# Poll: McDonald's fries and Big Macs are substandard, even for fast food **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 13, 2019, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-mcdonalds-fries-and-big-macs-are-substandard-even-for-fast-food/831074 "2019-03-13T15:46:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [March 13, 2019, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-mcdonalds-fries-and-big-macs-are-substandard-even-for-fast-food/831074/41 "2019-03-13T17:53:43Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Del Taco had the best fries. But there aren’t any up here. I regret not trying Del Tacos burgers and fries when they were out here briefly in the Chicago area about a decade ago. I went there for the fish tacos, having no idea they were also good for burgers and fries. I mean, they’re called Del Taco, why would I expect good hamburgers and fries there? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-mcdonalds-fries-and-big-macs-are-substandard-even-for-fast-food/831074/42 "2019-03-13T17:57:36Z")
> [@](#): > > But, come on, can we be real? McDonald’s fries are pretty much the worst fries you can get anywhere. They’re not even potatoes. They’re tiny, flavorless, textureless, extruded strings made from some kind of potato-like meal. > > They’re moderately edible when you get them hot (they smell nice), but as soon as they cool, which is within about 10 minutes or so, they have the flavor and texture of wet corrugated cardboard. > > Annnnyyyone’s fries are better than McDonald’s. Anything made from an actual potato that is sliced and cooked is better than McDonald’s fries. I disagree. I’m not saying McDonald’s fries are great – I’m just sying they’re not what you say they are. I’ve had “fries” made from reconstituted potato meal. “Frispos” they were called, and they have a wholly different look and texture from McDonald’s fries. You might not like them, but McDonald’s fries really are pieces of actual fried potato. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-mcdonalds-fries-and-big-macs-are-substandard-even-for-fast-food/831074/43 "2019-03-13T17:58:14Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > _Have._ I had some for breakfast this morning, in fact. 😛 ‘Had’, for me. ☹ > [@pulykamell](#): > > I regret not trying Del Tacos burgers and fries when they were out here briefly in the Chicago area about a decade ago. I went there for the fish tacos, having no idea they were also good for burgers and fries. I mean, they’re called Del Taco, why would I expect good hamburgers and fries there? 🙂 Their burgers were very tasty when I lived in L.A. They also had a Macho Beef Burrito. Last time I checked their menu online, I didn’t see it. This is a pound of their seasoned ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cheese (?), and sour cream wrapped up in a large flour tortilla. Loved those. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-mcdonalds-fries-and-big-macs-are-substandard-even-for-fast-food/831074/44 "2019-03-13T18:01:34Z")
They’re OK, but not the best. Wendy’s is better, with Burger King the worst.\* But Five Guys is way ahead. \*New slogan “At least they don’t taste like detergent any more.” ---
**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:** [March 13, 2019, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-mcdonalds-fries-and-big-macs-are-substandard-even-for-fast-food/831074/45 "2019-03-13T18:03:52Z")
Uh…has no one had Arby’s seasoned curly fires? Those are a trash fire in pants. There is much I like about Arby’s but the fries are so awful I won’t even go there any more. AND, in spite of it’s OMG!11! reputation, In-n-Out’s fresh cut fries are dull cardboard, even when straight from the fryer. McD fries aren’t the best, but they are better than those two. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-mcdonalds-fries-and-big-macs-are-substandard-even-for-fast-food/831074/46 "2019-03-13T18:05:08Z")
They’re no curly fries to take the best spot and I’ve gotten too many fast food bags of potato glop for McD’s to even rate in the bottom tier. Somewhere in the upper levels. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-mcdonalds-fries-and-big-macs-are-substandard-even-for-fast-food/831074/47 "2019-03-13T18:06:21Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > Uh…has no one had Arby’s seasoned curly fires? Those are a trash fire in pants. I’d say mean things to you but I suppose this really means more curly fries for me. ---
**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:** [March 13, 2019, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-mcdonalds-fries-and-big-macs-are-substandard-even-for-fast-food/831074/48 "2019-03-13T18:12:26Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > Uh…has no one had Arby’s seasoned curly fires? Those are a trash fire in pants. There is much I like about Arby’s but the fries are so awful I won’t even go there any more. I hate those fries, as well, but I can see why people like them. > [@](#): > > AND, in spite of it’s OMG!11! reputation, In-n-Out’s fresh cut fries are dull cardboard, even when straight from the fryer. I hate those fries as well, but I _can’t_ see why people like them. (Then again, I love their burgers, and for plenty of people, those are meh, too. But seriously, what is to like about their fries? In theory, they should be fantastic. Freshly cut, freshly fried. Yet, insipid. Even well done or animal style, nope.) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-mcdonalds-fries-and-big-macs-are-substandard-even-for-fast-food/831074/49 "2019-03-13T18:17:50Z")
I hate In-N-Out’s fries. They’re limp and greasy. Give me Fatburger’s Fat Fries any day. ---
**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:** [March 13, 2019, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-mcdonalds-fries-and-big-macs-are-substandard-even-for-fast-food/831074/50 "2019-03-13T18:25:50Z")
Chick-Fil-A’s waffle cut fries seem to always make lists of “best food items at fast food restaurants,” but I just don’t quite get that one, either. I mean, they’re fine and all, but I can’t quite see what makes them so orgasmic that I always seem to find them on those types of lists. Surely, the chicken sandwich itself should be on the list (but that’s an argument for another thread–like In N Out, it seems to be polarizing), but the fries? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-mcdonalds-fries-and-big-macs-are-substandard-even-for-fast-food/831074/51 "2019-03-13T18:26:41Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > Uh…has no one had Arby’s seasoned curly fires? Those are a trash fire in pants. There is much I like about Arby’s but the fries are so awful I won’t even go there any more. Ah, a fellow Arby’s boycotter! Together we will bring them to their knees! Bring back Arby’s skin-on fries! ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-mcdonalds-fries-and-big-macs-are-substandard-even-for-fast-food/831074/52 "2019-03-13T18:39:37Z")
Does Arby’s not have those any longer. I know I’ve gotten rogue straight fries in my curly fries before and thought they had skin. But I was too busy calling my congressman to complain to double check. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-mcdonalds-fries-and-big-macs-are-substandard-even-for-fast-food/831074/53 "2019-03-13T18:41:16Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > They’re OK, but not the best. Wendy’s is better, with Burger King the worst.\* But Five Guys is way ahead. I didn’t say McDs was best because Five Guys, on a good day, are better. I’d give them a slight edge over Wendys, but only slight. Much better than Burger King. And especially better than Inn-N-Out, whose fries suck, either way. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-mcdonalds-fries-and-big-macs-are-substandard-even-for-fast-food/831074/54 "2019-03-13T18:45:43Z")
McD’s fries used to be at the top, when they were fired in beef fat. Then they switched to a inferious fry fat, but added beef flavor. Then, due to the protests of Vegans, they removed the beef flavor. They are now just a half step above OK. \* If fresh. \* All you get now is salt and grease. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-mcdonalds-fries-and-big-macs-are-substandard-even-for-fast-food/831074/55 "2019-03-13T18:51:50Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I hate In-N-Out’s fries. They’re limp and greasy. Give me Fatburger’s Fat Fries any day. I agree, but you can ask for them to be extra well done, and then they are Ok. ---
**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:** [March 13, 2019, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-mcdonalds-fries-and-big-macs-are-substandard-even-for-fast-food/831074/56 "2019-03-13T19:12:23Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > McD’s fries used to be at the top, when they were fired in beef fat. Then they switched to a inferious fry fat, but added beef flavor. Then, due to the protests of Vegans, they removed the beef flavor. In Canada, yes. In the US, no. They still have beef flavoring in them, and [their own US website](https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/small-french-fries.html) says they contain milk products. They are a bit more cagey about disclosing whether there are any other animal-derived products in there, though, only listing possible allergens (milk, soy.) My hunch is they may use meat-derived products (not just milk), as well, but I cannot find a source confirming or denying. Regardless, they are not vegan at the very least in the US. ---
**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:** [March 13, 2019, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-mcdonalds-fries-and-big-macs-are-substandard-even-for-fast-food/831074/57 "2019-03-13T19:13:33Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I agree, but you can ask for them to be extra well done, and then they are Ok. I’ve tried this trick a couple times, and they still fall short of OK. I just skip the fries there (which is fine, as I generally do skip fries these days, as I don’t need the extra calories. As much as I love 5 Guys fries, I don’t get them there because even their smallest portion (or do they even have sizes? I don’t remember now) is enough for three people, and I have an ingrained habit of not wasting food, so end up eating them all if I order them and there’s no one to share them with.) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-mcdonalds-fries-and-big-macs-are-substandard-even-for-fast-food/831074/58 "2019-03-13T19:17:14Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > As much as I love 5 Guys fries, I don’t get them there because even their smallest portion (or do they even have sizes? I don’t remember now) They have a small and a large, but when you order a small, they fill up the entire bag with fries. I have no idea what happens when you order a large. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-mcdonalds-fries-and-big-macs-are-substandard-even-for-fast-food/831074/59 "2019-03-13T19:18:05Z")
Maybe I had bad luck with Five Guys. Theirs were limp, soft, and oily. I think fast food fries should be nice and crispy, and Five Guys’ fries were anything but that. The burger was good, though- it reminded me of Wendy’s circa 1976. ---
**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:** [March 13, 2019, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-mcdonalds-fries-and-big-macs-are-substandard-even-for-fast-food/831074/60 "2019-03-13T19:23:11Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Maybe I had bad luck with Five Guys. Theirs were limp, soft, and oily. I think fast food fries should be nice and crispy, and Five Guys’ fries were anything but that. The burger was good, though- it reminded me of Wendy’s circa 1976. They are definitely not as crispy as McD’s fries, but they should still hold up pretty well. They remind me of a lot of skin-on fries I used to get at various hot dog stands around the area here back when skin-on fries were more common. Now almost everyone seems to have the standard skinless food service fries in my neighborhood. They end up thinner and crispier, but not as “potatoey” as the ones at Five Guys or that used to be around my neighborhood. To me, it’s a bit of comparing apples and oranges. For the skinless fast-food style of fry, like I said above, I think McDonald’s is perfection. And, yes, you have to eat them within 5-10 minutes, but that’s true of any fried food, in my opinion. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-mcdonalds-fries-and-big-macs-are-substandard-even-for-fast-food/831074.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-mcdonalds-fries-and-big-macs-are-substandard-even-for-fast-food/831074.md?page=4)