Are French Fries Better? We Rank KFC, McDonald’s, and More

deleciousfood | July 10, 2024 | Fast Food | No Comments

Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Burger King: if there’s one thing Americans love, it’s fast food.

Picture Chick-fil-A hot sauce dripping onto a crispy chicken steak, or a thick layer of mayo melting into a juicy Smashburger. And at Cinnabon? Don’t even get me started on the way the glaze oozes out of the center of a freshly baked bun.

But when you think of fast food on a whim, all those euphoric $6 bites take a back seat to the industry’s most iconic side dish: fries.

So if fast food is one of the most delicious food genres – and french fries are the queens of fast food – then fast food fries In France (or Belgium, but we’ll save that for another time) should be one of the most irresistible delicacies on the planet, right?

Maybe.

Here’s what I think about fast food fries in France.

Fries at McDonald’s in France

McDonald’s France offers two varieties of fries: French fries (which look exactly like standard McDonald’s fries) and quarter fries (which look like quartered fries with an orange exterior). Neither were great.

For starters, the fries looked exactly like the American version of the dish, but only on the outside. When I tasted them, they were bland, saltless, and incredibly soggy. On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give them a two.

The wedges were slightly better, as I opted to top them with cheese and bacon (which helped with the salt issue), but the texture was just as terrible. Starchy and moist, they tasted like those baked potatoes you only order out of obligation.

FRY SCORE: 2.5/10 (2 for the fries, 3 for the wedges).

Fries at Burger King in France

Even though I thought Burger King — as a restaurant as a whole — was better than McDonald’s in France, these could have been the worst thing i ever ate.

In my life.

Never.

Just as bland as McDonald’s fries, these fries were devoid of salt, seasoning, and any sign of human affection. Most glaring about each piece, however, was the way some of the potato seemed to mysteriously evaporate from their centers.

Texturally, the fries were like the chicken nuggets from middle school that hissed when you bit into them: tough on the outside and full of air on the inside.

FRY SCORE: 1/10.

Fries at KFC in France

In America, it would have been bad. But in France, it wasn’t so bad.

I ordered a small fry, which arrived hot and fresh. Each potato in the bag had potato skins on the ends, which was a pleasant surprise from a chain that is as far from farm fresh as you can get. And, unlike those at competing restaurants, the fries were actually somewhat seasoned.

Would I take more salt? Yes.

But the crispy exterior and perfect thickness still convinced me to crush a good handful (but not a whole order).

FRY SCORE: 5.5/10.

Fries at Five Guys in France

I had high hopes for these cupcakes when I received them in their grease-stained brown bag. Golden brown, warm, and sprinkled with salt, I was sure they would be the best of the bunch.

Appearance (and heat) don’t necessarily translate to taste, as the first bite convinced me I’d sunk my teeth into a smiling cafeteria fry. Despite the powder coating the order, the fries—like those at McDonald’s and King’s—were virtually salt-free and uncomfortably soggy.

And even though they were warm when I received them, they reached room temperature in thirty seconds or less (and progressed to even colder than that).

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