LATimes.com ranks french fries

[SamSpade]

Pretty comprehensive list of chains in the USA:
https://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-fren ... story.html

[rwsandiego]

Pretty comprehensive list of chains in the USA:
https://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-fren ... story.html

I agree with the study. McDonald's has the best fries and In'n'Out has the worst. Not crazy about In'n'Out's burgers, either.

[klkla]

A agree about the fries. As gross as McDonald's food is in general (except the annual McRib of course lol) there is something addicting about their French fries. That's sad because In-N-Out actually cuts the potatoes fresh and in site of the customer but they just aren't very good IMO.

On the other hand, I disagree about the burgers. I don't eat them very often but when I get a craving only one thing will do: In-N-Out Double Double!

[rwsandiego]

A agree about the fries. As gross as McDonald's food is in general (except the annual McRib of course lol) there is something addicting about their French fries. That's sad because In-N-Out actually cuts the potatoes fresh and in site of the customer but they just aren't very good IMO.

On the other hand, I disagree about the burgers. I don't eat them very often but when I get a craving only one thing will do: In-N-Out Double Double!

Are you a native Californian? My admittedly small-sample informal study (circle of friends, acquaintances, colleagues, and fellow community volunteers) revealed that Native Californians L-O-V-E In'n'Out and transplants (like me) are not nearly as fond of them.

[klkla]

Are you a native Californian?

Yes, guilty as charged.

My admittedly small-sample informal study (circle of friends, acquaintances, colleagues, and fellow community volunteers) revealed that Native Californians L-O-V-E In'n'Out and transplants (like me) are not nearly as fond of them.

I have heard that from other people, too. The thing about them is they have never deviated from their mission of just making a good burger. All the other chains get side-tracked by the latest trends but In-N-Out still uses fresh ground beef. They sill slice the tomatoes and onions at the store. All the preparation is done where customers can see it and you know you are getting real food. In addition to that they have the friendliest and best trained employees of any fast food chain.

[jamcool]

Apparently someone at INO doesn’t know that you have to rinse the starch off of the fresh cut fries to make them fry correctly

[Brian Lutz]

The big "holy war" when it comes to burger chains (at least from where I see it) seems to be Californians with In 'N Out and Texans with Whataburger, and endless debates between the two about which is better. I'm rarely in Texas so it's been years since I've been to a Whataburger, but I do get to In 'n Out every so often since I'm in California on a semi-regular basis. Not a huge fan of their fries but they are reasonable.

As for fries, the one that seems to be most up for debate is Arby's. A lot of people (including my wife) love the Arby's curly fries, but I can barely stand them. It seems a lot of the time they somehow manage to be undercooked and overcooked at the same time, and the seasoning just doesn't work for me. If we're counting non fast food chains, my favorite fries would be from Red Robin.

[rwsandiego]

The big "holy war" when it comes to burger chains (at least from where I see it) seems to be Californians with In 'N Out and Texans with Whataburger, and endless debates between the two about which is better. I'm rarely in Texas so it's been years since I've been to a Whataburger, but I do get to In 'n Out every so often since I'm in California on a semi-regular basis. Not a huge fan of their fries but they are reasonable.

As for fries, the one that seems to be most up for debate is Arby's. A lot of people (including my wife) love the Arby's curly fries, but I can barely stand them. It seems a lot of the time they somehow manage to be undercooked and overcooked at the same time, and the seasoning just doesn't work for me. If we're counting non fast food chains, my favorite fries would be from Red Robin.

I know exactly what you mean about Arby's fries! Don't know how they do it, but they seem over- and under-cooked at the same time.

We ordered Portillo's at work today. Forgot how much I dislike their fries. The fries at their Arizona locations taste exactly like the one do on their home turf of Chicago's suburbs. Didn't like 'em in Chicago and don't like 'em here. Hot dog was tasty, despite them forgetting the celery salt.

[Super S]

As for fries, the one that seems to be most up for debate is Arby's. A lot of people (including my wife) love the Arby's curly fries, but I can barely stand them. It seems a lot of the time they somehow manage to be undercooked and overcooked at the same time, and the seasoning just doesn't work for me. If we're counting non fast food chains, my favorite fries would be from Red Robin.

Arby's used to also offer regular style fries which were decent, but now most locations only offer the curly variety, which I don't particularly care for.

[storewanderer]

Apparently someone at INO doesn’t know that you have to rinse the starch off of the fresh cut fries to make them fry correctly

You have to wonder why they skip this step...

In N Out is good about special orders. They will do, literally, anything that they have the product/equipment to do. I wonder if you can request fries rinsed with water before frying. The oil is probably messed up from all the other batches not rinsed so maybe it wouldn't matter.

Those crinkle fries used by Portillo's, Raising Canes (bleh), and Del Taco seem to be some of the cheapest and lowest quality fries on the market and I always laugh when I hear someone who thinks those fries are good.

The observation of Arby's fries that you are having of them being overcooked and undercooked at the same time is because that is exactly what is happening; they are filling the fry baskets too full, fries are clumped together during frying, and/or not being shaken properly during the frying process. The result is the "pieces" of fries that are small and on the edges overcook and the larger curls get stuck in the middle and end up soggy or in some cases barely even warm. Similar issue on those Jack in the Box curly fries.

McDonald's up here in Nevada has a nasty habit of undercooking fries; this happens at location after location where they pull fries out 20-30 seconds early since they do not keep up with making fries on time. They need an automatic fryer lifter that goes up and down based on the timer like grocery store delis have that stops this from happening.

The other fries I've found people to "argue" about are the very skinny fries offered at places like Steak N Shake or Freddy's. I really like those skinny fries. But they lose temperature VERY quickly and if undercooked or not fresh, they are quite disgusting.