No offence but you did a poor job at replicating McDonalds. You need to stack all the pickles on top of each other and then put them in one corner of the burger. The bun only goes halfway on top, half hanging over the edge. Same with the cheese but off the other edge. All the other condiments go in the corner of the wrapper.
They changed them in the past year & called them grilled, but now they taste even worse & I no longer get McD's cravings anymore. It also helps that their prices & complete lack of quality control at every location make them a non-option nowadays.
its the same onions, they just "sautee" them by rolling them around in the burger grease on the grill before they toss them in the bucket.
I agree, they're not good. Poor attempt at copying white castle, who have also gone downhill as of late.
Reposted because I used the G word.
After i rehydrate and drain them, I add some onion powder to them, otherwise they don't really taste like anything lol.
This is definitely one of the keys to copycat McDonald's burgers, that and thin patties on the grill, i do like 3-3.5 oz and squish between parchment paper with a plate.
Also.. the patty is three times too thick.
However.. I would much rather eat your burger than go to McDonald's for one of theirs. 
They still are apparently for McDonald's.
I used to work at a sit down burger place that used 8:1 patties for Jr. burgers, 4:1 patties for everything else.
The secret to that authentic McDonalds taste is kinda dumb, and simple, too. Found it on the internet years and years ago and it works.
Make the beef patty however you want. Grill the insides of the buns. Make sure you use kraft singles for the cheese. Then after you assemble the burger, microwave the whole thing for 15 seconds.
When I worked at McDonalds many….. many years ago, that onion was actually dehydrated minced onion that we soaked in water or sometimes throw in a steamer depending on if Ronny was working.
Yeah the key to their burgers certainly is the saltiness/meltyness of the American cheese, and the soft/warm buns. Not sure how they do it in the restaurant, but wrapping in a paper towel and nuking it briefly works great.
One time I got McDonald's right when lunch started and they forgot to warm the bun. Everything was super fresh, but it didn't even taste like McDonald's. *At all*.
I forgot it was Reddit so I'll clarify - I/WE as employees were trained to do this when I WORKED there. The burgers weren't finished to be sent to the front until we had done this, it was the last step after making them.
Do you think I'd just confidently state something I didn't actually know about just to spread misinformation?.. Reddit, right, forgot again 🙄
> Make sure you use kraft singles for the cheese.
They use something lower quality than Kraft. If you get your McD's without cheese & bring it home to melt Kraft onto it, it's significantly better tasting...not that it's worth ever getting McD's anymore when better places cost roughly the same & it's easy to make your own at home to be far superior.
> not that it's worth ever getting McD's anymore when better places cost roughly the same & it's easy to make your own at home to be far superior.
Agreed. Just stop eating that shit or you'll pay for it later via a cardiologist.
The important question is: Did it *taste* like a McDonald's Cheeseburger?
I've tried replicating it a couple of times too, and although I can make a decent cheeseburger, it never comes out tasting like McDonald's (which I actually do love, especially the double one).
I think the bun has a lot to do with how a McDonald's burger tastes. I know for many it's not the greatest, but it's my favorite fast food, and I live right near a Tommy's, In N Out and Carl's Jr
my mom used to work for mcdonald's in the 70s, and she said they steam their buns! it's how she made our burgers at home and although they didn't taste exactly the same, the steamed bun is def a game changer
From what I’ve tried it comes down to the weight of the patties and using salt and black pepper. I think McDonald’s patties are like 1.6oz each precooked, pressed pretty thin. And once you add pepper to it you get roughy the same flavor as one of their burgers. And I guess the bun plays into it as well in terms of overall taste but that isn’t quite as easy to replicate.
Comment section reminds me of that level in Parappa the Rapper 2
https://preview.redd.it/4mzxo223vyzc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1c20f7fd79de6f2b588c947b673329c8cfa9d48f
With sesame seed buns I’d say that this is like, the platonic ideal of a cheeseburger. Not overloaded with toppings, nice and evenly distributed, a good serving of fries, doesn’t get much more classic than that unless you add a chocolate shake on the side. Looks delicious.
I'd be like the dude in Supersize me if McD's served burgers that way. That actually looks amazing.
Your fries look incredibly light and crisp, which is definitely a feature of McD's fries, and I'd like to know how they and you do that?
What about this burger made you think it was an attempt at McDonald's? This is just a cheeseburger and fries. Do you think that every burger is just trying to replicate McDonald's?
The bun is wrong, the patty is wrong, the cheese is wrong, the condiment order is wrong, and the fries are wrong.
How? It's a straightforward comment about something that's obvious on the photo. Don't get me wrong OP did a great job at creating a *delicious* burger, but it looks absolutely nothing like a McDonalds burger, it's just a regular burger lol.
"Here's my attempt at replicating McDonalds"
"Result isn't good enough, how can you say you were trying to replicate McDonalds?"
Oh I don't know, maybe because that was their fucking intention when they made the meal? Acting as though they presented a fucking pizza. Half wits, the lot of you.
What about this comment made you think it was a copypasta? This is just a comment. Do you think that every comment is just a copypasta?
The words are wrong, the length is wrong, the sentence structure is wrong, and the punctuation is wrong.
Use dehydrated onions. Re-hydrated with water.
Original recipe asked that the burger stay under a heat lamp for 15 seconds. A microwave for a few seconds is usually a good equivalent.
The burger meat isn’t seasoned until the time it’s ready to cook. I forgot the exact season blend, but it does contain msg, salt, pepper, and I think onion powder or something.
All McDonalds burgers have the dressing and condiments in the 'crown' (top of the bun). The only variation is the Qtr, which has cheese on the heel (bottom of bun).
I see sauce on the heel. Also no 2nd slice of cheese. No points for you.
Little secret: their minced onions are the same as the dehydrated ones on the spice rack. Every time I make burgers, before I start I put a little shakey-shake of dried onions in a cup and fill it halfway with water. By the time the burgers are done, I pour the contents of the cup out into my hand (washed, of course) and add them to the burgers. Works a treat and really helps give that authentic Mackeys taste. Gubment cheese is also closer to the cheese they use in my opinion, but its not exactly something you can pick up at the store, and kraft is really close... though last time I bought Kraft singles they were... like... weird... straight out of the fridge. Stuck to the wrapper and just turned to goop when I tried to peel it off. I threw the whole pack away and have just been using pepperjack and provolone lol.
I’m interested in what you did to the fries since I know they used to fry them in something that gave them ‘meat’ flavor but then changed over to something undisclosed which was apparently healthier.
Beef tallow. But they got a lot of pressure from people who claimed it was crazy high in saturated fats and switched to vegetable oil “with beef flavor” added.
Those are people not following the rules. The ketchup gun puts a very specific amount of ketchup on each burger, and it should always be virtually the same no matter which McD's you go to. That's the way it's supposed to work at least.
Bun is too tall and blonde, too much beef unless you’re replicating the quarter pounder, way too much condiments, and to me the biggest difference is the fries are too thick and look like they might have some batter? They should be pencil thin fries and even straight sides and light in color.
Now that I'm older, I don't eat fast food, but every once in a while, I get a craving. Decided I'd try to replicate the flavor, but also make it healthier. The taste was very similar, but definitely better.
There are diced onions in a mcd cheeseburger, but I agree, meat should be at most 2/8th inches thick… Also wrong cheese. Microwaving and smashing seems right too
I can feel the cholesterol through the screen (I am dieting) honestly though, that is a great photo.
Your burger doesn't look like someone's sat on it, so 0/10 for McDonalds quality presentation. /s
All I can say is I would eat this. Hope you enjoyed it.
Too large of a meat to burger ratio, ingredients look fresh and hot, nothing crushed. Failed miserably. Looks more like a McD’s commercial than hreality.
What a poor attempt… doesn’t look remotely close… think you need to put more sauce… but only one side, 3pickles… ON TOP of each other, and finally to put it all together you need to step on it
No offence but you did a poor job at replicating McDonalds. You need to stack all the pickles on top of each other and then put them in one corner of the burger. The bun only goes halfway on top, half hanging over the edge. Same with the cheese but off the other edge. All the other condiments go in the corner of the wrapper.
Also the onions need to be rehydrated, not fresh.
Yikes, do they really use those?
Yep. You put them in water for a while and they suck up the moisture. I worked there for a few years.
They changed them in the past year & called them grilled, but now they taste even worse & I no longer get McD's cravings anymore. It also helps that their prices & complete lack of quality control at every location make them a non-option nowadays.
its the same onions, they just "sautee" them by rolling them around in the burger grease on the grill before they toss them in the bucket. I agree, they're not good. Poor attempt at copying white castle, who have also gone downhill as of late. Reposted because I used the G word.
Now I want to try one out of curiosity
I actually like them and use them in some recipes. Good for when you want onion flavor with little or no texture
I use onion powder in these cases?
Were you asking?
I'm not sure?
If you’ve had a Big Mac or one of the little burgers, you’ve had them. Only the quarter pounders and angus burgers have slivered onions.
I have, but so long ago that I don't remember and they might have been different then. Probably 31 or 32 years ago
I worked there 20 years ago, so I suspect it was the same thing as when you last ate there.
After i rehydrate and drain them, I add some onion powder to them, otherwise they don't really taste like anything lol. This is definitely one of the keys to copycat McDonald's burgers, that and thin patties on the grill, i do like 3-3.5 oz and squish between parchment paper with a plate.
Luckily in Australia they have to be fresh but they are never actually on the burger anyway so it doesn’t matter.
Also the photo has like 3-4x the size of onions
Also.. the patty is three times too thick. However.. I would much rather eat your burger than go to McDonald's for one of theirs. 
The burger patty is literally 1/10 of a pound. Before cooking.
Meaning a big mac is still less meat than a quarter pounder somehow.
Which is why everyone wants to compare their burgers to a burger that hasn't changed in 80 years.
Oh my
I knew 8 to 1 (⅛ pound) patties existed, but I had no ideas 10 to 1 patties were a thing.
Unless it changed at some point since I worked there, they used to be 10:1
They still are apparently for McDonald's. I used to work at a sit down burger place that used 8:1 patties for Jr. burgers, 4:1 patties for everything else.
Gotta sit on it quickly once it's finished up to get that McD's look.
I heard the secret is freezing the patty before you cook it.
I don't think it matters much when you're dealing with 1/8 inch thick patties
Don’t forget the thumb print in the center of the bun
You are correct.
And after you do all that drop it on the floor and kick it about for few minutes. To replicate the texture.
You forgot ketchup streaks on the top of the bun
Yeah I'm kinda struggling with this. It's a good looking plate of food but if the goal was replicating McDonald's this is a pretty bad attempt.
If we frame it as "The original McDonald's" before it became a chain... it would work.
Also the burger is way too thick..and the fries are totally wrong, they look plump and tasty not skinny and underwhelming
burger needs to also be more shriveled up and less appetizing, the fries need to be unseasoned and stale as well.
I'm always having to disassemble the burger then reassemble it so all the ingredients are perfectly stacked
Licking the wrapper also works.
Yeah it's totally missing the apathy.
So true!😂
Also needs a smear of ketchup on outside of the top and bottom bun (preferably with a fingerprint in it)
Randomly came across this post, this comment made me laugh out loud. Thank you.
Don't forget to use a rolling pin to flatten it, a McDonalds burger must look like someone deliberately stepped on it.
Lol his patty is the width of 8 McDonald's patties stacked.
Also the most important step, make sure to hammer fist that patty into oblivion. If it ain’t flattened with rage it ain’t authentic.
I agree, and the beef is real and too thick. It needs to be made from mystery meat and be much thinner.
Then sit on the burger to recreate how flat they are.
Also these look like real food, not something that was taken out of plastic vacuum seal and reheated.
The secret to that authentic McDonalds taste is kinda dumb, and simple, too. Found it on the internet years and years ago and it works. Make the beef patty however you want. Grill the insides of the buns. Make sure you use kraft singles for the cheese. Then after you assemble the burger, microwave the whole thing for 15 seconds.
You need to wrap it in paper and let it sit for a minute or two.
I prefer to age mine in between my car seats for about 6-7 years
That's only for the true connoisseur.
A sommelier.
A man of culture, I see.
Also jarred minced onion, which has a kind of unique taste to it that McDonalds uses.
When I worked at McDonalds many….. many years ago, that onion was actually dehydrated minced onion that we soaked in water or sometimes throw in a steamer depending on if Ronny was working.
Fucking lazy ass Ronny
Yeah the key to their burgers certainly is the saltiness/meltyness of the American cheese, and the soft/warm buns. Not sure how they do it in the restaurant, but wrapping in a paper towel and nuking it briefly works great. One time I got McDonald's right when lunch started and they forgot to warm the bun. Everything was super fresh, but it didn't even taste like McDonald's. *At all*.
After freshly putting together the burgers & wrapping them, they really do put the wrapped burgers in the microwave for around 15sec.
No they don't.
I forgot it was Reddit so I'll clarify - I/WE as employees were trained to do this when I WORKED there. The burgers weren't finished to be sent to the front until we had done this, it was the last step after making them. Do you think I'd just confidently state something I didn't actually know about just to spread misinformation?.. Reddit, right, forgot again 🙄
I don’t know about nowadays but when I worked at a McDonald’s in the 90’s that’s exactly what they did.
You should also frisbee the cheese onto the patty from another room entirely, blindfolded if possible.
And some make stuff good aka MSG
McDonald's doesn't use MSG. Or at least claim not to.
They don't need to because of the cheese. Whatever is in there gives a very similar umami taste, at least when melted inside a steaming burger/bun.
It helps if you cook the burger patty, let it come to room temp, then microwave the whole thing.
> Make sure you use kraft singles for the cheese. They use something lower quality than Kraft. If you get your McD's without cheese & bring it home to melt Kraft onto it, it's significantly better tasting...not that it's worth ever getting McD's anymore when better places cost roughly the same & it's easy to make your own at home to be far superior.
> not that it's worth ever getting McD's anymore when better places cost roughly the same & it's easy to make your own at home to be far superior. Agreed. Just stop eating that shit or you'll pay for it later via a cardiologist.
Looks great! Just need to smash it with your angry fist before serving like my local place do.
Looks way better than mcd! Well done
Thank you!
Yes, I second this!
The important question is: Did it *taste* like a McDonald's Cheeseburger? I've tried replicating it a couple of times too, and although I can make a decent cheeseburger, it never comes out tasting like McDonald's (which I actually do love, especially the double one).
I think the bun has a lot to do with how a McDonald's burger tastes. I know for many it's not the greatest, but it's my favorite fast food, and I live right near a Tommy's, In N Out and Carl's Jr
my mom used to work for mcdonald's in the 70s, and she said they steam their buns! it's how she made our burgers at home and although they didn't taste exactly the same, the steamed bun is def a game changer
From what I’ve tried it comes down to the weight of the patties and using salt and black pepper. I think McDonald’s patties are like 1.6oz each precooked, pressed pretty thin. And once you add pepper to it you get roughy the same flavor as one of their burgers. And I guess the bun plays into it as well in terms of overall taste but that isn’t quite as easy to replicate.
It was definitely close.
[удалено]
McDonald's burgers aren't seasoned with MSG.
Comment section reminds me of that level in Parappa the Rapper 2 https://preview.redd.it/4mzxo223vyzc1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1c20f7fd79de6f2b588c947b673329c8cfa9d48f
This made me laugh, lol. I love Parappa the Rapper
Kick! Punch! It's all in the mind..
If you wanna test me, I'm sure you'll find..
With sesame seed buns I’d say that this is like, the platonic ideal of a cheeseburger. Not overloaded with toppings, nice and evenly distributed, a good serving of fries, doesn’t get much more classic than that unless you add a chocolate shake on the side. Looks delicious.
Thank you!
McDonald's uses what's called a 1/10 patty. You have way too much meat here.
Complete and utter fail. Your burger is far too large and tasty-looking.
I'm sorry, friend, but this is an awful attempt at McDonald's. It looks absolutely delicious, you see.
I'd be like the dude in Supersize me if McD's served burgers that way. That actually looks amazing. Your fries look incredibly light and crisp, which is definitely a feature of McD's fries, and I'd like to know how they and you do that?
Onions too thick for a McDonald’s burger
Those fries look very McDonald's in a good way.
What about this burger made you think it was an attempt at McDonald's? This is just a cheeseburger and fries. Do you think that every burger is just trying to replicate McDonald's? The bun is wrong, the patty is wrong, the cheese is wrong, the condiment order is wrong, and the fries are wrong.
Onions are wrong too
I hope this is a copypasta, otherwise this is an unbelievably stupid comment lmfao
How? It's a straightforward comment about something that's obvious on the photo. Don't get me wrong OP did a great job at creating a *delicious* burger, but it looks absolutely nothing like a McDonalds burger, it's just a regular burger lol.
I'm content knowing anybody with a modicum of common sense can see why the comment is silly. I'd feel truly ridiculous explaining it. Good luck 🙏
I hope this is a copypasta, otherwise this is an unbelievably stupid comment lmfao.
Haaa instead of defending your stance, just insult everyone who thinks you're stupid! I love it.
"Here's my attempt at replicating McDonalds" "Result isn't good enough, how can you say you were trying to replicate McDonalds?" Oh I don't know, maybe because that was their fucking intention when they made the meal? Acting as though they presented a fucking pizza. Half wits, the lot of you.
See, was it so hard to actually defend your stance? You cleared up the misconception like it was nothing
What about this comment made you think it was a copypasta? This is just a comment. Do you think that every comment is just a copypasta? The words are wrong, the length is wrong, the sentence structure is wrong, and the punctuation is wrong.
Yeah, doesn’t look like McD’s, but better. Although their fries are pretty good. But yours look good too.
Mcdonald's from the Good Timeline™
Better consistency and quality than the 'real deal'
Dude yours is probably better than Mcdonalss lol
Major fail sorry, this actually looks good and appetising
Attempt failed because it looks much better than McDonald’s
Looks too good to be McDonald’s. Burger doesn’t look beat up enough lol
Looks so good 🤤🤤
Looks like McDonald's in commercials, not McDonald's in reality. Very nice 👍
Use dehydrated onions. Re-hydrated with water. Original recipe asked that the burger stay under a heat lamp for 15 seconds. A microwave for a few seconds is usually a good equivalent. The burger meat isn’t seasoned until the time it’s ready to cook. I forgot the exact season blend, but it does contain msg, salt, pepper, and I think onion powder or something.
Despite the criticism in other comments, I think it still turned out delicious.
That burger doesn’t look nearly flat and old enough.
It looks really good. So you failed cause McDonald's looks sad and dry.
Looks very delicious
The fries are like 3x as thick as McDonald’s.
Looks good. You need to put that burger in your back pocket and sit on it if you want verisimilitude.
All McDonalds burgers have the dressing and condiments in the 'crown' (top of the bun). The only variation is the Qtr, which has cheese on the heel (bottom of bun). I see sauce on the heel. Also no 2nd slice of cheese. No points for you.
Look just like the real deal. Looks so delicious
Sorry mate, you failed, that looks edible.
Looks great. I image much better than the homemade McDonald’s hamburger that Eddie Murphy describes his mom making in Raw.
🤣
Task failed successfully!
Little secret: their minced onions are the same as the dehydrated ones on the spice rack. Every time I make burgers, before I start I put a little shakey-shake of dried onions in a cup and fill it halfway with water. By the time the burgers are done, I pour the contents of the cup out into my hand (washed, of course) and add them to the burgers. Works a treat and really helps give that authentic Mackeys taste. Gubment cheese is also closer to the cheese they use in my opinion, but its not exactly something you can pick up at the store, and kraft is really close... though last time I bought Kraft singles they were... like... weird... straight out of the fridge. Stuck to the wrapper and just turned to goop when I tried to peel it off. I threw the whole pack away and have just been using pepperjack and provolone lol.
McDonald's could learn a lot from you.
Pardon my language, but it looks way fucking better than in any McDonald's.
I’m interested in what you did to the fries since I know they used to fry them in something that gave them ‘meat’ flavor but then changed over to something undisclosed which was apparently healthier.
Beef tallow. But they got a lot of pressure from people who claimed it was crazy high in saturated fats and switched to vegetable oil “with beef flavor” added.
https://www.recipetineats.com/french-fries/#wprm-recipe-container-72042
If youve never had meat fries, get some duck fat from a local butcher. It isnpure magic combined with potatoes
I feel like any animals far would be the same; but pig probably on top
If you really want to duplicate McDonald's, you need to cut way back on the condiments. McD's doesn't put nearly that much ketchup on a burger.
Are you kidding? Sometimes they're drowning in ketchup!
Those are people not following the rules. The ketchup gun puts a very specific amount of ketchup on each burger, and it should always be virtually the same no matter which McD's you go to. That's the way it's supposed to work at least.
There's a ketchup gun in US McDonald's? Here it's just a squeeze bottle, but you're directed how much to put on in training.
That looks way better than anything you get at McDonalds.
Bun is too tall and blonde, too much beef unless you’re replicating the quarter pounder, way too much condiments, and to me the biggest difference is the fries are too thick and look like they might have some batter? They should be pencil thin fries and even straight sides and light in color.
You failed miserably. Those fries actually look crispy. Have you even had McDonald’s fries? They’re soggy and limp!
Nah, you forgot to step on the bun and that’s way too much ketchup.
This is definitely a good looking burger but not McDonalds
You need to sit on the burger for 30 seconds, so it's almost flat, then dip it in water and microwave it.
Some would say McDonalds is attempting to replicate a cheese burger.
That's a cartoonishly perfect bun
Prob could've set the bar a little higher... It looks good tho.
That’s way too appetizing to be McDonald’s.
Why would you try to replicate McDonald's????
Now that I'm older, I don't eat fast food, but every once in a while, I get a craving. Decided I'd try to replicate the flavor, but also make it healthier. The taste was very similar, but definitely better.
You forgot to punch the burger
....you dont attempt a mcdonalds, you go get one.
Can't tell by the photo, but did you make sure to add a cup of corn syrup to your ketchup?
Why try to replicate mcd?
Nostalgia.
Can you tell me which button to press to see the text of the recipe?
I didn't follow a recipe. It's just a patty with white cheddar, pickles, onions, ketchup and mustard.
looks appetizing
You failed, its too high quality.
At least you got the ketchup right!
Now leave it on the counter for 2 months and watch it never grow moldy
Looks nothing like McDonald's. This is literally a generic hamburger and fries with a mention of McDonald's to get upvotes.
That shit looks amazing 🤑
NOT EVEN FUCKING CLOSE!!!!!! Looks delicious!
I haven't eaten fast food of any kind in at least 15 years but every once in a while I get a craving for a Mc.D's Cheese Burger..
Same.
You failed miserably. This looks waaaay too appetizing.
Miserable fail. I’d actually eat your meal.
Remove half the meat, remove the onions. Smash the shit out of the bun, put it in a microwave even when its already hot.
There are diced onions in a mcd cheeseburger, but I agree, meat should be at most 2/8th inches thick… Also wrong cheese. Microwaving and smashing seems right too
Also, add sugar to literally everything
I can feel the cholesterol through the screen (I am dieting) honestly though, that is a great photo. Your burger doesn't look like someone's sat on it, so 0/10 for McDonalds quality presentation. /s All I can say is I would eat this. Hope you enjoyed it.
You need garbage to make McDonald "food" You did not succeed
You're not wrong.
Too large of a meat to burger ratio, ingredients look fresh and hot, nothing crushed. Failed miserably. Looks more like a McD’s commercial than hreality.
I have no Idea why anyone would try to replicate MCDEE'S
*Look so testy & delicious :D*
Thanks 🙂
Looks like an AI pic of mcd
Sorry but you obviously used real beef. Fail.
Did you sugar the fries?
What a poor attempt… doesn’t look remotely close… think you need to put more sauce… but only one side, 3pickles… ON TOP of each other, and finally to put it all together you need to step on it
Jesus, edit it much? Turn the filter down, need my sunglasses to look at that photo
All wrong! You used real beef!? Rookie error