When it comes to American fast food, the much loved McDonald's tends to be the most identifiable. In fact, food from the "Golden Arches" is so recognizable that a Standford University study of North American pre-schoolers demonstrated that foods wrapped in McDonald's packaging tend to be more well received than otherwise. North American children actually preferred foods they thought came from McDonald's, even if the foods were not from the traditional McDonald's menu. This demonstrates that McDonald's mass marketing has succeeded in permeating North American culture with the McDonald's branding.

Since I grew up in the television/infant world-wide-web era, I too was bombarded with persistent McDonald's advertising. As such, I am no more immune. Though I have embarked on trying to broaden my culinary horizons, I check in on the McDonald's menu from time to time.

The following are some of my recent purchases from McDonald's:

Fries
Enjoyed by young and old alike, McDonald's shoe string fries tend to be the example by which people measure fries. They are not a bad measure. When made fresh, McDonald's fries are very crispy. Many cooks seek this glassy texture. Though, for those of us who like to taste fluffy potato in their fries, McDonald's fries can fall short. Firstly, they are not always fresh. As such, your serving may be limp and starchy. Secondly, fries this thin simply don't deliver much volume in the form of potato. Thirdly, McDonald's fries arrive at their establishments frozen. Even if the fries are flash frozen, the freezing process creates ice crystals in the uncooked fries. This affects their texture. Fourthly, I find that McDonald's restaurants are somewhat lax in their care of the oil they fry their fries in. More often than not, I find that my fries are served, speckled in dark bits that came off of previously fried foods. These carbonized bits of fried foods can be bitter.

One way to prepare great thick cut fries is to thick cut potatoes, run the pieces through a salad spinner, and fry them twice: once at a lower temperature to cook the fries and a second time at a higher temperature. This process actually removes excess moisture from the surface of the uncooked fries, and crystallizes the remaining starch.

Filet-O-Fish
Like most young adults, I have memories of my parents taking me to McDonald's as a treat. During one visit, I asked my parents to order a filet-o-fish for me. I remember a large square-shaped fish patty, which was topped with a white sauce that had green specks in it, in a soft white-bread bun. After almost 15 years, I decided to try the sandwich again.

I honestly didn't remember that the Filet-O-Fish comes with a half slice of processed cheese. This does however demonstrate how much smaller the Filet-O-Fish has become. A half slice of processed cheese was sufficient to cover the surface area of the dimunative breaded fish patty. The patty's breading was thin and softens quickly. The fish was very neutral in flavor and seemed to be a combination of processed and non-processed fish. I could distinguish some flakes, but too much of the patty was uniform. The white sauce I remembered was a mayonnaise-based sauce that borrows from the tartar sauce tradition. The green specks seemed to be pieces of pickled cucumber. They may have come from pickle relish.

All in all, the sandwich was a welcomed trip down memory lane.

Chicken McWrap
The Chicken McWrap fills the mini-sandwich niche, opened by Kentucky Fried Chicken's "Snacker" sandwich. The "Snacker" consists of a finger of breaded chicken breast in a small bun. The Chicken McWrap comes in two versions: grilled chicken breast and breaded chicken breast. Both come wrapped in a flour tortilla.

The breaded chicken Chicken McWrap consists of a thin finger of chicken breast, shredded lettuce, and some shredded cheddar cheese. It is sauced with some sort of ranch dressing. Mass-wise, the proportion of chicken to tortilla is approximately the same. Every mouthful has equal amounts of tortilla and chicken.

Having tried both the Snacker and the breaded chicken Chicken McWrap, I find that both suffer from the same shortcomings. Firstly, the breading for the chicken fingers is very thick. Breadings should only be thick enough to deliver some flavor and a little texture. If it is too thick, it tends to overpower neutral tasting foods like fish or chicken. Secondly, the breaded chicken fingers are made of very lean white breast meat that is deep fried to crisp the breading. Becuase the breading is so thick, I find the chicken ends up dry, stringy, and overcooked. The salty ranch dressing is thus necessary to make the chicken palatable.

What is the state of McDonald's fare? On the bright side, the advertised pictures of the Filet-O-Fish and Chicken McWrap accurately match what McDonald's restaurants serve. Unfortunately, the Filet-O-Fish, a sandwich of old, is smaller than I remember. The Chicken McWrap, a newcomer to the McDonald's menu, is over-breaded and overcooked. Happily, the golden fries have not changed and are as satisfying today as they were when I was a child.



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