There's beef in McDonald's fries? Nah. McDonald's does actually have its potato suppliers partially fry its potatoes in blend of oil that has beef flavoring added to it. Unfortunately for vegans and vegetarians, this means McDonald's fries contain at least some degree of meat. They're also not gluten-free because of the hydrolyzed wheat used in the Natural Beef Flavor.
McDonald's original recipe for its french fries included frying the cut spuds in beef tallow. Beef tallow is rendered beef fat similar to lard in cooking terms. Those who experienced that original recipe praise it as the best in the game and credit the beef tallow as what kept the fries crispy, unlike the somewhat limp texture Wendy's called out in its campaign about McDonald's current recipe.
However, in 1990, the public had become concerned with a rise in the prevalence of obesity in America, and a demand for "healthier" foods increased. McDonald's senior vice president at the time went on "Good Morning America" and was called out by a popular health advocate for the beef tallow in the brand's recipe. In response to public concern and to its leadership being called out on national television, McDonald's chose to change its recipe, exchanging beef tallow for vegetable oil. In retrospect, this only gave the appearance of a healthier recipe, and McDonald's has had to continue to tweak its french fries over the years to reduce the trans fats introduced by the change to vegetable oil.
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I baste my fries with beef tallow then fry them in the air fryer. MMMmmmmm.
ReplyDeleteI used to be the accountant for a company that supplied potatoes for the plant that made McD's fries. Instead of a bean counter, I was a potato counter. Great trips to the plant, smell was great could eat all the fries you wanted as they did test batches. Worst trip was to bins that started to melt down due to late blight or other diseases. Not much smells worse than 400,000 lbs of rotten spuds.
ReplyDelete("If you don't do as I tell you, I won't support your product.
ReplyDelete"No! No! No! Now that I've got you to stand on your head, I want you to defecate at the same time.")
Give an inch, they'll take a foot - the whole foot - yours!
Years ago, the ex and I were in an Indian restaurant in London. Two older guys sat nearby and were lamenting the poor state of current London cuisine; you never eat British food, really in London. They started discussing fish n' chips and how terrible they now tasted and that the texture was gummy, not like the good ol' days.
ReplyDeleteThey said that the reason was that everyone uses vegetable oil that does not get hot enough, thus soaks into the food and makes it soggy and greasy.
The only thing to use, they said, was lard. It gets waaay hotter so the food cooks much quicker and does not have to sit so long in the vat of oil. So true!
True also is that after 5 years as a produce clerk at A&P food stores I can tell you that rotted potatoes are nasssty, closely followed by rotted onions. Man, gross!
Steak and Shake uses beef tallow on their fries
ReplyDeleteMark in PA
They really should go back to beef tallow. Healthier and tastier.
ReplyDeleteI remember lugging those 40 lb blocks of lard up fro the storage basement of the restaurant. It was a very greasy mess when leading up a new block into a freshly cleaned fryer. 40 was the exact amount, but you had to hand pack the lard tightly against the electric burners so they wouldn't melt from being in contact with the air when you started the melting process. Took forever to clean your arms when done. Great fries back then.
ReplyDeleteI worked at McD's as a teen back in the 70's melting those big cubes of tallow into the fry vat. Can confirm they tasted great.
ReplyDeleteback a ways in the 70's-80's, I recall a McD's running prints ads claiming their fries were so good, that people bought to take home as an accompaniment to their home cooked meal.
ReplyDelete