What exactly is in McDonald

[Guest]

That is completely false.

 

Just a simple comparison. A full meal (few sandwiches, chips, drink) that would fill me up from McDonalds would cost me about 250 MKD, which is about 4 EUR. I can get half a kilo of bread, kilo of fresh tomatoes, some freshly harvested cucumbers, nicely and freshly cooked kebabs (the real Eastern European ones, not the ###### that is sold in Western countries), lovely white brined cheese, and chips made from real potatoes (not the frozen crap that is sold in stores). It would cost right about the price I mentioned, and it would be a billion times more healthy than the crap sold by McDonalds.

[francescob]

'Organic', 'Non-GMO', 'real sugar', 'grass fed', ... products are way more expensive and smaller in size.

At least that is my experience.

On top of that, you need to make the food yourself because ready to eat food usually contains way more sodium and fat.

Just look at ready to eat chicken...

:/

 

Because of subsidies. Meat is much more expensive in Europe while fruits/veggies are cheap because Europe subsidizes agricolture more than meat production. It's the government that indirectly promotes that hypercaloric and non-satiating/crave-inducing foods (it's hard to resist cheap+tasty) rather than promoting healthier choices with the right subsidies and regulations. Now that you are starting to have universal health care they'll likely have to start addressing the issue otherwise all taxpayers will end up paying the consequences.

[Kalint]

And don't forget the most important ingredient.  Love.

[theyarecomingforyou]

Meat is much more expensive in Europe while fruits/veggies are cheap because Europe subsidizes agricolture more than meat production.

Meat is cheaper in the US because cattle is pumped full of growth hormones and antibiotics to accelerate growth; chicken is chlorinated and mechanically salvaged; pink slime is produced using ammonia gas to recover non-meat animal parts exposed to fecal matter, etc. The 'meat' being served in the US is unfit for human consumption in the EU.

[FloatingFatMan]

If you're in the US you've got to try the fries at 5 Guys Burgers & Fries! They get them shipped fresh everyday and cut them onsite. There is a chalkboard in the store telling you where "today's" potatoes came from.

http://www.fiveguys.com/menu/nutritional-information.aspx

 

I went to a 5 Guys in the UK a couple of weeks ago.  It was the most underwhelming, and EXPENSIVE, burger bar trip -ever-.

 

I couldn't believe their prices.. Ridiculous! It cost me and the wife just under ?30 for 2 burgers (one a small), ONE regular cup of fries, and 2 regular drinks.  The food wasn't even particularly good either.. I'd have gotten far better from a mobile burger van for a fraction of the price.  Never going there again.

[FloatingFatMan]

I'm making home made fries today :)

Peeled and cut them, fry them once at low heat for about 4,5 minutes

Tonight I'll refry them at high heat for about 2,5 minutes

Add salt and done

 

Better than any fast food chain

 

 

Cut them thick, like proper British chips.

Par-boil until 3/4 cooked, leave to cool and go fluffy.

Fry at low-heat for 4-5 mins.

Drain and cool

Fry at high-head for 2-3 mins

 

Perfect, top restaurant quality, triple cooked chips! :D

[FloatingFatMan]

That's the real issue. The portion sizes are simply excessive and most people aren't good at monitoring their caloric intake. For instance, a Big Tasty with Bacon has 890 calories, large fries are 490 calories and a milkshake is 500 calories - that's 1,880 calories, which is nearly the entire daily allowance for a woman and 75% of that for a man. That's ridiculous for a standard formula meal (i.e. a preset meal, rather than choosing your own meal). Even the standard meal (regular fries, latte) is excessive for the average person.

 

If you are aware of what you eat then there's nothing unhealthy about McDonald's (at least outside of the US) but certainly McDonald's should be criticised for not acting responsibly with portion sizes.

 

Calories are less of a problem than all the fats and sugars, and in the EU at least, McD's are MUCH lower in fats and sugars than the US equivalents.

 

It really does puzzle me why US customers don't demand EU recipes... They're much tastier.

[FloatingFatMan]

You don't need to buy 'Organic', 'Non-GMO', 'grass fed' etc to make a healthy meal. Also you might think you're spending a lot of money on groceries but the cost per meal may end up being very low. Ingredients can be used in a variety of ways. Don't just focus on one meal.

 

In most cases, "organic" produce is either a complete lie, or is just no better for you at all than regularly produce fruit & vegetables (and sometimes, less).

[theyarecomingforyou]

Calories are less of a problem than all the fats and sugars, and in the EU at least, McD's are MUCH lower in fats and sugars than the US equivalents.

 

It really does puzzle me why US customers don't demand EU recipes... They're much tastier.

True. Also, portion sizes in the US are larger - the Big Mac is 490 calories in the UK and 550 in the US; the Quarter Pounder is 490 in the UK and 520 in the US; large fries are 430 in the UK and 510 in the US; the large Caramel Frappe is 460 in the UK and 670 in the US.

 

The frappe is a great example, as the regular version in the US has more calories than the large version in the UK. In fact the small version in the US is virtually the same as the large version in the UK. The way McDonald's is conducting itself in the US is incredibly irresponsible.

[JonnyLH]

One thing people always miss when looking at nutritional values for McD's is protein. If I'm going through a bulking phase through winter, McD's is the perfect meal which always makes people laugh.

 

Big Tasty: 51g of Protein

Big Mac: 28g of Protein

Bacon Swiss Melt (UK promotion atm): 41g of Protein

 

For example, with the big tasty, that's more protein than one of my large supplement shakes. It's a known fact that McD's in the UK is way better quality due to food standards and such, I'd happily eat a McD's rather than some of the burgers you get from UK supermarkets.

 

What people forget is that burgers are generally unhealthy anyway as the meat is usually taken from fatty cuts to give it flavour.

[francescob]

And don't forget the most important ingredient.  Love.

I hope not love according to McDonald's hygiene standards though.

[FloatingFatMan]

I hope not love according to McDonald's hygiene standards though.

 

Would you like "special sauce" with that? :rofl:

[xrobwx71]

I went to a 5 Guys in the UK a couple of weeks ago.  It was the most underwhelming, and EXPENSIVE, burger bar trip -ever-.

 

I couldn't believe their prices.. Ridiculous! It cost me and the wife just under ?30 for 2 burgers (one a small), ONE regular cup of fries, and 2 regular drinks.  The food wasn't even particularly good either.. I'd have gotten far better from a mobile burger van for a fraction of the price.  Never going there again.

Wow, My wife and I go from time to time and it cost us $25 That's 2 cheeseburgers and 2 regular fries and 2 drinks. They put the 2 cups of fries in a paper sack and then fill that sack half with fries. It's always top notch at both stores here in Panama City , FL. Sorry you had a bad experience.

[FloatingFatMan]

Wow, My wife and I go from time to time and it cost us $25 That's 2 cheeseburgers and 2 regular fries and 2 drinks. They put the 2 cups of fries in a paper sack and then fill that sack half with fries. It's always top notch at both stores here in Panama City , FL. Sorry you had a bad experience.

 

As I was sitting there, eating it, I was looking across the mall at a Nando's (Portugese chain restaurant) and thinking, why didn't I go in there instead?  Would have been cheaper, and far tastier...

[i_was_here]

Wow, My wife and I go from time to time and it cost us $25 That's 2 cheeseburgers and 2 regular fries and 2 drinks. They put the 2 cups of fries in a paper sack and then fill that sack half with fries. It's always top notch at both stores here in Panama City , FL. Sorry you had a bad experience.

Still seems kinda expensive for a fast food burger. For that price, I think I'd go with Smashburger or something.

[DocM]

http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2055444,00.html

Want Fries with that Ring? McDonald's Offers Weddings

>

In January, McDonald's added wedding packages to its Hong Kong menu. This is the only city in the world where the American restaurant chain offers the service, prompted by frequent inquiries about fast-food weddings from customers in recent years. Now, three McDonald's locations are equipped to stage marital festivities in the style of any 6-year-old's model birthday. That the corporation should move to fill ? or perhaps create ? this niche is not so unusual. Despite being surpassed by Subway as the world's largest fast-food chain, McDonald's still serves 400,000 Hong Kongers every day. Countless couples will have met, or at least dated, there. Business executives take clients there for lunch; high school students gather there over homework.

>

[i_was_here]

I've heard of people proposing in a McDonalds but doing the wedding there, really now? :/

[Hum]

^ Somehow I don't associate McDonald's with a happy life event. :laugh:

[Hum]

Affording a McD meal EVERY day to me was a damn luxury!

If you hang out at McDees here, sometimes people will buy you a sandwich. ;)

[nukenorman]

Article never says the chemicals that McDonald's uses for their French Fries at least the ones in USA use this so that they do not Rot. Yup ever seen old french fries left under a car for a year un noticed under seat even in hot climate and you find it a year later and it  has not rotten and looks same as day one! If you do that to a regular french fry it rots.

Thus they dont break down in your body well leaving you with a bigger waist line.

 

 

 

[+Random Stranger Subscriber¹]

Cut them thick, like proper British chips.

Par-boil until 3/4 cooked, leave to cool and go fluffy.

Fry at low-heat for 4-5 mins.

Drain and cool

Fry at high-head for 2-3 mins

 

Perfect, top restaurant quality, triple cooked chips! :D

 

 

damn, man, i am salivating...  i have to try this.     triple cooked.  never thought of that.  i always just deep fry my thin sliced potato.

 

 

max i did was to shallow fry boiled potato!  it was great!  but this is next level :woot: :rofl:

[FloatingFatMan]

damn, man, i am salivating...  i have to try this.     triple cooked.  never thought of that.  i always just deep fry my thin sliced potato.

 

 

max i did was to shallow fry boiled potato!  it was great!  but this is next level :woot: :rofl:

 

I can't take credit for it... It's how Heston Blumenthal cooks his chips! :p

 

To expand a little bit, as you're going to try it.

 

After par-boiling, don't forget to drain (I forgot to mention that!), then give them a little shake in the collander or whatever you drain them in, to roughen up the exterior a bit (which gives you scrummy crispy bits on the outside!)

 

First fry at 120c for 4-5 mins, until pale golden colour is achieved.  Remove from oil and allow to cool somewhere they can drain.

 

Second fry at 180c, fo 3-4 mins, until deep golden colour is achieved. Remove, drain, and serve with a little sea salt for best results!

 

Make sure the oil is at the right temp before putting chips in, or they WILL go soggy!

 

First few times might be trial an error, it very much depends on the oil used to fry (best is sunflower), the potato type (go for a nice fluffy type), and your timings.  

 

You should end up with a nice deep golden crisp exterior, and a fluffy interior, the perfect chip!

 

Enjoy!

[compl3x]

 

Make sure the oil is at the right temp before putting chips in, or they WILL go soggy!

 

 

 

You can always tell if someone put the potatoes into cold oil because they are oillogged. (Like waterlogged, but with oil)

[DocM]

Yup. Probably because they've used oils that had a low smoke point and are shy to crank the heat up. We use refined peanut, canola or cottonseed oil for frying because of their high smoke points, from 400-450?F. Peanut oil is great for fish and fowl.

[Hum]

I can't take credit for it... It's how Heston Blumenthal cooks his chips! :p

 

To expand a little bit, as you're going to try it.

 

You should end up with a nice deep golden crisp exterior, and a fluffy interior, the perfect chip!

 

Enjoy!

You need to make a YouTube video. ;)