Faux_Pseudo wrote:
_.-In rec.food.cooking, Mark D wrote the following -._

Mc D's hasn't just got bad, they've been crap for the last 35 years.
Ever wonder why Mc D's now buys their Beef from Argentina?

Argentina has really good beef. Argentinians know their beef, they
eat more of it per capita than Americans do.

Their Burgers don't even taste like Beef anymore,

That is because most of their burgers aren't beef. Unless it is one
of the ones advertised as 'all beef' it is about half soy. The QP, BM
and B&T are all beef but I think the rest are soy/meat mix.

All McD's meat burgers in the U.S. are beef. Period. Always have been.
Their menus around the world reflect the local cultures.

If they added anything to the beef patties, they'd have to declare it.
It's the law. And they're not stupid enough to try to sneak it by; the
public reaction would be overwhelming.

From their ingredients page:
"Beef Patty:
100% pure USDA inspected beef; no additives, no fillers, no extenders."
http://tinyurl.com/34652
http://www.mcdonalds.com/app_controller.nutrition.categories.ingredients.in dex.html

I find this (relentless, uninformed, effetely snobbish) discussion
wonderfully amusing. Here are the basic ingredients in a McD burger.
Beef, bread (rolls just like the ones most people buy for their own
burgers.). They put that beef patty on a hot (350F) flat-top grill and
cook it just like it would be if done in a skillet. They open the roll
and put the cooked meat in it, just like people do at home. The patty
has been frozen, and some raised-pinkie "gourmets" say that diminishes
the "quality.".

If you want a patty that hasn't been frozen, go to Wendy's. People say
the same stupid shit about them as they do about McD's and Burger King
and Hardee's and all the rest of the fast food burger places. They're
beef patties cooked (on a flattop, over flames, under a broiler, etc.)
and stuck into a white bread roll. That's the whole recipe. What's to
bitch about?

The very simple fact of the matter is that all this grousing about the
fast food burger vendors is pure and simple bullshit. As though it were
some moral imperative that foods should all be prepared to the
(artificial and convoluted) standards of the blowhard snobs who seem to
generally believe that the more complex the recipe, the more pointlessly
fastidious, the more rigidly measured and determined, the better is the
food.

It's a constant and deep amusement to listen to the brilliantly
uneducated bitching to the equally off-the-mark sheeple who want to
sound authoritative merely by agreeing with the foghorns. That bunch
also secretly spends a lot of money with the burger-producing devils,
but have ready-made excuses relieving them of any responsibility -
frown lines visible on forehead I was running too late to get real
food and was starving, or, maybe - rubbing the bridge of the nose, eyes
closed the kids insisted and I had a headache, or perhaps - slightly
wistful smile I remembered how good they tasted to me as a kid, and I
just had to see if they still...

It's all so much sound and fury signifying, exactly what it does. It's
hilarious how wrought people get over something as innocuous as a
freakin burger. And in my expensive and inexpensive, upscale and
downscale, white-tablecloth and formica-table restaurants, burgers sold
and sold and sold. And they would today and they would tomorrow. In some
places, we used frozen patties on Wonder rolls and people liked them.
And on others, we used fresh-meat, machine-made patties on custom
store-bought rolls and they liked them. And on others, we hand-patted
them and served them on our home-made breads, and they were just as
popular. Prices varied from $2.25 to $12, and they all sold very well.

Chacun a son gout...

Pastorio

"Bob (this one)" wrote

If you want a patty that hasn't been frozen, go to Wendy's. People say the
same stupid shit about them as they do about McD's and Burger King and
Hardee's and all the rest of the fast food burger places. They're beef
patties cooked (on a flattop, over flames, under a broiler, etc.) and
stuck into a white bread roll. That's the whole recipe. What's to bitch
about?

Look, I am the first to admit I have a fast food burger once
in a while, I'm not ashamed. But I know full well even the *most*
basic burger I could make at home would be a world better than
what we're talking about.

Bun/meat ratio ... even if I used the same amount of beef as the
fast food place, I'd use less bread. I often tear off extra bread,
not pretty, but I'm of the Where's The Beef school of burger.

Texture of beef. Mine doesn't come out dry, you don't have to
tear mine with your teeth. My burgers are not chewy.

When push comes to shove, my idea of a good burger is the
emphasis on burger. In my experience Wendy's comes closest
to that.

I have never been served a burger in a restaurant that is all
bun and sauce. This is the realm of the fast food burger.

The very simple fact of the matter is that all this grousing about the
fast food burger vendors is pure and simple bullshit. As though it were
some moral imperative that foods should all be prepared to the (artificial
and convoluted) standards of the blowhard snobs who seem to generally
believe that the more complex the recipe, the more pointlessly fastidious,
the more rigidly measured and determined, the better is the food.

Now I so know you're not talking about me.

nancy

RoR wrote:


The dirtiest deal I ever say was with a smaller donut store franchise. There was
a franchise operation on a busy intersection. The company opened up a company
run store across the street. Both went under.

Just wait. Starbucks will be there soon, and right where you thought those other stores
were.


I seriously doubt it. The first Starbucks opened here about 5 years ago. The second one
didn't open until last year, and that one was part of a major strip mall project. In the same
time, more than a half dozen Tim Hortons have opened up in the same city.

Nancy Young wrote:
"Bob (this one)" wrote

If you want a patty that hasn't been frozen, go to Wendy's. People say the
same stupid shit about them as they do about McD's and Burger King and
Hardee's and all the rest of the fast food burger places. They're beef
patties cooked (on a flattop, over flames, under a broiler, etc.) and
stuck into a white bread roll. That's the whole recipe. What's to bitch
about?


Look, I am the first to admit I have a fast food burger once
in a while, I'm not ashamed. But I know full well even the *most*
basic burger I could make at home would be a world better than
what we're talking about.

Beef. Bread. What's to be better?

Bun/meat ratio ... even if I used the same amount of beef as the
fast food place, I'd use less bread. I often tear off extra bread,
not pretty, but I'm of the Where's The Beef school of burger.

Ok. Not better, just more to you taste.

Texture of beef. Mine doesn't come out dry, you don't have to
tear mine with your teeth. My burgers are not chewy.

Freshly cooked burgers from any of the burger places aren't dry, either.
Again, chewy or not is a preference, not a quality assessment. The
"bite" of burgers is something that has been studied and studied. The
largest percentage of people like the burger to offer resistance to the
bite. They feel like they're getting their money's worth if they have to
chew it. Its perfectly possible to make very tender burgers commercially
through different packing and handling processes. One of the most
frequent comments those tender burgers drew was that the burgers "ate"
like meat loaf.

When push comes to shove, my idea of a good burger is the
emphasis on burger. In my experience Wendy's comes closest
to that.

That funny. When Dave started the company, he used the same meat weights
that McD uses; same size bun. He deliberately made the patties square so
they'd stick out of the bun. Otherwise, same essential thing.

I have never been served a burger in a restaurant that is all
bun and sauce. This is the realm of the fast food burger.

C'mon. *All* bun and sauce...?

So we're not really talking about quality, but preferences. Not that the
meat is of inferior quality. Nor the bread. Just how to assemble it. And
the degree of handling the meat gets (more handling = chewy).

The very simple fact of the matter is that all this grousing about the
fast food burger vendors is pure and simple bullshit. As though it were
some moral imperative that foods should all be prepared to the (artificial
and convoluted) standards of the blowhard snobs who seem to generally
believe that the more complex the recipe, the more pointlessly fastidious,
the more rigidly measured and determined, the better is the food.

Now I so know you're not talking about me.

I wasn't talking about you at all.

Pastorio

"Glitter Ninja" wrote

"Nancy Young" writes:

Bun/meat ratio ... even if I used the same amount of beef as the
fast food place, I'd use less bread.

I can't imagine being able to make a patty by hand that was as small
as a fast food patty.

Heh, you have a point there. Even the frozen burgers you
can get frozen in a box are thicker, aren't they?

My husband worked at a small town burger joint as
a kid, and his boss always bragged that they bought patties which were
1/10th of a pound each, while McD's used patties which weighed 1/12th of
a pound. I have trouble keeping a patty that's 1/5th of a pound from
falling apart!

See through burgers! What do they say (McDs) anyway, 1/4 lb
(small print: before cooking) patties? By the time that is flattened
to cover a bun, forget it. I have a third pound minimum rule, I
think. And I would be surprised if I got that in a restaurant, they're
usually much larger.

nancy

"Bob (this one)" wrote

Nancy Young wrote:
"Bob (this one)" wrote

Look, I am the first to admit I have a fast food burger once
in a while, I'm not ashamed. But I know full well even the *most*
basic burger I could make at home would be a world better than
what we're talking about.

Beef. Bread. What's to be better?

So ... I'll just leave it here. Bob can't make a better burger
using those two ingredients than McDonalds can. You win.

nancy

Glitter Ninja wrote:

"Nancy Young" writes:

Bun/meat ratio ... even if I used the same amount of beef as the
fast food place, I'd use less bread.

I can't imagine being able to make a patty by hand that was as small
as a fast food patty.

What a perfectly silly thing to say. All it takes is a scale. Normal
patty is 4 ounces - 4 to the pound. Some places make 5 or 6 ounce
patties. But we all know they're the spawn of the devil and responsible
for all of us being overweight.

My husband worked at a small town burger joint as a kid, and his boss
always bragged that they bought patties which were 1/10th of a pound
each,

And I bet it fooled all the gullible customers who didn't know whether
their mouths were full or not.

Figure 32% cooking weight loss. Starts as 1.6 ounces. Goes to right at 1
ounce cooked weight.

That's smaller than a White Castle burger. Nobody thinks that one is
enough. http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-B00001-01c222L.html

Here's how burgers as used by chains work out.
beef 75% lean - 25% fat, raw
3 cal/gm
16% protein

cooked
2.5 cal/gm
23% protein

weight loss:
113 to 77 gms. = 32% loss

while McD's used patties which weighed 1/12th of a pound.

Sorry. No. They don't and didn't. That's 1.33 ounces raw weight. Cook
that and it becomes 0.9 of an ounce. They use a 1/10 for the burger and
cheeseburger. 1/4 for Big Mac, etc.

I have trouble keeping a patty that's 1/5th of a pound from falling
apart!

Really? Then just smoosh it together a bit more. It's smaller than a
quarter pounder or a whopper - only 3.2 ounces. Might want to kick it up
to 1/4 of a pound - 4 ounces.

And this kind of nonsense is exactly what I was talking about.

Pastorio

On 2006-03-10, Bob (this one) wrote:

Beef. Bread. What's to be better?

Lettuce, tomato, cheese, relish, onions, condiments, etc.

Freshly cooked burgers from any of the burger places aren't dry, either.

Since the new temperature/time rules eliminating the threat of e-coli
have been instituted, burgers are cooked more done than I prefer.
Another reason why moisture contributing elements like tomatoes and
onions are more desirable than ever.

He deliberately made the patties square so
they'd stick out of the bun. Otherwise, same essential thing.

Really? I thought it was to eliminate having to reprocess trim waste.


C'mon. *All* bun and sauce...?

Yes. What else is a Quarter Pounder? Those 1-2 nasty pickle slices
I'd toss? The slivered dehydrated onions one can barely see? The
condiment stain covering maybe a third of the bun? Must be all those
sesame seeds providing that superlative burger experience.

So we're not really talking about quality, but preferences.

NO, quality. Good beef is better than poor beef. Good bread is
better than plain-jane tasteless bread. Fresh cut onion slices are
better than reconstituted onion slivers. Good condiments are better
than bottom line barely-meet-legal-definition concoctions.

Not that the
meat is of inferior quality. Nor the bread. Just how to assemble it.

Again, primarily quality. To me, McDonald's burger meat is just plain
bad tasting. It may be 100% beef, but it's not beef I care to eat or
pay money for. But yes, a burger is very much assembly. Hence, BK's
"Your Way" campaign. I can't recall a single person at a backyard bbq
or picnic ask for just a plain burger on a dry bun. I'm certain I've
never seen rehydrated onion slivers or a ketchup airbrush.

nb

On 2006-03-10, Nancy Young wrote:

So ... I'll just leave it here. Bob can't make a better burger
using those two ingredients than McDonalds can.

If he can't, it doesn't say much about his expertise as a restauranteer.

nb

"notbob" wrote

On 2006-03-10, Nancy Young wrote:

So ... I'll just leave it here. Bob can't make a better burger
using those two ingredients than McDonalds can.

If he can't, it doesn't say much about his expertise as a restauranteer.

I'd be quite surprised if he couldn't, so I don't even know what
the discussion is about.

nancy

"Bob (this one)" writes:
Glitter Ninja wrote:

I can't imagine being able to make a patty by hand that was as small
as a fast food patty.

What a perfectly silly thing to say. All it takes is a scale.

Right. I just can't do math, that's the problem.
Or is it that you responded with a whiny little complaint before you
read the whole post? Because later you comment on what I *really* said:

I have trouble keeping a patty that's 1/5th of a pound from falling
apart!

See? Just in case you didn't get that, let me break it down for you,
Sparky: It's not that I can't read a scale, it's that a small patty with
no binder or fillers often falls apart. But who can argue with your
definitive advice:

Really? Then just smoosh it together a bit more.

OH WHAT A GREAT IDEA. THANK YOU MR. AMAZING COOKING MAN.
Are you for real? You tell me to "smoosh" the meat more -- and I can
assure you that I am very skilled at smooshing meat -- and then complain
that:

And this kind of nonsense is exactly what I was talking about.

Indeed. It's nonsense like your ridiculous claim that I don't know
how to smoosh meat ("smoosh" being the scientific term) correctly that's
the real problem here.

Stacia

"Nancy Young" wrote in news:dus7nd$q00$1
@news.monmouth.com:


"Glitter Ninja" wrote

"Nancy Young" writes:

Bun/meat ratio ... even if I used the same amount of beef as the
fast food place, I'd use less bread.

I can't imagine being able to make a patty by hand that was as small
as a fast food patty.

Heh, you have a point there. Even the frozen burgers you
can get frozen in a box are thicker, aren't they?

My husband worked at a small town burger joint as
a kid, and his boss always bragged that they bought patties which were
1/10th of a pound each, while McD's used patties which weighed 1/12th
of
a pound. I have trouble keeping a patty that's 1/5th of a pound from
falling apart!

See through burgers! What do they say (McDs) anyway, 1/4 lb
(small print: before cooking) patties? By the time that is flattened
to cover a bun, forget it. I have a third pound minimum rule, I
think. And I would be surprised if I got that in a restaurant, they're
usually much larger.

nancy


Correct if me I'm wrong but I was told that wendy's added some measure of
water to the meat to make it steam cook.

At BK, where I was the burger broiler feed and collect and assemble guy,
way in my youth, the burgers were checkerboard stamped. I'd toss it on
the broiler conveyor belt and then grab a bun off the other conveyor
belt and then slap a burger into it and sit it on others of the same kind
in covered steam ovens. The worst thing you could order was the double
anythings cause most folks didn't order double burgers in my employ back
then and they'd sit there for hours, until someone ordered a double and
they grabbed one, possibly hours old, "do it your way" nuke it, and wrap
it up for you.

When I got lunch, I'd run two whopper burgers through the broiler twice
and just bun it and eat it. That's as fresh as a double burger ever
got!!!

Andy

Glitter Ninja wrote:


I can't imagine being able to make a patty by hand that was as
small as a fast food patty. My husband worked at a small town burger
joint as a kid, and his boss always bragged that they bought patties
which were 1/10th of a pound each, while McD's used patties which
weighed 1/12th of a pound. I have trouble keeping a patty that's
1/5th of a pound from falling apart!

If you seriously ever want to make one like that, place the ground beef
between sheets of plastic wrap or waxed paper and roll them out with
rolling pin.



Brian
--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)

"nimrod poindexter, idiot extraordinaire" writes:

ob
I'm "smooshing" my "meat" rite now, baybee!
/ob

What the hell kind of way to welcome Stacia back after an absence of
(according to Goolge) over four months is that? Now she's gonna think
a.r.k is still full of humorless prats who grab at the most gratuitous
Kontext-Away bait like it's Belgian chocolate, when in fact it's
mostly just me. Oh, and that DeLaney guy. And Jeremy and, look, can
I start over? Okay. What the hell kind of way to welcome Stacia back
after an absence of, oh, fukkit. Enjoy r.f.c, Ninja!

--
- Doctroid Doctroid Holmes http://www.richholmes.net/doctroid/

"But only with kibological dooomsday bombs do you get the authentic
wacky boing." -- John D Salt

Who f***in crossposted this? Dammit.