Two things I do frequently on Quora is denounce the McDonald’s franchise and defend legitimate American cuisine against ignorance. But understand that this post is not based on my opinion of McDonald’s. It is an objective piece on what actually goes into their burgers, as well as their awful record when it comes to animal rights.
Even though food critics and professional chefs rank authentic American food among the best cuisines in the world, most people outside the U.S. aren’t chefs. Hence, an oblivious foreign population thinks McDonald’s is an accurate representation of American food. It’s easily one of the worst restaurant chains in the United States as well as Subway, Burger King, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell. But the prevalence of those franchises in foreign countries has unfortunately become a sad ambassador for a glorious cuisine.
As a reference, the British should be insulted by anyone who judges their cuisine by deplorable chains like Hungry Horse or Frankie & Benny’s. Can you imagine how Italians would react if we all judged their cuisine based on their abominable pizza chain Rosso Pomodoro? What if Korean cuisine was solely judged by the mediocre food peddled by their Lotteria chain? By the same token, American cuisine is hardly represented by McDonald’s. But its omnipresence causes a widespread association with American food even though it’s undeserved.
None of those international franchises I mentioned exists in America. So the only Americans like me who have heard of them are typically well traveled and understand these aren’t proper representations of your food. Unfortunately for the United States, McDonald’s is a global chain known by many, and foreign populations believe that those subpar burgers and mysterious chicken nuggets must be authentic American food. They aren’t!
Note: Based on several comments, some of you seem to think I’m a chef who is bad mouthing McDonald’s. I’m not. I’m just a regular guy. My parents were chefs. This is simply an honest and accurate assessment of the substandard food McDonald’s is selling, not a chef’s bias.
What are McDonald’s hamburgers made of?
Facing frequent criticism as well as conspiracy theories about pink slime and other weird ingredients, the McDonald’s corporation felt compelled to release a statement on their website reading “All of our burger patties (are) made with 100% USDA-inspected beef.“ Nice try, McDonald’s. Just because the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) “inspected” your beef, that doesn’t make it acceptable quality. The USDA has eight levels of grading for beef products, with Prime being the highest level (less than 3% of cattle). That beef is exceptional, on par with the best Japanese and Australian Wagyu beef I’ve eaten. Choice, Select, and Standard are the next three levels of grading. The top four can be purchased in American supermarkets or butcher shops.
(A pathetic little McDonald’s burger patty)
But there are four other grades that are considered substandard.
- Commercial (used by fast food restaurants like McDonald’s)
- Utility (used in cheap hot dogs, frozen dinners, and cheaper beef jerky)
- Cutter (used in the cheapest hot dogs and pet food)
- Canner (used in the cheapest hot dogs and pet food)
Yes, McDonald’s uses 100% beef inspected by the USDA. And those inspections reveal Commercial-level beef used in their burgers! That’s some really bad stuff. But McDonald’s conveniently omits that information. The Philadelphia-based company Keystone Foods supplies a great deal of meat to McDonald’s, the same company that developed the quick-freezing process with burger patties so they can be shipped to thousands of McDonald’s restaurants without spoiling. Regardless, the meat is of extremely low quality.
Why does it taste different than burgers we make at home?
My father grew up eating at the original McDonald’s restaurants in California in the early 1950s. Later becoming a certified chef, he remarked that the original hamburgers were actually pretty good. Obviously, those days are long gone, and it is now necessary for McDonald’s to save money in order to make a significant profit (US$14.6 billion). Not only is the beef used by McDonald’s of a substandard grade, but they acquire two types of very cheap product. Part of the beef comes from retired dairy cows, something that has an unpalatable leanness when eaten by itself. It’s disguised by grinding it up and adding it other ingredients.
Keystone Foods also uses inexpensive fat that’s been removed from beef cows. So your burger has been composed of two types of beef that should have been waste products. And that’s precisely why the burgers taste so bad. They don’t compare to a proper American burger, but they do save patrons a lot of money which is the main draw. If you like it, eat it. I don’t.
Quoran Corey Sinnott, a former chemist at U.S. Department of Agriculture, made a fascinating comment below. When they tested McDonald’s beef in the lab, it was very strange, having a pasty texture and the smell of old books, grey inside and out, not just from oxidation, but an unusual pure grey throughout the product.
(A real American burger)
McDonald's beef frequently earned an ‘F’ until recently being promoted to a 'C' grade. But that isn’t because of quality improvements. The company adopted a policy to reduce the overuse of antibiotics in their beef supply. They also promised to stop confining animals in tight cages. Although they haven’t completely followed through on policy changes, these promises upgraded their rating while the quality remains just as bad. Now, for those who boycott Chick-fil-A based on their religious views, McDonald’s is probably worthy of a boycott as well based on the animal abuse they ignore and the unhealthy meat they’re feeding the customers.
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