fivefeettall

French Fry ReDesign

Big news in the world of potatoes, Wendy's has switched their fries to a new "natural-cut" fry.

I may not eat meat, but their was a day, and I'm sure there will be again in the future, when this vegetarian was ALL about the hamburger. And while I may have been a burger snob, I could still devour fast food with the best of them. There was no chain loyalty here—I give each chain credit for its own strengths.

Wendy: Wins for variety. Good side salads, chicken nuggets, baked potatoes, and the ever cherished jr. bacon cheeseburger. And all on the value menu.
McDonalds: Has always dominated the french fry war. I'm also a fan of the Big Mac, solely for the "secret sauce" and it's ability to satisfy a shredded lettuce craving. Was actually contemplating today that this sandwich may be just as good without the greasy "meat" patties.
Burger King: Gets points for tasting the most like real food. I attribute this to the charbroiling and the fresher, fatter slices of tomato and lettuce on their sandwiches.
Arby's: Totally different class of fast food.

Anyway, I digress, this post is about fries. As I left the Wendy's drive-thru, the smell wafting from the bag was much less greasy than usual, and it was all I could do to keep from breaking my food-free-new-car rule.

I'm not sure if they are marketing this as a healthier option (and this post here would refute any such claim) but the transparent, grease stained state of the fry bag would make me a health skeptic. But I'm going to confirm Wendys' claim that this is a fry upgrade, based on taste. These fries taste like potatoes (!) and not like a decade worth of deep-fryer oil build-up.

Wendy's as a corporation could probably save a lot of money by cutting back the amount of sea salt they use on their new fries by 30%. I'd heard other people say the salt was overkill, and that they were shaking it off. More evidence that this is not a healthy menu option.

Healthy or not, I approve of the new "natural-cut" fries (though I refuse to say that without the air quotes). Whether or not they are now beating McDonald's in the french fry category.... maybe.

(I so want to say 'Yes', but think it may call for a side-by-side comparison. To be continued.....)