Why McDonald's won fries

The irony is in parts of Asia, McDonalds still does their own version of shake-em up fries called "Shaker fries". Currently the most sought after flavour is seaweed shaker fries, but it's definitely a major selling point whenever that period rolls around.

I feel like the scent of McDonald's fries has also been optimized. Sometimes I'll be driving past a McDonald's, take a whiff of their fries smell they're pumping out, and next thing I know I'm in the drive through ordering 2 McChickens and a large fry.

Supposedly from McDonald's FAQ in 2021: “When our suppliers partially fry our cut potatoes, they use an oil blend that contains beef flavouring.” “This ensures the great-tasting and recognisable flavour we all love from our World Famous Fries. The fries are cooked in our kitchens, seasoned with salt, and served hot to you.”

Constantly impressed with your ability to find topics I didn't think I was interested in and you single handedly making me extremely interested in it. Great job...now I'm hungry!

Fries for a dime is such a crazy thing to think about. Sure, 10 cents was worth a lot more but its wild to think you could pay for a meal with just a couple coins.

I worked at Frito-Lay for 5 years, and it's interesting to see the difference between chips and fries. Even though they're both fried potatoes, there's a lot of differences with all parts of the process. As an example - potatoes were not left to "season", instead the goal was to to from a potato being in the ground, to a chip on store shelves, in under 24 hours. This is likely because chips don't have an "inside" due to how thin they are, while fries have to be properly cooked both inside and out. Frito-Lay also developed their own varieties of potatoes to try and get a competitive advantage - IE they use a potato the competition is unable to buy. Anyway, it was cool to see how fries compared.

My uncle Bill was a potato farmer in southern Idaho, and back in the 1980s had a big contract with J R Simplot; he was very proud that McDonald's (and Burger King) locations the world over used his (in some sense) potatoes for making fries. (He passed away some time ago, and I'm not sure if his son still supplies Simplot.)

As a Google Reviewer this is a great example of why I think McDonalds is "King of the 3 Star". They weren't going for just greatness, they were going for consistency above everything else. It's why you don't get those highs and lows you get from other franchises. Sure you may have a particular individual McDonalds that is good because of a good manager or customer service, but the company as a whole strives for the quality and condition of everything to be the same. Not just average, but greatness through consistency.

Man, Satisfries were my favourite non-Five Guys fry tbh. I was sad when it got replaced with “chicken fries”, basically just long nuggets. And now they’re only in overwhelming Dorito flavour form!! You’re 100% right, BK is a marketing and brand deal company first and foremost.

10/10 LOL on the shot where you continue to talk into the freezer, but the angle has moved to point out how ridiculous talking into the freezer truly is. 🤣

Hello again! Speaking as someone whose worked in a fish and chip caravan, the oil definitely changes the taste! The use of beef fat/tallow adds a more complex flavour and just tastes better. This was interesting for us as living in rural nz, most places got their chips from the same supplier, however we always had repeat customers because they "just taste better". It does make it a lot more dangerous when it comes to cleaning and changing the oil out however. This is because at room temperature the beef fat is a solid. Meaning to change the oil it needs to be hot. Whereas with vegetable oil, its always a liquid. Then there's the obvious fact that beef fat isn't vegan/vegetarian friendly. (Some vegetarians it seems to be a hot topic of debate! So we always needed to check *just incase*)

I'm really enjoying watching your channel grow and your production expand naturally. I like the way you put your personality into things and the little silly touches or funny asides. Keep it up!

As someone who shares a birthday with Mcdonalds I'm glad someone appreciates the logistics of fast food

Fun fact: In studying the science of picky eaters, researchers have found almost no one who doesn't like french fries.

You never fail at giving us a story that we didn’t know we wanted. Love your channel. It’s just so interesting!

This is very well researched and really well done. Your sort of mini-documentaries are always so much fun to watch, like that one about Standard gas stations.

The editing was so good, i don't know the last time I was so concentrated on a video

In the Netherlands, Burger King fries seem a lot better than McDonalds fries. Both are just potatoes, vegetable oil and salt (no other ingredients) but the BK fries are thicker and often a bit crispier while McD fries are thin and often a bit soggy. But of course, going to a regular snackbar and ordering fries is always the best option.

I loved this piece! A comprehensive and deconstructive case study, with logistics and culinary chemistry too 😄

Love how this still feels like a simple personal channel on the best most quirky subjects and that you take the time to have fun with everyone in the comments.