contains little to no cream and will never turn to butter. Try whipping skim or 2% milk into butter or whipping cream. Won’t happen. I believe the low/no fat content is the reason for the ice crystals. Back when they actually sold ice milk (no labeled low or reduced fat) in cartons, it would never freeze rock hard like regular ice cream. I believe Milk Nickels were ice milk versus Creamsicles which was ice cream. They weren’t a nickel when I was a kid, when you can buy everything individually, I think they were 8 or 10 cents, but they were definitely cheaper than Creamsicles, but more than Popscicles which were 7 cents. At least for me, the difference between ice milk and ice cream is that premium ice cream is sticky on my lips and tongue because of the high cream content. McDonalds and Dairy Queen can be sticky, but in a different way, not creamy way. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-shakes/846708/36 "2020-01-22T07:36:01Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Wendy’s frosties are my favorite. I can have such a tiny ammt it just makes me mad to have to toss most of it. So I just abstain. > Alas, such is my life.☹ Doesn’t the rest of your wrekking crew like the Frosties at Wendy’s? You _could_ all share one. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-shakes/846708/37 "2020-01-22T13:57:32Z")
**Chief Wiggum:** Do they have Krusty-Partially-Gelatinated-Non-Dairy-Gum-Based-Beverages? **Lou:** Mm-hm. And they call 'em “Shakes” **Eddie:** Heh. “Shakes”. You don’t know what you’re gettin’. **Chief Wiggum:** Well I know what I’m gettin’. Some donuts. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-shakes/846708/38 "2020-01-22T19:24:51Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Fun fact: About 10 years ago, McDonalds switched to the clear cups for shakes. They didn’t change anything else about how the shakes were actually made. But now that people could actually see how poorly blended they were, they were SURE that McDonald’s had changed them and that they tasted different. But they _did_ change. McDonald’s used to have shake machines, separate from the ice cream machines. They were filled with shake mix of the appropriate flavor, either vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, or special (seasonal, like shamrock or orange). These were great. Then at some point, they switched the cup _and_ how they’re made, in an effort to be fancy and to charge a whole lot more. Now they’re blended with vanilla ice cream from the ice cream machine, plus whatever syrup flavor you want, and then topped with whipped cream. They’re difficult to drink with a normal straw, and they take forever for the stores to make. On the other hand, this is probably much closer to what Ray Kroc was selling, and _can_ be better shakes if you buy them at a proper dairy or soda fountain and don’t expect to have to drink one in your car. ---
**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:** [January 22, 2020, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-shakes/846708/39 "2020-01-22T19:43:04Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > But they _did_ change. McDonald’s used to have shake machines, separate from the ice cream machines. They were filled with shake mix of the appropriate flavor, either vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, or special (seasonal, like shamrock or orange). These were great. > > Then at some point, they switched the cup _and_ how they’re made, in an effort to be fancy and to charge a whole lot more. Now they’re blended with vanilla ice cream from the ice cream machine, plus whatever syrup flavor you want, and then topped with whipped cream. They’re difficult to drink with a normal straw, and they take forever for the stores to make. > > On the other hand, this is probably much closer to what Ray Kroc was selling, and _can_ be better shakes if you buy them at a proper dairy or soda fountain and don’t expect to have to drink one in your car. They didn’t make any change to how the shakes were made (other than adding whipped cream) at the time they switched to the clear cups. They may have made some change years earlier, but not then. But people were _certain_ the shakes tasted differently when the only thing that changed were the cups. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2020, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-shakes/846708/40 "2020-01-22T19:46:21Z")
They also contain a ton of sugar. “Diabetes in a Cup” > [@](#): > > Calories and Fat > > Milkshakes from McDonald’s are high in calories and fat with the largest sizes containing over half the recommended calories and fat per day, based upon a 2,000 calorie diet. The Triple Thick Shakes are available in 12, 16, 21 and 32 oz. size cups and contain between 420 and 1160 calories. The fat content is in the range of 10 to 27 g of total fat, 6 to 16 g of saturated fat and 0.5 to 2 g of trans fats. The Institute of Medicine recommends limiting daily fat intake to between 20 to 35 percent of your total calories, or approximately 44 to 78 g of fat per day. A 32 oz. milkshake containing 16 g of saturated fat and 2 g of trans fat contains all the recommended limit of saturated and trans fat per day, according to the American Heart Association. Consuming a diet high in saturated and trans fats can raise cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. > Cholesterol and Sodium > > The American Heart Association recommends limiting total cholesterol intake levels to less than 300 mg per day and sodium intake to less than 1500 mg. McDonald’s Triple Thick Shakes contain 40 to 100 mg of cholesterol and 130 to 510 mg of sodium, depending on size. A 32-oz. shake from McDonald’s contains over 30 percent of the daily value of cholesterol and sodium. Consuming a diet high in cholesterol increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, the number one cause of death in the United States, and a high sodium diet may raise blood pressure levels. > Carbohydrates and Sugar > > The McDonald’s Triple Thick Shakes are high in carbohydrates and sugars with 72 to 203 g of carbohydrates and 54 to 168 g of sugar per milkshake, depending on size. The Institute of Medicine recommends 130 g of carbohydrates per day for both adults and children. The 32-oz. shake provides well over the recommended daily allowance of carbohydrates. As for sugar, the American Heart Association recommends limiting daily sugar intake to approximately 25 g for women and 38 g for men. The smallest milkshake from McDonald’s contains nearly double the amount of recommended sugar and the 32-oz. shake contains 4 to 6 times the recommended amount. Excess sugar is not a necessary component of a diet and can contribute to weight gain. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-shakes/846708.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mcdonalds-shakes/846708.md?page=3)