McDonald's French fries are mostly a vegetable...right?

13

Replies

  • You wanna try some REALLY good fries?? Try Wendy's chili & cheese fries. NUM NUM NUM...............so yummy!!!!
    Ya gotta indulge a little once in a while.

    Oh......................these fries are especially good when eaten with a Baconator, followed by a Frosty. ummmmmmmmmmm!!!
  • BaconMD
    BaconMD Posts: 1,165 Member
    I would never eat McDonald's French Fries! I make my own at home out of cauliflower.
  • MyJourney1960
    MyJourney1960 Posts: 1,133 Member
    Important because micronutrients and such.
    but of course. especially drowned in healthy oils and doused with ketchup. Ketchup is a vegetable, too. isn't it full of riboflavin or Lycopene or something?
  • cmacphee3
    cmacphee3 Posts: 278 Member
    I believe they utilize lard for frying.

    Nope.
  • cmacphee3
    cmacphee3 Posts: 278 Member
    They are mostly potato, partly oil :) Potato in my opinion is a starch, but I suppose technically it is a vegetable.
  • cmacphee3
    cmacphee3 Posts: 278 Member
    What's the oil and salth threshold for realness? I just made some fries at home, need to know if they're real or not.

    Whatever your own taste buds tell you, I suppose. My guess is that if you made them at home, they are less salty and less oily than the ones at McDonald's. :wink:
    I really stopped thinking McD's fries were real food after my mom washed two of them in my 3 year old nephew's overalls pocket and they made it through the washer & the dryer looking the same as when he was eating them the day before. Doesn't it have to be mostly preservatives to survive soap, water, fabric softer and a tumble through the dryer?

    I don't know the entire make up of the oil they are cooked in (but it isn't lard), but there are no preservatives added when they are being produced.
  • JenX15
    JenX15 Posts: 103 Member
    HOLY CARBS THOUGH

    FRENCH FRIES - MEDIUM
    Serving Size 113(g)
    Calories 360(kcal)
    Fat 17(g) 26(% DV)
    Saturated Fat 2(g)
    Trans Fat 0.2(g)
    Saturated Fat + Trans Fat 11(% DV)
    Cholestrol 0(mg)
    Sodium 270(mg) 11(% DV)
    Carbohydrate 47(g) 16(% DV)
    Fibre 4(g) 16(% DV)
    Sugar 0(g)
    Protein 4(g)
    Vitamin A 0(% DV)
    Vitamin C 0(% DV)
    Calcium 2(% DV)
    Iron 6(% DV)
    % DV = % Daily Value

    Would eat

    Yes.....most definitely would eat .... and have done so on occasion :) YUM
  • ebgbjo
    ebgbjo Posts: 821 Member
    No. Those are not counted as veggies. Potatos are a carb or "starch" They are counted as a carb and a fat... Thats what ive been taught. But heck. Just log em.. If they fit into your day, and you need to have em, just have em. Think the kids size aren't too expensive on the calorie budget.

    Potatoes HAVE carbs, but they are not counted as a carb or fat. They are a VEGETABLE

    And tomatoes are a fruit...just putting that out there
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    sigh......................................
  • ebgbjo
    ebgbjo Posts: 821 Member
    Mmmmm now I'm going to stop by McDonalds on my way home tonight :happy:

    mcdonalds-fries.jpg

    Thank goodness no smell-o-vision yet. The minute you smell those things you must eat one lol
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    Honestly....they could say they are made of butt fungus or something and I would still eat them because McDonald's fries are that good. Don't care if the nutrients are leached out from them due to saturation of oil...still good and still worth fitting in now and then.
  • schonkreuz
    schonkreuz Posts: 493 Member
    I believe they utilize lard for frying.

    I haven't worked there in several months but I recall it being some kind of sunflower seed oil.
  • autumny70
    autumny70 Posts: 127 Member
    HOLY CARBS THOUGH

    FRENCH FRIES - MEDIUM
    Serving Size 113(g)
    Calories 360(kcal)
    Fat 17(g) 26(% DV)
    Saturated Fat 2(g)
    Trans Fat 0.2(g)
    Saturated Fat + Trans Fat 11(% DV)
    Cholestrol 0(mg)
    Sodium 270(mg) 11(% DV)
    Carbohydrate 47(g) 16(% DV)
    Fibre 4(g) 16(% DV)
    Sugar 0(g)
    Protein 4(g)
    Vitamin A 0(% DV)
    Vitamin C 0(% DV)
    Calcium 2(% DV)
    Iron 6(% DV)
    % DV = % Daily Value

    Would eat

    Yes.....most definitely would eat .... and have done so on occasion :) YUM

    Way less sodium than I imagined, plus a little protein and 4 grams of fiber. More nutritionally dense than the homemade lemon-poppy seed muffin I just ate for breakfast. I should have stopped at McD's. :ohwell:
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,064 Member
    I love McDonald's fries.......sooooooo good!
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    Potatoes are a vegetable. When you deep fry french fries it is still a vegetable but not necessarily as healthy for you to eat. But Yes they are good!!! It's just like eating a candy or carmel apple (yum) It's fruit but you can't count it as your fruit intake because of what it's covered in.

    Umm, what? Just because an apple is covered in candy or caramel doesn'1 mean you didn't eat it - count it as 1 fruit + however many servings of sugar/fats. Same deal with the french fries - except that'd be some portion of a potato + fats.
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
    What's the oil and salth threshold for realness? I just made some fries at home, need to know if they're real or not.

    Whatever your own taste buds tell you, I suppose. My guess is that if you made them at home, they are less salty and less oily than the ones at McDonald's. :wink:
    I really stopped thinking McD's fries were real food after my mom washed two of them in my 3 year old nephew's overalls pocket and they made it through the washer & the dryer looking the same as when he was eating them the day before. Doesn't it have to be mostly preservatives to survive soap, water, fabric softer and a tumble through the dryer?

    Not if I'm doing it right. The goal is to make them taste like McDonald's fries without having to leave my house. I even spritz those bad boys with beef broth.
  • cadaverousbones
    cadaverousbones Posts: 421 Member
    From McDonald's Website:

    "Our World Famous Fries are made from real potatoes! We use special varieties of potato, like the “Russet Burbank” which is chosen for its quality, taste and long shape when cut. Meet 100 Circle Farms, our potato supplier."

    "Our World Famous Fries are made from premium quality potatoes selected for their quality, taste and size. Our trusted suppliers cut, lightly par-fry and freeze them before sending to the restaurants via refrigerated trucks. They are then cooked in our special Canola blend oil, so you get them crispy, hot and fresh."

    This link explains that they are cooked in a canola oil blend and that meat is cooked in a separate fryer, so I guess if you are vegetarian the fries should be safe.


    http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/food/food_quality/see_what_we_are_made_of/your_questions_answered/canola_blend_oil.html
  • crista_b
    crista_b Posts: 1,192 Member
    From McDonald's Website:

    "Our World Famous Fries are made from real potatoes! We use special varieties of potato, like the “Russet Burbank” which is chosen for its quality, taste and long shape when cut. Meet 100 Circle Farms, our potato supplier."

    "Our World Famous Fries are made from premium quality potatoes selected for their quality, taste and size. Our trusted suppliers cut, lightly par-fry and freeze them before sending to the restaurants via refrigerated trucks. They are then cooked in our special Canola blend oil, so you get them crispy, hot and fresh."

    This link explains that they are cooked in a canola oil blend and that meat is cooked in a separate fryer, so I guess if you are vegetarian the fries should be safe.


    http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/food/food_quality/see_what_we_are_made_of/your_questions_answered/canola_blend_oil.html
    Not sure about the rest of the world, but in the U.S., while they've stopped soaking them in beef fat like the past, they add beef extract during the process of "par-frying" them before they're frozen. So they're technically not vegetarian.
  • BelleVegan77
    BelleVegan77 Posts: 70 Member
    Ummm I don't know this is fact but I have read they actually dehydrate the french fry and rehydrate them with oil :P It is why they are so crispy. This question just struck me... I ate these the other day and never considered that they may be cooked in animal fat :P
    Oh *Shudder YUCK!

    I am so glad for this forum! You are all so smart and you get my wheels turning!
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Ummm I don't know this is fact but I have read they actually dehydrate the french fry and rehydrate them with oil :P It is why they are so crispy. This question just struck me... I ate these the other day and never considered that they may be cooked in animal fat :P
    Oh *Shudder YUCK!

    I am so glad for this forum! You are all so smart and you get my wheels turning!

    They are not cooked in animal fat, they have a beef extract added to them for Flavor. They are not vegetarian but not cooked in animal fat (that would be expensive)
  • AmyP619
    AmyP619 Posts: 1,137 Member
    Totally a vegetable. You should have seconds.
  • PJ64
    PJ64 Posts: 866 Member
    Does anyone really know?:noway:
  • stillnot2late
    stillnot2late Posts: 385 Member
    In the last three years they taste different. My whole family noticed it. We don't even crave them any more. When they come with the meals, we no longer fight over them, and we leave about half a bag. So the fun is over.
  • cadaverousbones
    cadaverousbones Posts: 421 Member
    My brother worked for McDonalds for 5 years and never said they were injected with beef flavoring....
  • crista_b
    crista_b Posts: 1,192 Member
    I worked for McDonald's too and didn't know it when I worked there. It's something that's done by the suppliers before they're frozen and shipped to the stores.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    My brother worked for McDonalds for 5 years and never said they were injected with beef flavoring....

    It is added during the initial processing before it is packaged and sent to the stores. The stores cook it in vegetable oil. It's ok the ingredient list and McDonalds does not deny it. They have said they do not plan to change the process after the vegetarian complaints.
  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
    What's the oil and salth threshold for realness? I just made some fries at home, need to know if they're real or not.

    Whatever your own taste buds tell you, I suppose. My guess is that if you made them at home, they are less salty and less oily than the ones at McDonald's. :wink:
    I really stopped thinking McD's fries were real food after my mom washed two of them in my 3 year old nephew's overalls pocket and they made it through the washer & the dryer looking the same as when he was eating them the day before. Doesn't it have to be mostly preservatives to survive soap, water, fabric softer and a tumble through the dryer?

    Not if I'm doing it right. The goal is to make them taste like McDonald's fries without having to leave my house. I even spritz those bad boys with beef broth.

    LMAO - good luck with that. Have you installed a heat lamp to keep them under for 15 minutes after frying and before eating? :laugh: :laugh:
  • Thomasm198
    Thomasm198 Posts: 3,189 Member
    Ketchup is considered a vegetable too in school lunch programs.

    French fries are a vegetable made from a potato which is a starchy vegetable and the Irish people lived on them pretty well until that famine came to Ireland.

    hA852964F
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Beef extract? thought they were suitable for vegetarians... But they're delish with mayonnaise - if you're going to cheat, do it in style and log it! NOM x

    Oh yes. I haven't had any in 9 months now...
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
    What's the oil and salth threshold for realness? I just made some fries at home, need to know if they're real or not.

    Whatever your own taste buds tell you, I suppose. My guess is that if you made them at home, they are less salty and less oily than the ones at McDonald's. :wink:
    I really stopped thinking McD's fries were real food after my mom washed two of them in my 3 year old nephew's overalls pocket and they made it through the washer & the dryer looking the same as when he was eating them the day before. Doesn't it have to be mostly preservatives to survive soap, water, fabric softer and a tumble through the dryer?

    Not if I'm doing it right. The goal is to make them taste like McDonald's fries without having to leave my house. I even spritz those bad boys with beef broth.

    LMAO - good luck with that. Have you installed a heat lamp to keep them under for 15 minutes after frying and before eating? :laugh: :laugh:

    No, I just put them in the oven on the 'warm' setting for a little while. Basically the same process, since my oven is electric.

    The process is slice->spritz->quick fry->spritz again->Finish frying->Salt


    That said I usually see my fries come out of the fryer and get dumped and salted. Sounds like you visit a crappy McD's if they're able to keep fries around for a whole 15 minutes at a time, tbh.