McDonald's French Fry Hacks You'll Wish You Knew Sooner

Benjamin Franklin once wrote, "...in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes." There's a good chance though, were he still alive today, that he would amend the statement to "...in this world, nothing is certain except death, taxes, and the fact that fast food hacks will break the internet." A wise man, that Franklin.

Time and time again, he would have been proven right — the internet loves a fast food hack, and oftentimes the accompanying debate over its veracity causes it to go viral. Are the holes on the back of the Chik-fil-A nugget box really there so customers can perch their chicken atop their soda? Is the individually-packaged to-go order at Chipotle genius or supremely obnoxious? 

When it comes to McDonald's, the latest and greatest hack to surface gives us all a previously undiscovered place to put our ketchup. Or does it? You can be the judge, and in the meantime, here are all the McDonald's french fry hacks you need to know, controversial or not. 

It didn't take long for this McDonald's french fry hack to go viral when Twitter account Today Years Old tweeted this image along with the caption "Did y'all know the flap on your fries box actually has a purpose?"

A little french fry box origami is all you need, and suddenly you have a new place to put your ketchup. But Redditors were quick to note that their McDonald's french fry cartons don't look like this, and called foul on the whole idea. Good news though — while it's true that the containers we typically get from the Golden Arches don't have all these bends and folds, the folks at Delish were able to successfully recreate the hack with the standard box by bending the back flap backwards, and they agreed it did indeed provide "a nice little platform for your ketchup." 

Just be careful — one Twitter user noted this hack's potential to create a bit of a mess, saying that it seemed like a good way "to accidentally catapult ketchup all over your nice clean shirt."

Nobody likes soggy, cold french french fries, but soggy, cold french fries from McDonald's are especially disappointing. Their iconic fries are arguably the best part of the meal. Crisp on the outside, almost creamy on the inside — there's nothing better than a batch that's fresh from the fryer. So how do you ensure that you get those piping hot fries each time?

According to one Quora user who works at McDonald's, all you have to do is make one simple request: "If you want fresh fries, order them sans salt. This ensures that we have to make a new batch, just for you." This makes sense, since all the fries are salted immediately after coming out of the fryer, and the cook would have to make a whole new batch to accommodate your "no salt" order. 

But a former Micky D's worker argued that there's a better, even easier, way: "...I've heard from people that asking for fries 'no salt' will get you fresh fries. Yes, this is true, but also a pain in the a**. The fry person will need to wipe down the station, the fry scoop, and clear the area for the new batch to keep salt from contaminating the new batch.... All you need to do is simply ask for 'fresh' fries."

There you have it — two ways to get the hottest, freshest fries.

It is impossible to resist the smell of french fries wafting up from the passenger seat after hitting the McDonald's drive-thru. And whether or not we care to admit it, we've probably all made some less than safe maneuvers while attempting to eat and drive at the same time, particularly if we're dipping those fries. But there is a better way. You're going to need to do a bit more origami for this bag hack, so pull into a parking spot to get yourself set up before hitting the road again. 

To turn your bag into a fry and condiment holder, fold the top of the bag down outwardly, about halfway, and then do it again. Now take the folded part and fold it back up onto itself towards the top of the bag. The folded rim will now have a spot of each side which you can pull apart and nestle a sauce container or squeeze ketchup into. Dump your fries into the bottom of the bag for easy access, and you're home free.

If you don't want to cause a fuss by asking for your fries with no salt but still crave a fresh-from-the-fryer batch, there is another way. Just ask for a receipt when you order.

Why? According to Kamran Adnan, a former McDonald's employee from the UK who spilled some company secrets on Quora, it indicates you might be a "Gapbuster" (a mystery shopper), and it works particularly well if you're ordering during the typical "Gapbuster Times," which are "between 12-2 and 5pm-7pm." Adnan explained, "It is easy to spot a gapbuster because they always ask for a receipt (so they can get their food costs reimbursed by the company employing them). So, if you ask for a receipt in that time everyone will be immediately alert that you could be a potential gapbuster and they'll make sure to serve you the freshest burger and fries and give you priority over everyone else." 

The freshest fries, the freshest burgers, and you basically get to cut in front of all the other customers? This might be the best hack yet.

Looking for another hack that helps you eat french fries mess-free in the car? Look no further — Foodbeast came up with a solution to all those ketchup-on-your-lap mishaps, and it's super simple. 

All you've got to do is rip a bit more off the corner of the ketchup packet than usual to create a hole large enough to fit a french fry in. Now, rather than squeezing the ketchup out onto your fries, you dip your fries into the ketchup packet itself. This way the ketchup stays contained in the packet, eliminating any potential mess. Foodbeast promises that it will give you the "perfect coat of ketchup on every fry. Not too much, just a glaze."

Of course, dipping an individual french fry ever-so-carefully into the corner of a tiny ketchup packet will probably lead to a bit of distracted driving, so be extra careful when executing this one. Better yet, try it out from the passenger seat,

When McDonald's announced in 2016 that they were adding Gilroy garlic fries to the menu, customers got excited. But due to very limited availability in both supply and location (they were only available in California), that excitement quickly turned to disappointment. And while the company did bring them back again in 2017, it was again a very limited offering. 

The good news is that you can finally taste those garlic fries, no matter where you live and even if they're not on the current menu, thanks to this recipe hack. PopSugar recreated the pungent side dish by combining 2 garlic cloves, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/3 cup parsley, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, and 1 teaspoon salt in the food processor. The magical puree that results is ready to season your piping hot McDonald's french fries as soon as you get home from the drive-thru. Just pour a few spoonfuls of the sauce into a bowl, toss the fries to coat, and, unless you've got plenty of breath spray, steer clear of other human beings for a day.