When you’re on the go early in the day, whether it’s your daily commute or a road-trip situation, there’s nothing more comforting than hitting up the Golden Arches for a classic McDonald’s breakfast. Along with Mickey D’s signature drip coffee, a flaky biscuit or warm McMuffin just makes your frazzled morning a little better. But is your order even complete if it doesn’t include a side of hash browns? Answer: No.
Well, we have some intel about these crispy little slabs of perfection that’s going to blow your mind. First up: They aren’t salted. Say what? If this sounds like an urban legend, let’s have a McDonald’s insider explain before you go examining your next order with a magnifying glass. Read on to find out just how those golden hash browns get that yummy, crunchy and, yes, salty flavor.
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Hold on—McDonald’s hash browns really aren’t salted?
Technically, no—at least not in the same way french fries are. Once french fries are removed from fryer, they’re instantly hit with salt and tossed in the good stuff. But strangely enough, McDonald’s hash browns do not get the same treatment when they are finished in the fryer.
Why aren’t they salted in this way?
@chefmikeharacz Replying to @user194847293 Former #McDonalds corporate chef explains why they don’t salt the hashbrowns. #mcdonaldssecrets #McDonaldssecret #mcdonaldslife #McDonaldsMenu #FastFood #FastFoodSecrets #FastFoodMenu #mcdonaldsfries #mcdonaldsfriesaresogood #mcdonaldshashbrowns #mcdonaldshashbrown #Fries #FrenchFries #HashBrowns ♬ original sound – Chef Mike Haracz
Former McDonald’s corporate chef Mike Haracz took to his TikTok account to answer this question from a follower. As it turns out, those hash browns would probably fall apart if they were bathed in salt after the cooking process is complete.
“Hash browns, if you toss those a bunch, they would probably break, and little pieces would come off,” says Haracz. Yep, if those babies were salted like fries, they wouldn’t even make it to that side holding area where they stand up like little potato soldiers, let alone into the bag (or your mouth!).
Why do those hash browns taste so deliciously salty?
Well, because they are salted, just in a different way than the french fries. Confused? It has to do with the fact that hash browns are formed, not sliced like a fry.
“Hash browns, tater tots, anything that is formed with chopped, ground or grated potato, you can add salt to it and blend it through so that it is appropriately seasoned all the way through,” Haracz says.
Think of it like this: If you were making a potato dish at home, like twice-baked potatoes or a casserole, you wouldn’t wait until the dish came out of the oven to sprinkle salt on the top. Potatoes are pretty bland, so you have to get that salty goodness mixed all the way through the dish.
It’s the same thing with McDonald’s hash browns. Raw potatoes are chopped and mixed with other ingredients, including corn flour, dehydrated potato, vegetable oil, “natural beef flavor” (more on this in a minute) and plenty of salt, then formed into hash brown patties and finished at the restaurants.
What else makes them taste so good?
Let’s go back to that “natural beef flavor.” This mystery ingredient adds to the hash browns’ flavor profile, but what is it, exactly? And should vegetarians and vegans be concerned they’ve been eating meat along with their potatoes?
Natural beef flavor showed up after McDonald’s stopped frying its fries and hash browns in beef tallow way back in 1990. According to the McDonald’s website, natural beef flavoring starts with hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk, but after that, things get a little opaque. Foods and ingredients that contain known allergens, like milk and wheat, must be declared on the labeling, but proprietary formulations such as flavorings do not have the same rules.
So while it doesn’t sound like McDonald’s uses an actual beef product in its hash browns, the McDonald’s website still says that the menu item is not vegetarian or vegan. The fast-food chain doesn’t elaborate any more than that, instead referring folks back to the hash brown ingredients page.
But we certainly know one thing: McDonald’s hash browns are tasty, and there’s no doubt that the yummy potato mixture gets a huge boost from the combination of ingredients (yes, including salt!) and the deep-fried cooking method, both of which infuse our favorite breakfast sidekick with tons of flavor.
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Sources:
- TikTok: “@chefmikeharacz”
- McDonald’s: “Hash Browns”
- McDonald’s: “Are McDonald’s Hash Browns vegan or vegetarian?”
- Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute: “21 CFR § 101.22 – Foods; labeling of spices, flavorings, colorings and chemical preservatives”
- The Week: “Why did Americans stop using beef tallow and why is it back?”
The post Believe It or Not, McDonald’s Hash Browns Aren’t Actually Salted—Here’s Why appeared first on Reader's Digest.
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