This Is How You Should Be Ordering In-N-Out's Animal Style Fries

In-N-Out is a fast food burger chain that's beloved in the southwest states where it's operated, and it's gained national fame for its not-so-secret secret menu (via Culinary Lore). But if you think that your delicious fast food menu hack begins and ends with ordering your In-N-Out french fries animal-style, then you've got a lot left to learn. 

In-N-Out's fries are a bit controversial. Though the fries are hand-cut and fried fresh in-store and are never frozen, they have a reputation for being a bit bland. In fact, the LA Times ranked them as the worst fast food fries in the nation, while others have called them "pale, limp, undersalted potato tubes" (via LAist).

The first line of defense for turning these fries into something worth eating? Ordering them animal-style. But that's not the only way you can transform these otherwise underwhelming spuds.

Ordering your In-N-Out fries animal-style means that they'll come smothered in melted American cheese, grilled onions, and thousand island dressing (via Serious Eats). This helps the fries in the flavor department — no one would call something drenched in salad dressing, cheese, and onions bland — but does it improve the texture? Not so much. 

To make it so that the fries don't immediately become even soggier after being coated in all those tasty toppings, you can order them "fry well" or "well-done" (via Hello Giggles). 

This means the restaurant will cook your fries for longer, so they come out golden-brown and crispy — not bland and soggy like usual. 

Even if you aren't ordering your fries animal-style, ordering them well-done can greatly improve the flavor and texture of your spuds, but it's definitely a must if you want the perfect order of animal-style fries. 

One bite of the crispy potatoes coated in melty cheese, sweet grilled onions, and creamy thousand island dressing, and you'll feel like the master of the secret menu.