ERIC KLEINBERG AND KRISTINA VÄNNI FOR TASTE OF HOME
The Quest for the Best Fast-Food Fries
It was a tough job, but somebody had to do it! I drove all around town and tested all the fast-food fries I could find. It was fascinating to discover how different and unique the options were from one drive-thru to the other. I sampled traditional fries, seasoned fries, crinkle-cut fries and waffle fries, and in the end, I found that one chain reigns supreme.
Here’s a list of all the places I stopped:
Burger King
Chick-fil-A (see how their chicken sandwich stacks up)
Culver’s
Five Guys
KFC
McDonald’s
Popeyes
Portillo’s
Shake Shack
Wendy’s
Let’s see who has the best fast-food fries.
ERIC KLEINBERG AND KRISTINA VÄNNI FOR TASTE OF HOME
10. McDonald’s
Have you ever ordered a side of McDonald’s fries and thought, Why don’t these taste like they used to? It’s not all in your head. In 1990, McDonald’s began using vegetable oil rather than beef tallow to fry its fries. Since then, most devoted customers have been able to tell the difference.
Back in the day, Julia Child even admitted that McDonald’s french fries were a guilty pleasure! But in 2022, I found the fries thin, pale and not very crisp. However, I know that timing is everything when it comes to fries. Many people claim the experience is like night and day if you’re lucky enough to get a fresh batch, straight from the fryer.
Bottom line: I’m ready for McDonald’s to bring back the original recipe.
ERIC KLEINBERG AND KRISTINA VÄNNI FOR TASTE OF HOME
9. Five Guys
This one came as a surprise to me. Five Guys puts a serious emphasis on fries at the restaurant. (Here’s the secret ingredient in Five Guys fries.) The first thing you see when walking in are piles of potato bags and boxes of peanut oil. While my order came out fresh, straight from the fryer, the fries were quite greasy. I appreciated the fresh-cut potato taste, but I felt the fries lacked crispness. In addition, Five Guys had the most expensive fries I tested.
Bottom line: I respect this chain’s dedication to fresh ingredients, but I was hoping for a fry with more crisp.