A former corporate McDonald’s chef revealed a little known secret about the fast food chain’s kitchens.
As of this year, there are said to be over 13,000 McDonald’s restaurants scattered across the US – and all of them will follow this one usual rule.
Mike Haracz used to be a corporate chef for the fast food giant, and often takes to social media to share anecdotes about McDonald’s, especially things you were unlikely to have known about the franchise.
Now, when you think of must-have items in a McDonald’s kitchen, there are a few things that come to mind. A fridge, maybe? Spatular? A McFlurry machine? Deep fat fryers?
Yes, they’ll all likely be there, but something that won’t be is a kitchen knife.
Mike often answers people’s questions on TikTok, and one person pondered: “Random question: If I wanted McDonald’s to cut a burger in half for me, do they even have access to a knife to do that?”
The short answer to that is, no – but when Mike further elaborated on why, it kind of made sense.
Apparently you won’t find any knives in a McDonald’s kitchen (Getty Stock)
“They do not have a knife because there is nothing in the McDonald’s restaurant that the crew need to chop or cut for any reason,” he explained.
“Cheese comes in cut, tomatoes come in pre-sliced, lettuce comes shredded.
“I think there’s lemon wedges, if there’s like lemon for tea, but that has a lemon wedger, or a citrus wedger contraption.”
Mike went on: “Onions are already cut, dehydrated onions are dehydrated and mashed up, so there is nothing they would need a knife for.”
In terms of having a utensil suitable for opening pouches and things, apparently McDonald’s other items that can do this in lieu of a knife.
Mike Haracz worked as a corporate McDonald’s chef for 4 years (chefmikeharacz/Instagram)
Viewers rushed to the comments over concerns of how on earth they will be able to have their burger cut up.
And one had experienced the alleged ordeal, and said: “They actually used a spatula. They did it for me.”
Interesting…
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/chefmikeharacz / Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Topics: McDonalds, TikTok, Food and Drink
A former chef at McDonald’s has revealed whether or not a certain menu item is actually shrinking.
If you’ve been to the shops recently, you may have noticed that some items in your basket are smaller than they were before.
The price that you actually pay has stayed the same, but the item is smaller. So you might pay $5 for a pack of butter, but instead of getting 16oz like before, you only get 12oz.
This phenomenon is known as ‘shrinkflation’, and is a way for retailers to disguise rising prices.
And now many people are wondering whether one particular item at McDonald’s has been subject to this, and a former chef at the chain has spilled the beans
TikTok/@chefmikeharacz
TikToker Mike Haracz (@chefmikeharacz) is a former corporate chef at McDonald’s, and looked into the example of the Quarter Pounder to see if it does indeed still weight a quarter of a pound.
After all, if there’s any menu item that’s easily measurable, it’s the one where the weight is literally the name.
Taking to TikTok, he asked: “Is the Quarter Pounder still a Quarter Pounder?
“So there’s like four main things that they could do to make it more affordable with the loophole of it needs to be a quarter pound before cooking.”
That’s an important part of it, the weight ‘quarter pounder’ refers to the weight before the burger is cooked.
Why is that important? Well, because fat will render out during the cooking process.
TikTok/@chefmikeharacz
Mike explained: “If they use fattier beef portions, then they can actually make it fattier.
“It weighs more, but when you cook it, more of that fat is released, and you might have a smaller-looking patty.”
If you’ve ever cooked a duck breast at home you can see just how much fat renders out of it. All of that is no longer in the meat, so the meat will have lost the weight.
Mike continued: “The last thing they can do is adjust the shelf life. With fresh beef, obviously, they are not adding anything else to the beef mixture.
“If they did, it would have to be on their website and declare that it is in their beef patty. There are some loopholes and processing aids, but I don’t believe they do anything like that.”
So, the weight of a patty before cooking is a quarter of a pound, but probably not afterwards, and adding other ingredients such as preservatives would add to the weight, but he doesn’t think that McDonald’s does that.
UNILAD has reached out to McDonald’s for comment.
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@chefmikeharacz
Topics: Food and Drink, McDonalds, US News
A former McDonald’s chef has revealed on TikTok the simple reason behind why staff don’t have access to knives in the kitchen.
Mike Haracz is a chef who used to work at McDonald’s, and he’s become a sensation on TikTok after sharing with people all the secret things you don’t know unless you work there…we definitely want a piece of this!
He shares with his viewers how staff curate the menu, how you can order items off a secret menu, and a whole lot more.
In a recent video, he answered a question from a fan which said: “Random question: If I wanted McDonald’s to cut a burger in half for me, do they even have access to a knife to do that?”
And the short answer?
No they don’t.
Brett Jordan on Unsplash
Mike revealed that McDonald’s workers do not have access to knives in the kitchen, and it’s actually a really simple reason.
In the clip, the chef said: “They do not have a knife because there is nothing in the McDonald’s restaurant that the crew need to chop or cut for any reason.
“Cheese comes in cut, tomatoes come in pre-sliced, lettuce comes shredded.
“I think there’s lemon wedges, if there’s like lemon for tea, but that has a lemon wedger or a citrus wedger… contraption.”
As an outsider, it seems like the giant system is set-up to be as time-efficient as possible.
Visual Karsa on Unsplash
He continued: “Onions are already cut, dehydrated onions are dehydrated and mashed up, so there is nothing they would need a knife for.”
However, he did make a note in the video that ‘pouches and similar items’ need to be opened, but a knife is never what they are allowed to resort to.
Instead there is McDonald’s approved equipment which they can use for opening certain packages.
Viewers rushed to the comments over concerns of how on earth they will be able to have their burger cut up.
And one had experienced the alleged ordeal, and said: “They actually used a spatula.
“They did it for me.”
Another person in shock said: “A kitchen with no knives is wild!!
“Surely they’d use a plastic or wooden knife?”
An ex-McDonald’s worker shared what they were told while working at the fast food chain: “I was told we can’t cut anything in half because that changes the serving size, and we don’t sell smaller servings, so it would be misleading and wrong to serve a product that isn’t accurate to the calorie info we share.”
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/chefmikeharacz / Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Topics: McDonalds, Food and Drink
There is a lot to McLove at McDonald’s but a former chef has revealed what customers should avoid ordering.
Unless you have been living under or on a very isolated rock, you’ll be very aware of just how popular the fast food behemoth McDonald’s is.
Everybody has got their go to order, either for a celebration or a cheeky hangover meal.
Due to its popularity, finding out the inner workings of the restaurant is always fascinating – and that is where Mike Haracz comes in.
Haracz is a former McDonald’s chef and also held the title of Manager of Culinary Innovation for the US menu for four years.
Mike Haracz has revealed what he would and wouldn’t recommend when it comes to ordering at McDonald’s. (Jam Press/@chefmikeharacz)
So, when he takes to social media many people are curious about what he thinks.
Haracz has previously given explanations about why McDonald’s ketchup tastes so distinct and has debunked theories about the chain.
Most recently, he has told his fans what he would and wouldn’t recommend when it comes to ordering.
He says he wouldn’t order the iconic bagel breakfast sandwich as it is and would switch the standard folded egg to either a round egg or the scrambled option.
And timing, according to Haracz, is everything.
He explained: “I feel like the folded egg used on their breakfast sandwiches tends to be dry and lack flavor.
“And the new bun is not as good as it used to be, so I would recommend asking for it steamed for a better burger experience.”
Haracz did clarify that his advice was based on ‘personal taste preference’, however. He reiterated there is nothing to avoid from a food safety perspective.
But if you are looking for a great order, Haracz has got you covered with a classic.
Haracz has lifted the lid on the fast food chain’s ‘secrets’. (Jam Press/@chefmikeharacz)
He said: “The best option is the quarter pounder with cheese, but you need to eat it within a few minutes of being served to know the difference.
“The US has switched to cooking fresh beef to order for quarter pounders.
“If you wait too long to eat it, all of the quality improvements are lost and it tastes the way that it used to.”
And I’d take his word on this, there’s nothing worse than a lukewarm McDonald’s burger.
During his time working at McDonald’s, Haracz would conduct sensory and quality testing on products and ingredients so the man likely knows a thing or two about the best way to get your McMeal on.
Featured Image Credit: Jam Press/@chefmikeharacz
Topics: Food and Drink, McDonalds
I think we can all agree that we’re getting less bang for our buck than ever, and some people are convinced that this applies to McDonald’s too.
In what’s known as ‘shrinkflation’, some products in the US are reported to have shrunk by 25 percent, according to Delish.
Pringles cans are one example of shrinkflation with customers now finding that there’s less chips than ever inside the tube.
The company revealed back in 2016 that it had made its chips and cans smaller; and now people have raised questions about McDonald’s – its chicken nuggets in particular.
Some people feel that McDonald’s famous chicken nuggets are shrinking. (GUILLAUME SOUVANT/AFP via Getty Images)
Many have speculated if the fast food chain’s chicken nuggets have also fallen victim to shrinkflation.
Former corporate chef at McDonald’s and TikTok star Mike Haracz has since given his thoughts on the matter.
One person commented on his page that they tried the new $5 McDonald’s meal and found that the nuggets were ‘smaller and spongier than before’.
Asking if Mike could confirm this, he went on to explain: “I know back in my day one of the things that they changed was they removed any artificial flavors, colors and preservatives from the nuggets, but that was like 2017 or 2018.”
Mike continued: “I do not have any actual data to confirm that these have changed, but I don’t eat a lot of McDonald’s these days but my kids love a Happy Meal. When they don’t finish their nuggets I will usually have one or two of them.
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“To me they seem smaller than I remember, there seems to be a lot more shellings.”
Shellings are the void between the meat and the tempura batter.
Mike further argued that he’s noticed the shellings more than he has done in the past and that the nuggets seem thinner then before, but he couldn’t not confirm this for definite.
