There are plenty of people out there who would argue that McDonald's World Famous Fries are the best thing to come out of the golden arches. But how do they actually end up on your tray or in that drive-thru bag? We decided to dive in and take a look at exactly how McDonald's french fries are made.
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00:00There are plenty of people out there who would argue that McDonald's world-famous fries are
00:05the best thing to come out of the Golden Arches.
00:07But how did they actually end up on your tray or in that drive-thru bag?
00:11Let's find out.
00:13McDonald's decided to share all about how their famous fries are made after years of
00:17people asking if they used some sort of potato goo to get the process started.
00:21Well, there's no goo here.
00:23According to McDonald's, their world-famous fries start with whole, fresh-from-the-ground
00:27potatoes grown on U.S. farms.
00:29The potatoes McDonald's uses are so ideal for their famous fries that they weren't willing
00:34to stray from them a few years ago and move to another option.
00:38When J.R.
00:39Simplot engineered the Innate Potato, a variety that would bruise less and release fewer compounds
00:44when fried, a McDonald's spokesperson said they had no intention of switching to the
00:48GMO product.
00:49They said,
00:50"...McDonald's USA does not source GMO potatoes, nor do we have current plans to change our
00:55sourcing practice.
00:56Long live the real potato."
00:58McDonald's serves up a very specific shape of fry, and that comes from the way the potatoes
01:03are cut.
01:04The potato-cutting machine looks like a giant woodchipper shooting potatoes into high-pressure
01:09water knives at 60 to 70 miles per hour.
01:12One McDonald's factory employee on Reddit went even further to describe the machine's
01:16incredible strength, making it sound, well, terrifying.
01:20They said, quote,
01:21"...somebody stepped in a water-waste flume once and got sucked under and almost drowned.
01:26Someone passing by had to pull him out.
01:28This wasn't a flume where fries go, but it still has water moving about the same speed."
01:33For the flumes that carry product, just imagine a few hundred pounds of fries every minute
01:38going by at lightning speed.
01:40If you look closely at McDonald's ingredient list for their fries, you'll notice a few
01:54ingredients that definitely aren't potatoes.
01:56Two of those, dextrose and sodium acid pyrophosphate, are added at the factory, essentially giving
02:02the cut potatoes a nice chemical bath.
02:05There's no need to worry, though.
02:06According to Healthline, dextrose is a simple sugar made from corn, which is often used
02:11as a sweetener.
02:12The Center for Science in the Public Interest says sodium acid pyrophosphate actually reduces
02:17the levels of acrylamide, a carcinogen present when potatoes are fried, so there might be
02:22some chemical additions we should be applauding.
02:24As an added bonus, they also help keep those fries a delicious golden color, no matter
02:29where in the world you order them.
02:32Once the fries are cut and bathed, they're partially fried at the factory to speed up
02:35the cooking process later on once they arrive in stores.
02:39According to one McDonald's factory employee's AMA on Reddit, the processing is all part
02:44of setting the store up for success.
02:46Uncooked food is harder to manage bacteria growth.
02:49It's also easier if the restaurants can just reheat than actually cook.
02:52The fries then travel about 50 yards through a flash freezer tunnel to complete the process,
02:58which is crucial for their uniform appearance in storage.
03:02One of the most unique additives you'll see listed among McDonald's french fries ingredients
03:06is their, quote, natural beef flavor.
03:08Yes, you heard that correctly.
03:10Natural beef flavor.
03:12And we owe it to that added beef flavor for not being able to put those beautiful french
03:16fries down.
03:17Years ago, McDonald's used to fry their french fries in beef fat, and it just became part
03:21of their signature flavor.
03:23According to NPR, the company switched to a vegetable oil base to quell concerns about
03:27saturated fat, but still incorporated essence of beef until vegetarian groups protested.
03:32Today, McDonald's continues to mimic that flavor with the help of their natural beef
03:37flavor containing hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk, which makes it safe for vegetarians,
03:42but not vegans.
03:45During service, especially during busy times, fries are made pretty much constantly.
03:50When it's time to put a fry basket down, the fries are actually designed to cook within
03:53three minutes, all thanks to the preparation beforehand in the factory.
03:57At one time, McDonald's used a partially hydrogenated oil for their fries, until they completely
04:02switched over in 2008 to eliminate trans fats.
04:06They spent seven years on the hunt for a replacement, testing 18 different types of oils before
04:10they ultimately decided on Clear Valley High Oleic canola oil, which allowed McDonald's
04:16to fry in an oil with no trans fats and the lowest saturated fat content of any of the
04:20vegetable oils.
04:23According to McDonald's, they figured out the ideal amount of salt for their fries based
04:27on their customers.
04:28In answering one of their FAQs on the McDonald's UK website asking about why McDonald's fries
04:34have so much salt on them, they responded by explaining,
04:37Extensive research has shown that the majority of McDonald's consumers prefer a light sprinkling
04:42of salt on their French fries.
04:43A typical serving of a small portion of French fries contains 0.5 grams of salt.
04:48With that standard, that puts a small order of fries serving up to 160 milligrams of sodium
04:54and large with 350 milligrams of sodium.
04:57Compared to your daily recommended amount of sodium of around 1,500 milligrams, that's
05:02not outrageous after all, is it?
05:05McDonald's Canada took to their website to answer the many questions their customers
05:09have about their food, and one popular topic was how long fries sit in the heat tray before
05:13they are finally discarded.
05:15Corporate told one inquirer,
05:17"...the longest amount of time we'll keep our world-famous fries before serving them
05:21to you is seven minutes, but their popularity means they're usually on your tray and in
05:25your mouth much faster than that."
05:27No, sorry, mate, five-second rule.
05:28I thought it was a ten-second rule.
05:29No, it's definitely five seconds.
05:31Seven?
05:32Right-o, seven.
05:33Six and seven.
05:34Time's up.
05:35Isn't that the thing where customers think they're pulling one over on Mickey D's by
05:38asking for fries with no salt, just to get a fresh batch?
05:42According to another crew member on Reddit, all you need to do in order to get fresh fries
05:46is ask.
05:47Did you know that you can simply ask for fresh fries if that's what you wanted?
05:51They'll actually most likely be newer than asking for no salt.
05:55But if you do ask for fresh fries, be sure to remember they will take a few more minutes
05:59than normal.
06:00One employee told Reddit it takes about three and a half minutes to complete the order,
06:04and that's actually not long at all to wait for that box of golden deliciousness.