McDonald's Original Fries vs Modern Recipe | Food Wars | Fast Food Chemistry | Food Insider

The Food Wars Team, Harry Kersh and Joe Avella, make McDonald’s original recipe fries.
We’ve spent weeks tracking down the original McDonald’s fries recipe, recreating everything from the famous Formula 47 to the correct variety of potato, and we wanted to test this recipe against the modern McDonald’s fries you’re used to.

McDonalds’s fries original 1955 recipe:

2 large Idaho russet potatoes
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
formula 47 (6 cups beef tallow, ½ cup canola oil)
salt
Peel the potatoes. In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, corn syrup, and hot water. Make sure the sugar is dissolved. Cut the peeled potatoes into shoestrings. The potatoes should be 1/4" x 1/4" in thickness, and about 4" to 6" long.
Place the shoe-stringed potatoes into the bowl of sugar-water, and refrigerate. Let them soak for 30 minutes. While they're soaking, pack the shortening into the deep fryer.
After it has liquefied and is at least 375°, drain the potatoes and place into the fryer. After 1 1/2 minutes, remove the potatoes and place them on a paper towel lined plate. Let them cool for 8 to 10 minutes in the refrigerator.
After the deep fryer is reheated to 375°-400°, add the potatoes and deep fry again for 5-7 minutes until golden brown. Remove and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle generously with salt, then "toss" the fries to mix the salt evenly.
Depending upon the size of the potatoes, this recipe makes about 2 medium sized fries.

00:00 - Intro
00:34 - The original 1955 recipe
01:34 - Prep and cooking
07:24 - Tasting original recipe
08:57 - The new recipe
10:46 - Beef flavoring taste test
12:55 - Cooking new recipe
14:20 - Tasting new recipe
15:03 - Conclusion

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McDonald's Original Fries vs Modern Recipe | Food Wars | Fast Food Chemistry | Food Insider

[txunah]

So what did we learn... don't buy a horizontal fry-cutter

[TheTilpo]

Some fancy fry shops in Belgium and the Netherlands still use tallow as frying fat, and it makes all the difference. It makes fries taste so much better than non-descript 'frying oil' that most places use.

[tony_orto]

As someone who managed a McDonald's in the 80s, I can tell you that the blocks of tallow came in boxes three times that size. And, the fries tasted so much better. They get even better after the tallow had a few more batches of fries cooked in them. It's the carbon.

[adityagupta]

it looks like harry is gonna perform a chemistry experiment and joe is just chilling and making snacks for a sunday game lol

[applegal]

My dad grew up over his family's owned snackbar in the 50s and 60s. They served chicken and fries, icecream and snack foods, etc. They always cooked with lard. When dad makes fries at home, he always uses lard in the fryer. It makes a the difference flavour-wise!

I should add, they didn't soak them in sugar water. But they did par fry them (he calls this step 'glazing' the fries), let them cool a bit, and then fully fried them. Toss in salt before serving and voila!

[sshimmy]

I worked at McDonald's just before the switch. I ate the original fries and loved them. after the switch I didn't like the fries anymore.. I didn't realize until years later that they were different.

[Jake_]

I love how Harry was able to do everything so easy and poor Joe was having to do everything the hard way, get Joe some better equipment! However, Joe does have a cool kitchen and the cutest cat so that makes up for it :D

[asiyasaiyed]

Fast Food Chemistry, my favourite series from Food Wars is back !!

[VelvetTeacake]

I like the contrast between the lab set and what looks like Joe's real kitchen.

[DustyJonesBGCL]

I love how harry is dressed up like a futuristic scientist. 🥰 also Joe has an amazing kitchen setup 😏

[tyfi]

I'm impressed that Joe's cat didn't try to eat all of the fries. I can't keep my cats in the kitchen

[rodrigul]

Hahaha Joe’s eating fries 🍟 while Harry is throwing up! I ❤️ these guys they make food science FUN!

[marcushendriksen]

That little bottle of beef flavouring recommending its addition to all those sweet things has me in stitches 🤣 shakes? Baking?! How on earth does adding beef flavouring to any of those things make them better? 😂

[Lord.Kiltridge]

The older recipe is way better. Back in the 70's through 90's McDonalds fries were absolutely magic. The best fries anywhere. (I'm 57)

[sct]

I’m a geezer so, man, do I miss original McD’s fries! Joe, love your swank LA apartment and your helper was really cute! Harry, just when I thought you couldn’t be more adorable you get a haircut and put on a lab coat 😍. Cudos for actually trying the beef “flavoring”. Hopefully you took some of that tallow home with you and made some outrageously good Yorkshire puds!

[hmoham]

I remember we had to stop eating Mcdonald Fries when we found out they were not Halal, and then trying them years later when they were okay to eat again, and the difference was night and day. The old recipe was so much better.

[Ashley-xulk]

More videos like this! It was great seeing Joe participate in his home kitchen and I loved the shots with his cat. Adorable!

[Thermophobe]

tbf as a person who doesn't eat beef (in any form), having fries without it is nice. but might as well have the option for the passionate fans of the old style.

[hermansterner]

"Brand of potato" might be the most American thing I've ever heard

[minuteman]

I'd be curious to know how much they would have to cost if they still used beef tallow, because I think the main driver is the price of the tallow. There is a fish and chip shop near me that advertises that they fry in beef tallow and their product is a lot letter than their competition but it's also more expensive.