For The Crispiest In-N-Out Fries, Try Ordering Them Like This

If you consider "controversial" fast food menu items to be a thing that actually exist, In-N-Out's fries would be near the top of that list. The California burger chain is normally a legend in the fast food realm, and that's not just coastal bias. In-N-Out consistently ranks at (or at least, near) the top for customer satisfaction among large burger chains, with one of its main competitor being another regional favorite: Culver's. And customers feel the same way, with Yelp dubbing In-N-Out as the top fast food burger chain in the country. But the fries ... people have opinions about the fries. While not universally hated, its fries are consistently called some of the worst french fries in fast food. It doesn't have to be that way, though, because you can order In-N-Out fries well done.

The big problem with In-N-Out fries, for the many people who don't like them, is that they are pale and sometimes even limp. Despite being a similar thin-cut style to McDonald's beloved fry, In-N-Out's fries often lack a crispy texture to start, which means they get downright soggy as they sit out. But that is mostly a result of how they're cooked. As part of In-N-Out's secret menu, the chain lets you order your fries "well done," which means they stay in the fryer a little bit longer, and get much more crispy on the outside. It can sometimes mean they get overcooked and a little too dry, but for many that's better than dealing with mushy fries.

While some In-N-Out fans certainly prefer the standard order of fries, online there is a lot of support for ordering them well done. A Reddit thread that's aptly titled "Well done fries are the goat," features fans touting them as the best. One customer says, "I didn't like In-N-Out fries until I started getting them well done, now I have to get them every time." Another adds "[I'd] WAY rather have well done crispers than normal fries." Of course one commenter does note the risk you take, saying "Nah I got them well done last time and they were rock hard. I won't get them that way again." However there is a potential solution to that, as well. 

Many Reddit commenters in the thread advocate for an even more specific fry order: light well. Although this is getting into fry-cooking minutiae, and isn't something noted on many lists of In-N-Out's secret menu, some fans swear that ordering fries "light well" lands them in the perfect spot where they are crispier than normal, but not dry and too crunchy. One commenter on Reddit urges, "You want light well. They'll be crisp on the outside with a fluffier inside." Another says, "Light Well. Period. Well done is second best but light well is perfect." That may be getting too strangely specific for some people, but if you want your In-N-Out meal to be the best it possibly can, it's going to take a little custom ordering no matter what.