by The Daily Meal | October 22, 2012 at 10:49 AM | Food, General

(AP Photo/Rich Kareckas)

By Jessica Chou, Editor

In a marketing gimmick that is actually rather genius, McDonald’s has revealed how they make their tasty, salty, nostalgia-inducing fries. And it’s actually not that bad.

McDonald’s Canada shows in this straightforward YouTube video how their fries are made, from potato to factory to restaurant. Of course it starts out at a farm, then a factory where the potatoes are washed, peeled, and cut.

All this sounds perfectly normal, until they start talking about adding a dextrose solution and another product for color stabilization. Then, the fries are fried for 45 to 50 seconds, frozen, and shipped off to a restaurant to be refried in vegetable oil.

Of course the main question out of all of this is why the fries happen to have so much salt. None of this is answered in the interview, but it does look like four orders of fries collectively get one tablespoon of salt. Turns out, you can also ask for your fries without any salt, but where’s the fun in that? Watch the video below:

missfee said:

Of course the main question out of all of this is why the fries happen to have so much salt.

So they taste like fries?

Hudson said:

missfee said:

Of course the main question out of all of this is why the fries happen to have so much salt.

So they taste like fries?

On a hungry day, they do.

people who say "well, if you think the burgers/fries od McD's are unhealthy and gross, then stop complaining an order a salad" make me laugh

ma'am, the salad is full of chemical shit as well, I'm sure

McD's= only when I'm starving in the middle of the street, with limited money and in a rush

[Edited 10/22/12 12:18pm]

It sucks that you have to ask for ketchup at the counter now. I blame people like my sister who would hoard ketchup packets in her purse.

Don't talk to me about McDonald's fries. They've sucked ever since they quit frying them in beef tallow.

JoeTyler said:

people who say "well, if you think the burgers/fries od McD's are unhealthy and gross, then stop complaining an order a salad" make me laugh

ma'am, the salad is full of chemical shit as well, I'm sure

McD's= only when I'm starving in the middle of the street, with limited money and in a rush

[Edited 10/22/12 12:18pm]

Preach. My cousin was talking to me a few weeks ago about her parents (who are retired..they are still young in their late 50's) go to the gym 4 times a week but wonder why they aren't losing weight. She mentioned that they stop by McDonald's and get salads when they leave the gym. I said... Ummm ding ding ding...why are they getting fast food salads for? ESPECIALLY after working out? Don't they know how much scrap is in that mess? They might as well just get the Quarter Pounder with cheese and medium fries. If they want a salad, go to the grocery store and get the fresh ingredients to make your own.

Why would you be getting a salad at mcdonalds to begin with??

lazycrockett said:

Why would you be getting a salad at mcdonalds to begin with??

People want things fast, in a hurry and cheap.

support BURGER KING......they have such a better menu

luvsexy4all said:

support BURGER KING......they have such a better menu

is BK stuff healthier than McD's? I'd like to know...

luvsexy4all said:

support BURGER KING......they have such a better menu

I don't about the menu,
but I do know that Burger King's mascot is creepier than McDonald's (no disrepect to Ronald, of course).

I just want to be on record as having said that Wendy's new ketchup pack is the FUCKIN' BOMB!!!

1 on the left = 3 on the right

Genesia said:

Don't talk to me about McDonald's fries. They've sucked ever since they quit frying them in beef tallow.

THIS!^

luvsexy4all said:

support BURGER KING......they have such a better menu

NOT the breakfast menu! Almost all of the breakfast sandwiches are very high in sodium.

All frozen french fries you buy are pre-fried before frozen..

I dont think they have enough salt anymore! They USED to have enough, but i remember when they did the cut back on salt... I have to salt mine...

TonyVanDam said:

Genesia said:

Don't talk to me about McDonald's fries. They've sucked ever since they quit frying them in beef tallow.

THIS!^

absolutely true.

breese said:

TonyVanDam said:

THIS!^

absolutely true.

when did they do this? i remember in the 70's the fries were different

I bet if McDonald's offered up an "original recipe", those fries would sell like mad. The world would say, fuck yes, give us these and not those healthier, shittier tasting ones you've been selling us.

RenHoek said:

I just want to be on record as having said that Wendy's new ketchup pack is the FUCKIN' BOMB!!!

1 on the left = 3 on the right

It is the bomb.

luvsexy4all said:

breese said:

absolutely true.

when did they do this? i remember in the 70's the fries were different

Well, let's see...I was working as a reporter at the time and did a story on it. So I'm guessing...1986 or 87?

Also...my first job was at McDonald's. I started there in 1976 - and they were definitely using beef tallow then.

[Edited 10/23/12 12:07pm]

Genesia said:

luvsexy4all said:

when did they do this? i remember in the 70's the fries were different

Well, let's see...I was working as a reporter at the time and did a story on it. So I'm guessing...1986 or 87?

Also...my first job was at McDonald's. I started there in 1976 - and they were definitely using beef tallow then.

[Edited 10/23/12 12:07pm]

I thought this went on much longer. As I recall, didn't they have to pay millions in a settlement for this in the early 2000s? I know a lot of my vegetarian friends in California were very, very pissed when that news came out.

And I worked very hard to keep a straight face when I agreed that we all should be outraged.

Efan said:

Genesia said:

Well, let's see...I was working as a reporter at the time and did a story on it. So I'm guessing...1986 or 87?

Also...my first job was at McDonald's. I started there in 1976 - and they were definitely using beef tallow then.

I thought this went on much longer. As I recall, didn't they have to pay millions in a settlement for this in the early 2000s? I know a lot of my vegetarian friends in California were very, very pissed when that news came out.

And I worked very hard to keep a straight face when I agreed that we all should be outraged.

No, they definitely changed the fat in the 80s. (I remember because Julia Child was outraged. )

Maybe there was something with the flavoring not being completely vegetable based?

Genesia said:

Efan said:

I thought this went on much longer. As I recall, didn't they have to pay millions in a settlement for this in the early 2000s? I know a lot of my vegetarian friends in California were very, very pissed when that news came out.

And I worked very hard to keep a straight face when I agreed that we all should be outraged.

No, they definitely changed the fat in the 80s. (I remember because Julia Child was outraged. )

Maybe there was something with the flavoring not being completely vegetable based?

They changed the cooking oil in 2002 because of the trans fats.

Stymie said:

Genesia said:

No, they definitely changed the fat in the 80s. (I remember because Julia Child was outraged. )

Maybe there was something with the flavoring not being completely vegetable based?

They changed the cooking oil in 2002 because of the trans fats.

Thaaaaaat's it!

Genesia said:

Stymie said:

They changed the cooking oil in 2002 because of the trans fats.

Thaaaaaat's it!

I found this, which is from March 9, 2002, in the NY Times. (Funnily enough, there's a "McDonalds beef tallow" auto complete in Google, so I guess a lot of people are curious about this.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/09/us/mcdonald-s-to-settle-suits-on-beef-tallow-in-french-fries.html

Efan said:

Genesia said:

Thaaaaaat's it!

I found this, which is from March 9, 2002, in the NY Times. (Funnily enough, there's a "McDonalds beef tallow" auto complete in Google, so I guess a lot of people are curious about this.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/09/us/mcdonald-s-to-settle-suits-on-beef-tallow-in-french-fries.html

McDonald's To Settle Suits On Beef Tallow In French Fries

The McDonald's Corporation plans to issue an apology and pay $10 million to vegetarian and religious groups for using beef flavoring in its French fries. The action is part of a proposed settlement of lawsuits charging that the company misled consumers.

According to a draft of the settlement, 60 percent of the payment would go to vegetarian groups, with the rest going to groups devoted to Hindus and Sikhs, children's nutrition and assistance, and kosher dietary practices.

McDonald's would also pay an additional $4,000 to each of 12 plaintiffs in five separate lawsuits, which claimed McDonald's wrongly described the fries as vegetarian.

McDonald's issued an initial apology last year for causing any confusion over its use of beef ingredients in French fries sold in the United States and some other countries. But the plaintiffs said the apology did not go far enough, contending that when McDonald's said it had switched to vegetable oil to cook its fries in 1990, many people assumed that the food was suitable for vegetarian diets.

Okay, so it's basically as I guessed. While they no longer used beef fat to fry the fries, the flavoring was not vegetarian.

I don't give a fuck how their made as long as they get into my face...in moderation.