Questions answered
There are 57 questions about “Food preparation” in the “How do you operate?” topic.
Click on a question to read our answer.
- 16. ive also noticed that although you say the meat is 100 percent beef why is there always more fat than meat in burgers?and why are mac d's ppl who cook our food not actually trained chefs? which then leads me to think what do they do to my food?do they all have food hygiene qualifications?if not that is just wrong for so many reasons OMG
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The beef patties McDonald’s use are the core ingredient in the beef burgers, and are made of 100 percent beef, prepared from whole cuts of forequarter and flank (similar to the mince you'd buy in the supermarket). Granted there are other ingredients that make up the burgers, such as the buns and sauces, and these ingredients are accountable for some of the fat within the burgers, however it is simply untrue that fat makes up the primary content of the burgers. For example a McDonald’s Hamburger only has 12g of fat. With regards to McDonald’s staff, all crew members receive hygiene training when they start work, and this continues throughout their employment with the company. Restaurant staff that are handling or preparing food must wash their hands at least every 30 minutes. Food hygiene is of utmost importance to McDonald’s, and the company would like to assure you that every measure is taken to ensure that the food is prepared to a high standard.
(October 2008)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 17. Hi McModerator, Are the chickens used in McChicken products battery or free range? Is it true they have to dress as clowns? Are the cows really taught to moo, im lovin it, song? Also is it true your salads are deep fat fried? In a ideal world i would, get a Zinger Tower Burger from KFC, Chips from Mcdonalds and a Milkshake from Burger King. Can you start selling this please, saves me driving a 40 mile round trip for dinner.
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The chickens used for meat (called broilers) are not free-range, but they are reared under conditions that meet high standards, monitored by the Assured Chicken Production regulations. The British Poultry Council also sets high standards for chicken welfare, which is monitored through a set of regulations called Assured Chicken Production (ACP). All suppliers that work with McDonald's must adhere to these standards and procedures as well as McDonald's own strict protocols. You may be interested to know that McDonald's is constantly monitoring the situation with regard to the use and availability of free range meat. Meanwhile McDonald’s beef cattle are perfectly normal European breeds, either from pure breeds or a combination of cross breeds, and thus behave in the normal manner one would expect from a cow. Finally it is untrue that McDonald's salads are deep fat fried. The salad leaves are pre-packed in bags and bought in to use as a base for the salads, then washed and rinsed in clean running water several times to remove any traces soil. To add additional cleanliness to the water, a natural fruit extract is added. Depending on the salad you choose from the menu the cheese, bacon, tomatoes, chicken or other ingredients are added in the McDonald's kitchen to make up each individual salad. As a result, each salad is freshly prepared. If you would like to know what is currently available on the McDonald’s menu, please visit the ‘Eat Smart’ section of www.mcdonalds.co.uk.
(July 2008)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 18. fillet of fish meal what temp should it be served at how long is shelf life should it be served as a reheated product i am willing to wait if a FRESH meal can be served is that an option you can receive
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All McDonald’s food should be served to you hot and fresh. It is difficult to estimate the exact temperature as this can vary slightly with each product. However, what can be said is that you should never receive cold food, nor should any food be reheated in restaurants. If you would like your meal cooked to order then please make the restaurant manager or crew member aware and a fresh order will be prepared for you.
(August 2008)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 19. hi do you fry your fries seprate from meat products and also the fillet o fish is it fried with burgers or seprately? as i heard you mix all meat and no meat product oil together. to be fried.
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The French Fries, Veggie Deluxe, Apple Pies, chicken products and Filet-o-Fish are all cooked in dedicated cooking fryers, using a new non-hydrogenated blend of sunflower and rapeseed oil which is suitable for vegetarians. All non-meat items are handled using dedicated utensils so that they don't come into any contact with meat menu items.
(August 2008)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 20. Do you use free range chicken? What quality of chicken and beef particulary you use? What is the process to prepare hamburgers after you buy the meat? How do you cook your french fries,what type of oil and temperature? How can you cook a hamburger at only 70 degrees centigrade?
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Firstly McDonald's apologises unreservedly for the late reply to your question. There were some technical problems which caused some questions to slip through.
Regarding your question; Phew! There's alot there to talk about so let's get to it. All the eggs used by McDonald's for its products are free-range. However, the chickens used for meat are not free-range, but they are reared under conditions that meet high standards monitored by the Assured Chicken Production regulations and are slaughtered using the most humane techniques. Skilled butchers prepare the beef just as they would in a butcher's shop, taking care to trim the meat to McDonald's standards before it is delivered to the company that makes the hamburger patties. Nothing else is added and there are no binders, no fillers or additives. The meat is simply minced, shaped into patties, frozen immediately and packed ready for distribution. Thorough quality checks are made on every batch and bespoke two-sided hotplates are used to cook hamburgers, so no extra fat is added during cooking. Finally the hamburgers are seasoned with a pinch of salt and pepper. The French Fries are cooked from frozen potato (British, various varieties) in new non-hydrogenated cooking oil which has seen a dramatic reduction in the levels of Trans Fatty Acids. The new oil which is a blend of sunflower and rapeseed has been developed without raising the saturated fat content or altering the taste. The fries are cooked for approximately three minutes and at a temperature of 168 degrees. In answer to your final question, the grills used for cooking the hamburgers reach temperatures 177 degrees on the lower surface and 218 degrees on the top plates.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 21. Why is it that in the UK and the USA you still use "hot cabinets" whereas in New Zealand the burgers are cooked on demand when you order them, why can't all McDonalds make their food to order?
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Thank you for your question and sorry for the slow response - unfortunately your question seems to have slipped through the records. McDonald's is currently looking at ways that the system employed in New Zealand can be used in the UK whilst still ensuring quick service times to meet demand levels over here. About 75% of McDonald's UK food is now cooked to order.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 22. I see constant references to a 'pinch of salt and pepper' being added. What is this amount? How is this measured?
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Thank you for your question and sorry for the slow response - unfortunately your question seems to have slipped through the records. The salt and pepper used to flavour the burgers are added using a dispenser similar to a salt cellar. However, the easiest explanation of the amount added is a 'pinch' of each: specifically, the equivalent of the amount that can be held between the thumb and forefinger.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 23. I am a veggie and I would like to know if you cook your veggie burgers on the same pans etc as your meat burgers? Surely if you do thus, they are deemed no longer veggie?
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All vegetarian menu items, including the Veggie patties, are cooked in separate vats and handled with dedicated utensils so that they don't come into any contact with meat menu items. It might interest you to know that McDonald's is waiting for formal approval from the Vegetarian Society to confirm that all vegetarian menu items comply with its strict criteria. The company expects this approval in the near future. (August 2007)
FEBRUARY '08 UPDATE: McDonald’s UK now do not use any hydrogenated oil in any food items across the entire menu.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 24. do you mix all the oil that you use at the end of the day.
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The French Fries, Veggie Deluxe, Apple Pies and Filet-o-Fish are cooked in a new blend of non-hydrogenated oil derived from sunflower and rapeseed oil using dedicated cooking fryers. These fryers are exclusively for the purpose of cooking a specific product and that product alone. When it comes to filtering oil, McDonald’s has two different types of filtering processes - although the company does not maintain a central record of the processes used in each restaurant. One process is self-filtering where oil will not be mixed from one fryer to another. The second filtering process uses the same unit across all fryers but the fryers are filtered in a specific order. So the French Fries fryer is filtered first, followed by the Veggie Deluxe fryer, the Apple Pies fryer, the chicken fryer and then the Filet-o-Fish fryer. The machine is thoroughly cleaned after every filtering session. (May 2007)
FEBRUARY '08 UPDATE: McDonald’s UK now do not use any hydrogenated oil in any food items across the entire menu
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 25. I travel a lot on business, and was upset to find that McDonalds overseas often fry their french fries in oil containing beef dripping. Why do you not consider vegetarians in other locations - it means I cannot eat at your overseas sites.
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This website has been set-up to deal with questions regarding the UK and therefore cannot comment on McDonald's in other countries. You can visit www.mcdonalds.com for more information regarding this subject.
McDonald's UK now uses a new non-hydrogenated, GM free cooking oil. This reduces the levels of Trans Fatty Acids (TFAs) to their lowest possible levels - less than two percent (naturally occurring TFAs make it impossible to reach zero percent). The oil (a blend of sunflower and rapeseed) has been carefully developed to ensure it does not raise saturated fat content, or change the taste.
FEBRUARY '08 UPDATE: McDonald’s UK now do not use any hydrogenated oil in any food items across the entire menu
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 26. Are your apple pies suitable for vegetarian and are they cooked in the same oil as your burgers
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Yes, the Apple Pies are suitable for vegetarians. With regard to the cooking process, the Apple Pies are cooked in a new non-hydrogenated blend of sunflower and rapeseed oil in separate cooking fryers.
(August 2007)
FEBRUARY '08 UPDATE: McDonald’s UK now do not use any hydrogenated oil in any food items across the entire menu
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 27. why is the apple filling alwys boiling hot, when the outside isnt tht hot. it always rsults in me burning my mouth!! :(
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Sorry to hear of your unfortunate incident. During cooking, the pie filling reaches higher temperatures than the outside. After cooking the pie is left to cool for ten minutes to ensure that the filling is not too hot to eat. The pies can then be stored in a heated cabinet for up to 80 minutes to keep the pie and its filling warm. McDonald's reminds customers that the filling can be hot with a caution on the packaging.
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 28. I often purchase large meals but only the fries and drinks are any bigger. Why is this?
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Thank you for your question and sorry for our slow response - unfortunately your question seems to have slipped down our records. Original research into the possibility of introducing Large Extra Value Meals revealed that more French Fries and a bigger beverage were the main priority for customers, while the burger size was enough.
(June 2007)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 29. I hear from my brother who works at mcdonalds that you deep frie your meat patties
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Your brother should know that the beef patties in
McDonald's hamburgers are cooked without added fat or oil, between hot plates that supply heat from both sides - a similar cooking process to the grilling machines sold in kitchenware stores. An automatic timer is used to make sure each burger is cooked for the right amount of time.
(September 2007)
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What are these? Delicious Digg Reddit Facebook StumbleUpon - 30. ive heard that its considered fun by your empoyees to make sure a burger hits the floor at least once before serving it to a customer is this true?
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No. Any food that is being prepared and is dropped on the floor in any McDonald's restaurant is immediately thrown away. All restaurant staff receives hygiene training when they start work. This training, plus awareness of the importance of hygiene, continues throughout their employment with McDonald's. Managers and staff are extremely vigilant when food is being prepared. McDonald's is not aware of any staff behaving in an inappropriate manner towards food and any staff caught behaving in this way would be disciplined accordingly.
(August 2007)
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