Which fast-food restaurants make fabulous fries and which ones serve up spud duds? To find out, readers Jake, Jared, Patrick and Allison spent an afternoon chowing fries at four restaurants in Niles (none of the restaurants was told about the taste test).
Our munch bunch decided to judge the fries on these factors: saltiness, greasiness, crispiness and thickness. They then rated the fries on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 being horrible and 5 tasting heavenly). Read how each restaurant’s fries stacked up.
Our testers:
Allison Meier, Willowbrook;
Patrick McGillen, River Forest;
Jake Huzenis, Chicago;
and Jared Mahler, Evanston
Very Special to the Tribune
Arby’s Curly fries. The winner
Jake: “Arby’s had a superb fry. It had just the right amount of salt, was pretty greasy, pretty crispy, had an extra spice, and I liked the curly shape.” (5 stars)
Jared: “They had good seasoning and just-right grease. The salt was good – not too much, not too little.” (5 stars)
Patrick: “They were pretty much the same as Wendy’s, only they were spicy and a lot crispier.” (4 stars)
Allison: “Everybody else loved Arby’s fries, but I wish I had been warned about how spicy they were so I could have brought a fire extinguisher.”(1 star)
Overall rating: (4 stars) 3.625
Wendy’s. Tied for 2nd place
Allison: “The perfect amount of thickness and crispiness. Large fries for a good price (they were 99 cents).” (5 stars)
Jared: “The salt on the fry was just right. The thickness was fine. …I gave Wendy’s three stars because the fries weren’t crispy but soft.” (3 stars)
Patrick: “They were very greasy and thick, but they weren’t crispy and salty.” (3 stars)
Jake: “It had in between a small and medium amount of salt, was pretty greasy, not too crispy and was nice and thick.” (3 stars)
Overall rating: (3 1/2 stars) 3.5
McDonald’s. Tied for 2nd place
Patrick: “I liked McDonald’s the best because the fries were crispy and greasy.” (5 stars)
Allison: “If they weren’t so expensive (they were $1.35), they would be just as perfect as Wendy’s.” (4 stars)
Jared: “I thought the salt was just right. The grease was great… just right on the crispiness… (but) there was hardly any potato in the fry.”(4 stars)
Jake: “McDonald’s fries were not so good. They did not have enough grease or salt, were too chewy and did not have enough potato.”(2 stars)
Overall rating: (3 1/2 stars) 3.5
Burger King. The loser
Jared: “The salt on the french fry was good, and it had pepper on it. There wasn’t that much grease… and it was also not that crispy.” (4 stars)
Jake: “Burger King had a repulsive fry. It had almost no salt, barely any grease, was too crispy and just too skinny.” (1 star)
Patrick: “I thought I was going to be sick because the fries were cold and the inside had barely any potato.” (1 star)
Allison: “They are too bumpy for me.” (no stars)
Overall rating: (1 1/2 stars) 1.5
Cooked to perfection…
We realize not everybody’s idea of a yummy fry is the same. So we asked our taste-testers to describe the ultimate fry.
Allison: “My five-star box of fries has a variety of thickness and crispiness, is salty when served fresh and is not burnt at all.”
Jake: “To me, the perfect french fry would have lots of grease, a medium amount of salt, be pretty thick, have lots of potato and be cheap.”
Jared: “I think the best french fry shouldn’t have too much salt. It should be thick with potato and not skinny. Also, (it) should be crispy, not burnt.”
Patrick: “The perfect french fry from my point of view is very crispy, salty, very thick and greasy. My friend Addison S.’s mother makes perfect french fries.”
