The McDonald's Breakfast Item That's Filled With Microwaved Eggs

After it was dogged with rumors that it used fake eggs, McDonald's put a lot of effort into assuring customers that every Egg McMuffin is made with a freshly cracked egg. But that's not the only egg item that McDonald's has on the menu. — and McDonald's Sausage Burritos are not made the same way. Those eggs are prepared off-site and then reheated in the microwave at the restaurant. According to McDonald's, whether your eggs are microwaved or grilled before serving depends on which type of egg you're ordering. 

McDonald's is pretty open about how it uses eggs, and you can even learn about the company that supplies McDonald's eggs if you want. It serves them in four forms. The round eggs are the fresh ones used in what was ranked as the best McDonald's breakfast item: the Egg McMuffin. Scrambled eggs are cooked on the grill from liquid eggs, not freshly cracked ones. Folded eggs look similar to scrambled eggs and are on items like the Steak, Egg, and Cheese Bagel. These are also made from liquid eggs, but they're prepared by McDonald's supplier and shipped frozen to the restaurant, where they are reheated on the grill.

It's only the egg, sausage, and vegetable mix that goes on sausage burritos that is reheated in the microwave at a restaurant. The eggs, combined with sausage pieces, tomatoes, onions, green chilies, and seasonings, are cooked and then flash-frozen at the supplier. At the restaurant, employees will typically pre-make burritos with the thawed mix and then microwave them to order.

McDonald's Sausage Burritos are made in large quantities during the day's prep. They place a slice of cheese and a portion of the premade burrito mix on a tortilla, then roll, wrap, and place it in a holding tray. That's why you usually can't get a customized version of a burrito with extra sausage or a hash brown included. Customizing your burrito is likely to only happen if the restaurant isn't busy, or you're lucky enough to catch them preparing a fresh batch. 

The restaurant typically makes dozens of burritos ahead of time and then microwaves them as they are needed. This sometimes leads to quality issues noticed by diners, like when the paper wrapper sticks to the tortilla because they have been microwaved together or held too long. That can result in a soggy burrito, which is one of the reasons Tasting Table labeled it as an item to avoid ordering at McDonald's.

McDonald's opts for flash-frozen ingredients as a way to maintain quality and consistency. Per the chain's FAQ page, it helps the sausage, tomato, onion, green chili, and seasoning mixture "maintain its taste." It also cuts down on any chance of one location making its burritos in a way that is significantly different from another's.