Only One State Ranks Waffle Fries As Its Favorite Style Of Fry

Americans love their fries, but that universal agreement disappears pretty quickly once you start asking about different shapes. As the eternal companion of our national food, the hamburger, fries are among the most popular foods in the U.S., with a YouGov survey showing 86% of Americans like them. That's tied for first place with burgers, and ahead of fried chicken, steak, and apple pie. In fact, we love fries so much that almost 40% of all potatoes grown in the U.S. are turned into them, mostly as frozen french fries. But one of the biggest decisions to be made happens right before a potato becomes a fry. What shape do you cut them into? If you ask people across the country, most of them will tell you the classic straight fry is the way to go. A few people prefer a fun curly fry, but according to a new report, only Colorado would choose the waffle fry.

That's right, when given a choice between seven popular french fry styles, only the people of the Rockies picked waffle as their number one. The survey of 5,000 Americans asked people from every state which style of fry is their favorite, with a choice of "straight-and-seasoned," shoestring, waffle, crinkle cut, curly, potato wedges, and steak fries.

It may not be a surprise, but the classic fast-food fries were crowned the favorite type of french fry in a whopping 28 out of 50 states. The biggest lover of this classic shape was North Dakota, with 55% of respondents there preferring that style. Taking a surprise second was shoestring fries, which were the favorite in 10 states, including Hawaii, New York, Michigan, and Texas. Curly fries followed with fans in seven states, mostly in the center of the country, while crinkle-cut fries were number one in four states and waffle fries had a lone victory in Colorado. But you may notice two names missing. That's because potato wedges and steak fries didn't win any states. It turns out being nice and crispy is another thing Americans agree on when it comes to french fries.

Waffle fries are often just as crispy as any straight or shoestring fry, so why the lack of appreciation? It could just be that the complication of making them means they aren't as popular at restaurants, although it actually isn't too hard to cut potatoes for waffle fries at home. Or maybe it's that waffle fries are still a relatively new creation compared to classic fry forms, having only been invented in 1979. It's hard to imagine the waffle fry toppling the classic straight fry from the top of the rankings, but maybe they can surpass their curly and crinkle competitors on the next survey.