It is believed that french fries originated in Belgium during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. These fries were just simple strips of fried potatoes and didn’t become known as french fries until 1802 when Thomas Jefferson requested “potatoes served in the French manner ”. He requested this side to go along with a meal he was given during his time in the White House. Not long after, French Fried Potatoes became a common side dish in America. Today, French fries are known for being the main side of most fast food meals. The big question is: Who has the best fries? Recently, a colleague and I visited six fast-food restaurants and tasted their french fries. Here is our evaluation:
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Burger King:
The first place we visited was Burger King. The medium fries at Burger King cost $4.67. The fries were overflowing in their container. They were freshly made and warm, which made me optimistic about the taste. Unfortunately, they weren’t very good. There was barely any salt and had an extremely “earthy” taste.
2.5/5 Stars
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Wendy’s:
Wendy’s medium french fries cost $2.99. These came with a lot more fries than the expensive Burger King ones. The presentation of the fries wasn’t as good as Burger King’s, and the packaging appeared slightly squashed on the inside. The fries came out piping hot. They were crispy, but unfortunately, despite being better than Burger King, they lacked flavor. They were barely salted and quite dry as well.
3/5 Stars
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Sonic:
Sonic’s medium groovy fries cost $3.40. These came at about the same size, if not smaller than Burger King’s fries. The fries didn’t fill up their container and were at room temperature. The taste of the fries was a bit sweet like there was some sugar used in the recipe. An interesting aspect of the fries was how easily they stuck together inside the container, but it’s unclear if this was done on purpose so the fries didn’t spill or not.
3.5/5 Stars
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Culver’s:
Culver’s medium crinkle-cut french fries cost $3.89. These were not as big as the Wendy’s fries but weren’t as small as the fries from Burger King and Sonic’s. The presentation of the fries could have been better, with some of the fries spilling out of the container onto the tray. Fortunately, the fries were freshly made, warm, and crispy. There wasn’t much flavor to the fries, but it wasn’t the worst fries that were tasted that day.
4/5 Stars
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McDonald’s:
McDonald’s medium french fries cost $3.59. These were about the same size as the Wendy’s fries. The presentation of the fries was a bit chaotic; it looked like the fries were shoved in without any care. The taste of the fries was delicious. They were very fresh, very crispy, and very flavorful. This was a welcome surprise, given McDonald’s reputation for the quality of their food.
4.5/5 Stars
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Slim Chickens:
Slim Chickens medium french fries cost $3.79. The size of the fries is hard to estimate due to the unique packaging, but it felt close enough to the size of some of the other fries to be considered medium. The presentation was the best of all the other fries ordered that day, neatly placed in a box. The taste of the fries was the best of any that day, being very crunchy and flavorful. Alongside the fries, cayenne ranch was ordered, which enhanced the taste of the fries with a little spice. Overall, they were the best french fries.
5/5 Stars
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In short, various restaurants offer many different types of fries, each with their own ideas about how to make them better than other french fries. Based on presentation, crispiness, and taste, Slims ranked highest in all three categories out of the six fast-food restaurants that I reviewed. But, there may be other places that have good french fries as well. So, go out and try them for yourself. Determine what place you believe has the best fries.
Credit:
https://www.pitco.com/blog/a-brief-history-of-french-fries-as-the-ultimate-side-re-optimized
