Have you ever thought about trying a new item on McDonald’s menu and regretted doing so? Do you ever want to know which items you never want to have without trying them? Or how to get the best tasting food from McDonald’s?
Look no further! We bring you great advice from a former manager of culinary innovation for McDonald’s, who gave very specific advice about the fast food’s breakfast menu. Here are some insights to guide you to having the best meals at McDonald’s.
A Chef’s Insight
Mike Haracz is a great chef with over 20 years of experience in the culinary industry. Due to his incredible talent, he has been featured on shows, magazines, and even Forbes. After serving as the Manager of Culinary Innovation at McDonald’s for a few years, he has a few tips on foods he advises people to avoid.
First, he strongly advises people to avoid the standard folded egg on the bagel breakfast sandwich and recommends a round egg or scrambled eggs instead.
Haracz’s Recommendations
Haracz disapproves of the bagel breakfast sandwich and says the restaurant’s new bun is “not as good as it used to be.”
Therefore, he recommends that consumers ask the restaurant staff to steam their buns first to improve the taste and texture of the burger. This may seem like a minor change, but the experienced chef says it could significantly enhance the taste.
Order Timing Affects Taste
Haracz also says that timing is of the essence when it comes to ordering at a fast-food restaurant. Not only does the timing affect the quality of service a customer gets, but it also affects the food quality. Therefore, knowing the peak periods can help customers get better meals.
Ordering when a new batch has just been cooked will help you get fresher-tasting food, and ordering very late when staff are already tired may result in lesser-quality meals.
ALSO READ: Amazon Lures Back Erstwhile Customers With 30% Discount on Groceries
Haracz’s Favorite
You’re probably wondering what the chef’s favorite meal on the McDonald’s menu is. Surprisingly, it is not a complicated order. Haracz’s pick on the McDonald’s wide range of food is the quarter-pounder with cheese.
He says it is their best-tasting meal and one to try if you haven’t. Pro tip from the chef himself: make sure you eat the meal within the first few minutes after getting it to know just how good it is.
A New Method
Another reason the quarter-pounders are Haracz’s favorite meal is the new change in its preparation. The chef noted that McDonald’s has started a new method that involves cooking fresh beef for the meal. Therefore, it improves the taste by a wide margin and makes it more enjoyable.
However, Haracz also warns that if you do not eat it in a few minutes, it will lose most of its “quality improvements” and will taste like the old recipe.
Quality Control
While Haracz worked with McDonald’s, he was involved in the quality testing of the restaurant’s products and ingredients. Therefore, the constant testing helped ensure that the new items and recipes on the menu met the company’s high standards before they were introduced to the public for consumption.
He was also dedicated to ensuring that the food quality was top-notch and customers were satisfied.
ALSO READ: Let Us See How Much You Can Earn in Ten Years With a 4% Interest Rate
Problems With Ingredient Availability
According to the former McDonald’s chef, one of the major limitations in developing the menu is the low availability of ingredients. Therefore, the global supply of food items has affected the company’s production, restricting its ability to produce enough ingredients.
As this is the case, it is hard to get the most out of the already low-quality ingredients to produce very high-quality meals that are also rich in ingredients.
What Are Corporate Kitchens?
McDonald’s tests its new menus by having corporate kitchens. This way, they can replicate the restaurant environment and effectively test new products. These kitchens are designed to look like regular McDonald’s restaurants’ exact layout and function to maintain consistency.
Therefore, it is much easier for the company to conduct adequate testing that would work the same way in any other McDonald’s location.
Staffing Impacts Food Quality
According to Haracz, the staffing levels in a McDonald’s restaurant also greatly influence the quality of the food served there.
This is because when a particular outlet is poorly staffed, there is a “dramatic effect” on the quality of food that is served there. Being understaffed causes the staff to be overworked and overwhelmed, leading to poor quality and customer service. Therefore, staffing plays a major role.
The Difference Between the Experience in Corporate and Restaurant Kitchens
Understandably, the experience staff have in McDonald’s corporate kitchens greatly differs from that of the regular kitchens around. This is because the corporate kitchens are not used to serve guests or customers. Instead, they focus solely on developing new recipes and testing the quality of existing ones.
They also standardize food quality across McDonald’s locations and the company’s operational procedures. Food from different McDonald’s locations would taste very different without the corporate kitchens.
Maintaining Standards During Peak Hours Was Tough
Maintaining McDonald’s standards and quality during high-traffic times was no easy task for Haracz. He explained that the busier it was, the harder it got to maintain standards, just like every restaurant.
He also acknowledged that the fast-food industry was quite complex and required a lot of patience and discipline, especially during peak hours. He left the company a while ago to pursue other interests but still has a lot of love and respect for the franchise.
An Experienced Professional
Haracz’s tips are not based on hearsay but on actual experience. He has over 20 years of professional experience in the culinary industry and has trained taste buds.
Therefore, he has a deeper understanding of food taste, texture, quality, and other things others lack. He also studied culinary arts and nutrition, making him a certified professional at what he does.
You Might Also Like:
Millennials Are Unprepared To Become the Richest Generation
The Single Most Important Expense To Cut in Retirement
Did You Know Your Old Pennies Could Be Worth Thousands of Dollars?
These 6 Countries Are the Best and Cheapest To Live in Europe
Chinese Youth Are ‘Revenge Saving’ While Gen Z Globally Accumulates Debt