The Trick To Make Sure Your McDonald's Sandwich Is Always Hot And Fresh

While fast food is generally considered subpar, the occasional craving for a Big Mac or a McDonald's fry is hard to shake. Most people recognize that going to a fancy restaurant would likely result in better food overall. Still, there is something about that all-too-familiar smell of McDonald's that is nostalgic, mouth-watering, and keeps people coming back. 

However, just because you're craving fast food doesn't mean you have to settle for a less-than-fresh meal. If your heart is set on eating at the Golden Arches, you'll want to order your meal in a way that ensures your burger patty isn't the one from the warming drawer that was made an hour ago. Since made-to-order fast food tastes significantly better, one of the McDonald's hacks is ordering any item with modifications requires the workers to make it fresh.

Asking for your burger with a special request like no pickles or onions will require the workers to make you a fresh one. Similarly, this trick works for sauces as well. Whether it's mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, or their special sauce, if the burger comes with a sauce and you ask for one without it, you'll be guaranteed a fresh one.

Since McDonald's beef and chicken patties are made in advance and ready to use when customers arrive, some will inevitably be sitting out for long periods when the store is less busy. Typically, these times range from 15 minutes to 45 minutes in the warming trays, depending on the type of patty. However, abiding by these guidelines largely depends on the employees and manager keeping a close eye on the clock, which may not always happen.

It's a similar situation with McDonald's french fries as well. Often, they are placed under a heat lamp until someone orders them. However, customers who try to get fresh fries will sometimes ask for them to be made without salt because this requires a fresh batch. Interestingly, workers strongly discourage this hack because it can complicate their assembly line unnecessarily.

Instead, it's recommended to simply ask for your items to be freshly cooked. While the wait may be a little bit longer, the hot food will be worth it. Plus, most items on the McDonald's menu have a button for employees to press that specifies a "cook to order" request. On the other hand, some McDonald's employees have claimed that their training protocol was to say "all [their] food is fresh" if this was ever asked. Therefore, depending on how your local McDonald's responds, you may have to get creative with your custom orders to get your food exactly how you want it.