McDonald's Practically Always Does This 10x Better Than Burger King

Burger King is a great fast food option in our opinion — but we'll stand ten toes down on the argument that McDonald's absolutely destroys BK when it comes to fries. And we're not the only ones. On social media site Reddit, the topic of fast food fries comes up frequently. Numerous researchers and less-serious websites keep coming up with new metrics showing that American consumers vastly prefer McDonald's fries, and the discourse often gets heated. But, while tons of Redditors sing the praises of McDonald's fries, it seems like nobody is going to bat for Burger King.

A Reddit discussion of a CivicScience poll showing a plurality of preference for McDonald's fries over other comers (including Burger King) was met with agreement: "I'm surprised it's not higher tbh. When they are hot, fresh, and salted correctly, no other fry even comes close." On that same thread, shade against Burger King went unanswered: "Burger King used to have the best fries then some corporate genius decided to change the recipe so now they are just meh." 

Meanwhile, a subreddit dedicated to McDonald's asked: "How does McDonald's perfect their french fries? It's literally the best fries you can get from a fast food joint. They're addicting." A third discussion just pooh-pooh'd any discussion of rivalry (poor BK!): "There's a French fry war? Pretty sure McDonald's dropped an A-bomb decades ago and there has not been serious nationwide chain competition since." Many consumers think that McDonald's Coke is on a different level of taste from other drive-thrus, and it seems fries may be a similar slam-dunk.

Many of the Reddit discussions of McDonald's fries mentioned that the shoestring taters were particularly delicious when they were fresh and hot. One of the better-known McDonald's hacks is asking for fresh fries to be dropped for your order, which is a perfectly acceptable practice. Few, if any people are backing BK's fries, however, which is surprising since Burger King has shown a bonafide effort at improving this vital part of its menu. In 2011, the chain made well-publicized "improvements" to its fries that saw them become thicker and with a stronger potato taste. They were knocked, however, for inconsistent salting and lackluster flavor.

McDonald's fries, on the other hand, are a shining example of why food engineering is actually an art, and not strictly a science. They have a proprietary mix of flavors designed to hit multiple taste receptors with notes of salt and sugar. McDonald's is picky with its potato suppliers, which also helps, since quality ingredients will always win the day when it comes to flavor. 

Perhaps most fascinatingly, American McDonald's fries have beef flavoring added, which replaces the beef tallow in which the fries were crisped before the public health outcry against saturated fats in the 1980s. Coincidentally, this is also why the fries cannot be considered vegan — the beef flavor has dairy components. No matter what aspect of their prep is the one that actually hits the spot, we know that McDonald's fries almost always trounce those from Burger King in the realm of public opinion. The chain, overall, seems to be more a part of the zeitgeist — we even tracked what 12 celebrities really order from McDonald's.