McDonald's Fries Get An In-N-Out-Style Upgrade With This Simple Hack

It's fair to wonder why McDonald's fries would ever need an In-N-Out-style upgrade. When it comes to french fries at fast food chains, those from McDonald's and In-N-Out are at different ends of the spectrum — with McDonald's in the top two in our ranked list and In-N-Out in the bottom five. This gap is even wider when it comes to how they're produced. McDonald's uses technology that feels like a sci-fi movie to make its french fries, including a chopping process that involves high-pressure water jets and a grid of cutting blades. Meanwhile, In-N-Out employees fry freshly hand-cut potatoes, with the extent of tech being an anti-foaming agent that prevents oil from splattering.

Yet, there's one not-so-secret menu item at In-N-Out that trumps the fries at McDonald's. These are the "Animal Style" fries, which are essentially french fries topped with sliced cheese, the restaurant's famous house spread, and grilled onions. Now, anyone who has indulged in a bit of comfort eating knows cheese and potatoes are a great pairing (for those who haven't, here are 10 cheesy potato recipes to drool over). And this is why there's an army of foodies out there trying to give McDonald's fries an In-N-Out upgrade.

The hack, which is popular on TikTok and YouTube, is simple. Buy a portion of french fries and empty them out on a plate. Top that with a slice or two of American cheese, a serving of Big Mac sauce, and a serving of grilled onions that you'll need to ask for on the side. If the staff at McDonald's refuse to grill onions for your DIY Animal Style fries, you can just ask for diced onions instead. Grab a fork and dig in.

This DIY trick is a close enough approximation of In-N-Out's Animal Style fries, though they'll never be exactly the same for two reasons. The first is the two sauces, which are made with different ingredients. In-N-Out's spread (which is what it calls its in-house sauce) is made using mayonnaise, ketchup, and relish. The ingredient list for the Big Mac sauce, on the other hand, includes mustard and vinegar, but no ketchup. While the consistency of both sauces is similar, there is a significant difference in taste.

The second reason the upgraded version won't taste the same is a missing step in the preparation process. It's a key step that takes time, adds oomph to the dish, and really annoys the staff at In-N-Out. According to posts on Reddit, many employees hate preparing Animal Style fries because it's really painful to put together. After topping the fries with cheese and spread, employees need to steam the fries for 40 seconds to melt the cheese, and then wait for freshly grilled onions. The only way you'll get melted cheese on the DIY McDonald's variation is if the fries just came out of the fryer or it's a hot day and you stand in the sun for a really long time.

If cheese and sauce on fries aren't your thing, there is also a simple trick to upgrade your In-N-Out fries. For the crispiest fries at the legendary West Coast chain, all you need to do is order them "well done" — this simple tip will ensure you won't get handed a portion of the pale, limp french fries the internet loves to hate on.