The Precise Amount Of Time Chick-Fil-A Waffle Fries Are Cooked

Chick-fil-A is a national institution that has at least once earned the distinction of being America's favorite fast food restaurant, per CNN Money. Not only did the founders purportedly invent the chicken sandwich in 1946, according to Mental Floss, but the chain is also the largest buyer of peanut oil in the U.S., supporting thousands of farms. The brand's popularity cannot be underestimated — in the early days, people even used to flock to malls just to get their fix. 

The restaurant's chicken sandwich is definitely a fan favorite. Their secret? Only using peanut oil to fry it (hence needing the big supply). Another popular dish is the chain's trademark waffle fries. As noted by Business Insider, the waffle fry shape is a big novelty compared to other fast food competitors, and they're also more satisfying to eat than normal fries thanks to their heartier feel. In fact, fans even have certain preferences for how their order is prepared, with some recommending to ask for "well done" waffle fries for a bit more crisp. As one Redditor wrote, "Order them well done to send that sh** to the next level." Another commented, "Just tried this today and it was life-changing."

Chick-fil-A takes their waffles fries very seriously. Staff members follow incredibly specific rules to whip up a batch of these tasty bites. For example, only canola oil can be used to dip the fry basket in and precisely two pumps of sea salt from its speciality shaker are applied on top when they're done cooking. But what's really surprising is the amount of time they need to cook — though some will tout the "well done" option, Chick-fil-A swears by a cooking time of two minutes and two minutes only. And beyond that they only have five minutes to be sold, according to Toledo Blade.

Even staff members sing their praises for the fries. One wrote on Quora, "I've made Chick-fil-A fries first-hand, and even I am convinced that sometimes there's an extra bit of magic in the process. ... I swear, there have been times where there had to have been some kind of special seasoning mixed [in]." Maybe they're on to something — after all, Chick-fil-A does have a secret menu so what else might they be hiding?