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Eighties kids like me remember the halcyon days of McDonald’s. In our Happy Meals, we had awesome toys like McNugget Buddies and there were McDonaldland Cookies in colorful boxes of their own. But for budding gourmets, the best thing was easily the french fries.
Younger fast food fans might protest that the fries at McDonald’s are still pretty awesome. After all, they got a perfect score and came in at #2 when we evaluated the 12 best fast food fries, behind only Wendy’s new-and-improved version. Made from a mix of Russet Burbank, Russet Ranger, Umatilla Russet, and Shepody potatoes, they’re fried in vegetable oil until crisp outside and fluffy inside.
But those of us who ate McDonald’s fries before 1990 know the truth: It’s all been downhill since then. In my early childhood memories, McDonald’s fries were not only unerringly hot, they broke between my teeth with the snap of bruléed sugar, and were lovably beefy. Yes, beefy. That’s because right at the dawn of the ‘90s, the brand finally caved in to pressure to do away with beef tallow as its frying medium and switched to pure vegetable oil.
Steak ‘N Shake Is Making Beef Tallow Fries
But the tides might be turning once again. Earlier this year, Steak ‘N Shake announced that it would be switching to 100% beef tallow to fry not only its french fries, but also its onion rings and chicken tenders. Currently, Steak ‘N Shake admits that its fries come to its kitchens par-fried in vegetable oil. The goal is to change that, making the fries all-tallow all the time. In fact, Steak ‘N Shake aims to completely eliminate seed oils from the menu, and the brand says that’s just beginning.
On April 2, all 400-plus Steak ‘N Shake stores will also switch to real butter from the “buttery blend” that appears on some burgers and sandwiches. Buns will transform over time to cut out oil, too. But the fries? I had to try them.
My Review of Steak ‘N Shake‘s New Beef Tallow Fries
At a Columbia, Missouri location of the chain, I recently ordered my very first Steak ‘N Shake meal. I was impressed with my Bacon ‘N Cheese Double Steakburger and its hearty mouthfuls of salty bacon and fatty beef, but the star of the show was the pile of fries on the side.
Thinner than McDonald’s fries, every bit of surface area was evenly crisped. And the centers? Like slightly meaty butter. I’d been chasing this type of flavor for years as a restaurant critic, preferring my fries cooked in animal fat whenever I could get. My favorites include everything from the famous poutine with fries twice-cooked in the titular bath at Duckfat in Portland, Maine to the beef tallow fries at B-Side in Fairfax, Virginia. Needless to say, I’m glad that the trend is now finding a home in fast food restaurants around the country.
Is it healthier? I’ll leave that up to the experts to debate. For now, I’ll be saving my Fry-days for Steak ‘N Shake, and any other chains that follow suit.
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