*Photo courtesy of PEXELS
Have you ever been curious as to which fast-food restaurant has the best French fry? Well I definitely have! So I decided to see for myself which place really does have the best fry. Now I didn’t just want to base it off of my opinions, so I asked my boyfriend for his help and he agreed. But honestly how could he say no to taste testing French fries?!
The Rules
Before starting out, we needed to decide how we were going to judge each fry. We decided to judge off of Seasoning, Crispy Outside, Fluffy Inside and Overall how good is the fry. Each category could be given anywhere between 1 – 3 fry points. One fry point for “Eh”, two fry points for “Pretty Good!”, and three fry points for “This is Great!”. While we were going to rate the fry at each place, we didn’t share our scores or opinions. We didn’t want our opinions skewed in any way. It was also against the rules to order the fry any other way than their original recipe.
The Plan
Originally I had this not so great idea of going through every drive through and getting all the fries, lining them up and trying them one right after the other back at my house. But soon realized with my boyfriend’s help, that the fries would lose their quality and could be judged unfairly. So the new, better plan was after getting fries from one place, we would immediately taste the fries and score each category. And we needed to try the fry without sauce or extra seasoning on it. We had nine places that we were going to taste test. Our first stop was…
1. The Habit*Photo Courtesy of Author
Starting it off, we got our first contender, The Habit. The fries at The Habit remind me of steak fries; big, fluffy and yummy. Both my boyfriend’s and my results were pretty similar. Overall, fries from The Habit have a super fluffy inside, are pretty well seasoned, but not much of a crispy outside.
My results:
Seasoned – 2
Crispy Outside – 1
Fluffy Inside – 3
Overall – 2
TOTAL = 8
My boyfriend’s results:
Seasoned – 2
Crispy Outside – 1
Fluffy Inside – 3
Overall – 2.5
TOTAL = 8.5
2. Chick-fil-A*Photo Courtesy of Author
We were highly disappointed with the fries at Chick-fil-A. The fries were under-seasoned and soggy. Now when I usually order my fries from Chick-fil-A, I order them well done. Let me just say, you have to order the fries well done. When you get them, they are crispy and well-seasoned; ordering the fries regularly should be a sin. Also, the fries are much better with their signature Chick-fil-A sauce. Overall, my boyfriend and I both agreed on our results.
My results:
Seasoned – 1
Crispy Outside – 1
Fluffy Inside – 2
Overall – 1
TOTAL = 5
My boyfriend’s results:
Seasoned – 1
Crispy Outside – 1
Fluffy Inside – 1.5
Overall – 1.5
TOTAL = 5
3. In-n-Out*Photo Courtesy of Author
In-n-Out is known for their fresh fries. As you wait for your food in the drive thru or the seating area inside the restaurant, you can see the employees cut the potato and make fresh fries right then and there. However, this is also another place we order our fries well done. They come out super crispy and much better. The part that disappointed me with In-n-Out fries was they didn’t have much seasoning on them and they weren’t very fluffy. I mean they also give you an extra salt packet when ordering fries and animal style is always the best ways to go with their fries. I always argued that In-n-Out fries were the best, mostly because they are made fresh, but are they really the best?
My results:
Seasoned – 1.5
Crispy Outside – 2
Fluffy Inside – 1
Overall – 2
TOTAL = 6.5
My boyfriend’s results:
Seasoned – 2
Crispy Outside – 1.5
Fluffy Inside – 1.5
Overall – 1.5
TOTAL = 7
4. Jack in the Box*Photo Courtesy of Author
My boyfriend and I were shocked at how well the Jack in the Box fries tasted compared to the ones before. According to my boyfriend’s results, these fries were his second place. Even though I agreed that they were better than I expected, they didn’t make my top three. Maybe it’s because I’m not a huge fan of Jack in the Box or maybe it’s because I prefer their curly fries better. However, these fries stood out to both of us and are definitely satisfying.
My results:
Seasoned – 2.5
Crispy Outside – 1.5
Fluffy Inside – 1.5
Overall – 1.5
TOTAL = 7
My boyfriend’s results:
Seasoned – 2.5
Crispy Outside – 3
Fluffy Inside – 2.5
Overall – 3
TOTAL = 11
5. Carl’s Jr.*Photo Courtesy of Author
The fries from Carl’s Jr. were also better than expected! When we got them, they had definitely been made fresh and that could have skewed our results a little, but hey they gave us good quality. These fries were the number one pick from my boyfriend’s results and landed in my number three spot. We both thought they were fluffy and had a crispy outside. However, I thought they lacked in the seasoning department. I also thought they tasted a bit oily and that could have been from the fact they just came out of the fryer, but overall Carl’s Jr. did well!
My results:
Seasoned – 1
Crispy Outside – 3
Fluffy Inside – 2.5
Overall – 2.5
TOTAL = 9
My boyfriend’s results:
Seasoned – 2.5
Crispy Outside – 3
Fluffy Inside – 2.5
Overall – 3
TOTAL = 11
(My boyfriend and I had to take a fry break at this point, we were starting to feel like a fry. LOL)
6. Taco Bell*Photo Courtesy of Author
Taco Bell recently just came out with fries at their restaurant. I have talked to people and asked them their opinions on their fries, some good opinions and some bad. Yet, I personally think Taco Bell got it right! They landed in the number two spot for me and landed in the number three spot on my boyfriend’s list. The seasoning they put on the fries is perfectly tasty. The crispy outside is just right and they have a fluffy inside. The only thing is that the cheese that they provide with it is not a good combo. Well done, Taco Bell, well done!
My results:
Seasoned – 3
Crispy Outside – 2
Fluffy Inside – 3
Overall – 2
TOTAL = 10
My boyfriend’s results:
Seasoned – 2.5
Crispy Outside – 2
Fluffy Inside – 2.5
Overall – 2.5
TOTAL = 9.5
7. McDonald’s*Photo Courtesy of Author
I believe that McDonald’s has perfected the French fry. You can order the fries and eat them without anything. They are perfectly well seasoned, have a crisp outside and a fluffy inside. McDonald’s was number one for me, but not for my boyfriend. I think the temperature and time that has been set for the standard McDonald’s fry is great! When you can eat fries without any modification, I’d call that a success. Plus who doesn’t love McDonald’s French fries?
My results:
Seasoned – 3
Crispy Outside – 2.5
Fluffy Inside – 3
Overall – 3
TOTAL = 11.5
My boyfriend’s results:
Seasoned – 2
Crispy Outside – 2
Fluffy Inside – 2.5
Overall – 2
TOTAL = 8.5
8. Burger King*Photo Courtesy of Author
Burger King is what we expected. Not very good… The appearance of the fries look promising, but when you bite into one they just aren’t. Surprisingly these fries scored above Chick-fil-A, but they still aren’t really good. This isn’t to say all of Burger King’s food is bad, but compared to the other fries we tested, they didn’t add up.
My results:
Seasoned – 1
Crispy Outside – 1
Fluffy Inside – 3
Overall – 1
TOTAL = 6
My boyfriend’s results:
Seasoned – 1.5
Crispy Outside – 1.5
Fluffy Inside – 1.5
Overall – 1.5
TOTAL = 6
9. Wendy’s*Photo Courtesy of Author
I personally think the fries at Wendy’s are satisfying. They scored fourth in my results, but unfortunately scored second to last on my boyfriend’s results. I enjoy the sea salt that they season the fries with and feel they have a crunch and a nice inside. However, my boyfriend score the crispy outside and fluffy inside as a one. So since we are pretty split on this one, I feel these are ones you will have to judge for yourself.
My results:
Seasoned – 2
Crispy Outside – 3
Fluffy Inside – 2
Overall – 2
TOTAL = 9
My boyfriend’s results:
Seasoned – 1.5
Crispy Outside – 1
Fluffy Inside – 1
Overall – 2
TOTAL = 6
After this experience, I felt like I didn’t want to eat fries ever again. Yea, right! How could I really never eat fries again? This was a really fun experience and sort of eye opening to compare the fries right after eating some from your competitors. We aren’t experts but my boyfriend and I enjoyed rating the fries and doing the experiment. You can take our word for it but if you don’t agree with our ratings, you should try it for yourself! Suggestion: take multiple fry breaks so you don’t feel like a greasy French fry!
*Thumbnail Courtesy of PEXELS