Just caught this on Facebook - Yuck!

DrewMaxwell

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151519984395206&set=a.348729745205.346680.343205875205&type=1&theater

Toddrific

I'm wondering if anyone has done this with normal food..

Also

it's easier

Di3012

Forget all the "this food never moulds" stuff, to be perfectly honest, that grub looks like the most unappetizing stuff I have ever seen! :sick:

Dahllywood

Gimme 10 bucks and I'll down them :P

But seriously, one of the many reasons why I stay away from that crap now. Gross

wbgolden

I would only believe this if each burger was holding a newspaper from the alleged original date of purchase :P

stacygayle

we did an experiment like that with Happy Meals in nursing school.....after that experiment, my kids don't eat fast food anymore :laugh:

MariaAlbina

I am so hungry right now.

tsh0ck

I'd eat it.

(seriously. sky-is-falling alarmism doesn't bother me in the least.)

GasMasterFlash

Facebook -- a great resource for info. :huh:

It's been a couple of months -- time for this to crop up again.

Let's go through this again, though...

So Can It Mold?

So we've pretty much cleared up all of the confusion, but a keen scientist will notice that one question remains to be answered. We've proven that neither a McDonald's burger nor a regular home-made burger will rot given certain specific conditions, but are there conditions we can create that will cause it to rot, and more importantly, will the McDonald's burger rot as fast as the homemade burger?

The final two burgers I tested were a McDonald's burger and a regular homemade burger of the same dimensions placed in plastic zipper-lock bags side by side. Hopefully the bag would trap in enough moisture. The question: Would they rot?



Indeed they do. Within a week, both burgers were nearly covered in little white spots of mold, eventually turning into the green and black spotted beast you see above.

Don't believe the hype! More info: http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/11/the-burger-lab-revisiting-the-myth-of-the-12-year-old-burger-testing-results.html

cabaray

Not buying it...I've cleaned out my car to find a half eaten Happy Meal in the backseat. I could have made penicillin.

Thomasm198

Facebook -- a great resource for info. :huh:

Hey! Don't knock Facebook. It's more believable than Doctor Oz. :laugh:

tsh0ck

Facebook -- a great resource for info. :huh:

Hey! Don't knock Facebook. It's more believable than Doctor Oz. :laugh:

while this is true, it is also true that there are people out there just itching for any reason to point a finger at McDonald's and other fast food eateries, proclaiming them evil incarnate. which, of course, simply isn't true.

TurnLeftNow

I would only believe this if each burger was holding a newspaper from the alleged original date of purchase :P

Musikelektronik

while this is true, it is also true that there are people out there just itching for any reason to point a finger at McDonald's and other fast food eateries, proclaiming them evil incarnate. which, of course, simply isn't true.

Right. We made ourselves fat. McDonalds didn't do it. It's like blaming Anheuser-Busch for one's alcoholism. It's just a way to avoid taking responsibility for one's own actions.

Hollybot

Not buying it...I've cleaned out my car to find a half eaten Happy Meal in the backseat. I could have made penicillin.

Medicine joke for the win!

1Timothy4v8

Facebook -- a great resource for info. :huh:

It's been a couple of months -- time for this to crop up again.

Let's go through this again, though...

So Can It Mold?

So we've pretty much cleared up all of the confusion, but a keen scientist will notice that one question remains to be answered. We've proven that neither a McDonald's burger nor a regular home-made burger will rot given certain specific conditions, but are there conditions we can create that will cause it to rot, and more importantly, will the McDonald's burger rot as fast as the homemade burger?

The final two burgers I tested were a McDonald's burger and a regular homemade burger of the same dimensions placed in plastic zipper-lock bags side by side. Hopefully the bag would trap in enough moisture. The question: Would they rot?



Indeed they do. Within a week, both burgers were nearly covered in little white spots of mold, eventually turning into the green and black spotted beast you see above.

Don't believe the hype! More info: http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/11/the-burger-lab-revisiting-the-myth-of-the-12-year-old-burger-testing-results.html

What your missing is that that burger is in a bag so it kept mosture in it and thats why it molded, out in the air and it doesn't mold, I know from experence that their fries do not mold

tsh0ck

no, not missing it at all. that was the point of that part of the experiment. if moisture is kept, it will mold. the reason it doesn't is because it simply dehydrates so fast -- not because it has some sort of mutant non-molding agent secretly folded into the flour.

GasMasterFlash

What your missing is that that burger is in a bag so it kept mosture in it and thats why it molded, out in the air and it doesn't mold, I know from experence that their fries do not mold

I wonder what would happen if meat was left out to dry. Might end up like jerky. Wait a minute...

From the same article...

The Conclusion

How do you think beef jerky is made?

So there we have it! Pretty strong evidence in favor of Theory 3: the burger doesn't rot because it's small size and relatively large surface area help it to lose moisture very fast. Without moisture, there's no mold or bacterial growth. Of course, that the meat is pretty much sterile to begin with due to the high cooking temperature helps things along as well. It's not really surprising. Humans have known about this phenomenon for thousands of years. After all, how do you think beef jerky is made?

Now don't get me wrong—I don't have a dog in this fight either way. I really couldn't care less whether or not the McDonald's burger rotted or didn't. I don't often eat their burgers, and will continue to not often eat their burgers. My problem is not with McDonald's. My problem is with bad science.

For all of you McDonald's haters out there: Don't worry. There are still plenty of reasons to dislike the company! But for now, I hope you'll have it my way and put aside your beef with their beef.

beckajw

Facebook -- a great resource for info. :huh:

It's been a couple of months -- time for this to crop up again.

Let's go through this again, though...

So Can It Mold?

So we've pretty much cleared up all of the confusion, but a keen scientist will notice that one question remains to be answered. We've proven that neither a McDonald's burger nor a regular home-made burger will rot given certain specific conditions, but are there conditions we can create that will cause it to rot, and more importantly, will the McDonald's burger rot as fast as the homemade burger?

The final two burgers I tested were a McDonald's burger and a regular homemade burger of the same dimensions placed in plastic zipper-lock bags side by side. Hopefully the bag would trap in enough moisture. The question: Would they rot?



Indeed they do. Within a week, both burgers were nearly covered in little white spots of mold, eventually turning into the green and black spotted beast you see above.

Don't believe the hype! More info: http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/11/the-burger-lab-revisiting-the-myth-of-the-12-year-old-burger-testing-results.html

What your missing is that that burger is in a bag so it kept mosture in it and thats why it molded, out in the air and it doesn't mold, I know from experence that their fries do not mold

Interesting, I found moldy McD's fries when cleaning my car a few years ago. So, they do mold.

mrsnathanandrew

Not buying it...I've cleaned out my car to find a half eaten Happy Meal in the backseat. I could have made penicillin.

I giggled at your comment!

ampa916

Not buying it...I've cleaned out my car to find a half eaten Happy Meal in the backseat. I could have made penicillin.

and this^ I've seen fast food mold, and I've seen healthy food stay mold free for months.

wftiger

If this is the worst thing I eat then I could myself lucky. Look up how many rat hairs are allowed in pickles or how many maggots you can have in spaghetti sauce. That should help your appetite for supper.

Much worse out there then fast food. If it doesn't mold it is the salt and other preservatives. Doubt too many average people keep their salt in check so they are likely eating much worse in their day to day life and calling it "clean".

slowturtle1

I would only believe this if each burger was holding a newspaper from the alleged original date of purchase :P

LOL...I can honestly say that I once found a chicken McNugget and some fries under the seat of my car which could not have been less than 2 years old based on the age of my son and when we stopped eating in the car. They looked exactly as if they'd fallen under there that day. The fries were a little harder and the nugget less greasy, but other than that, exactly the same. It didn't dawn on me at the time how weird that was...

GasMasterFlash

I would only believe this if each burger was holding a newspaper from the alleged original date of purchase :P

LOL...I can honestly say that I once found a chicken McNugget and some fries under the seat of my car which could not have been less than 2 years old based on the age of my son and when we stopped eating in the car. They looked exactly as if they'd fallen under there that day. The fries were a little harder and the nugget less greasy, but other than that, exactly the same. It didn't dawn on me at the time how weird that was...

Try it with a freshly cut potato and bit of home-cooked chicken, both with the same surface area of the fry and nugget. They'll dry up just like the McD's products.

cabaray

What your missing is that that burger is in a bag so it kept mosture in it and thats why it molded, out in the air and it doesn't mold, I know from experence that their fries do not mold

I wonder what would happen if meat was left out to dry. Might end up like jerky. Wait a minute...

From the same article...

The Conclusion

How do you think beef jerky is made?

So there we have it! Pretty strong evidence in favor of Theory 3: the burger doesn't rot because it's small size and relatively large surface area help it to lose moisture very fast. Without moisture, there's no mold or bacterial growth. Of course, that the meat is pretty much sterile to begin with due to the high cooking temperature helps things along as well. It's not really surprising. Humans have known about this phenomenon for thousands of years. After all, how do you think beef jerky is made?

Now don't get me wrong—I don't have a dog in this fight either way. I really couldn't care less whether or not the McDonald's burger rotted or didn't. I don't often eat their burgers, and will continue to not often eat their burgers. My problem is not with McDonald's. My problem is with bad science.

For all of you McDonald's haters out there: Don't worry. There are still plenty of reasons to dislike the company! But for now, I hope you'll have it my way and put aside your beef with their beef.

I'm reporting you for using logic!

1Timothy4v8

Facebook -- a great resource for info. :huh:

It's been a couple of months -- time for this to crop up again.

Let's go through this again, though...

So Can It Mold?

So we've pretty much cleared up all of the confusion, but a keen scientist will notice that one question remains to be answered. We've proven that neither a McDonald's burger nor a regular home-made burger will rot given certain specific conditions, but are there conditions we can create that will cause it to rot, and more importantly, will the McDonald's burger rot as fast as the homemade burger?

The final two burgers I tested were a McDonald's burger and a regular homemade burger of the same dimensions placed in plastic zipper-lock bags side by side. Hopefully the bag would trap in enough moisture. The question: Would they rot?



Indeed they do. Within a week, both burgers were nearly covered in little white spots of mold, eventually turning into the green and black spotted beast you see above.

Don't believe the hype! More info: http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/11/the-burger-lab-revisiting-the-myth-of-the-12-year-old-burger-testing-results.html

What your missing is that that burger is in a bag so it kept mosture in it and thats why it molded, out in the air and it doesn't mold, I know from experence that their fries do not mold

Interesting, I found moldy McD's fries when cleaning my car a few years ago. So, they do mold.

Well maybe were you live they have better food, cuz I have found fries God only knows when that were stone hard not moldy