While In-N-Out is known for having some of the best burgers of any fast food chain, its
fries are another story.
Let's just say they're not the most beloved potato-based side dish in the biz.
Here's the truth about In-N-Out fries.
In-N-Out has its fans.
One of them is Brandon Mercer of SFGate, who's admitted to taking his prom date to In-N-Out,
and he even dined on their burgers with his bride on their wedding day.
While he can't get enough of those famous burgers, when he's asked if he'd like fries
with that, he always declines.
According to him,
"In-N-Out fries are indeed terrible.
They're soggy, sickly beige, under-salted, wilted, and unworthy of being called a fry
at all.
More like potatoes boiled in oil until submission."
He does admit that they succeed in tasting fresh, but only,
"In the sort of 'just out of the ground, slightly dirty taste' that fresh vegetables often have."
Thrillist didn't mince words either.
As they put it,
"[The fries are] piled haphazardly to the side like a blooper reel of stubby, talentless
starch…How is it that you're hand-cut by the happiest staff in all of fast food and
still your insides are stiff and cold and devoid of the lush, velvety texture of your
craveable contemporaries?"
Thrillist also pronounced these fries as unworthy of even the basic condiment of ketchup, adding,
"Ordering a burger without fries spits in the face of American culinary tradition, but
you've left me no choice."
When it comes to In-N-Out, it seems that going fry-less is really the only sensible choice.
If you're on social media, you don't have to look hard to find In-N-Out fry hatred.
People aren't exactly Instagramming pics of the fries they're not eating, nor are they
creating Pinterest boards dedicated to the diss.
On Facebook, however, a question posed by LAist asking how people felt about these fries
drew such comments as:
"Taste like salted cardboard to me."
"The texture is like cold fries, even when they're hot."
"I think they're terrible!"
"They are wrong.
In every way possible."
and,
"HATE THEM HATE THEM HATE THEM."
A Twitter thread on fast food fries that popped up in 2019 included remarks about In-N-Out's
contribution to the field, such as,
"They may be fresh, but the texture is terrible."
"In-N-Out fries are back alley [sic] cardboard bum condos put through a paper shredder and
fried in dumpster juice."
and,
"I've always thought InNOut fries were total trash (I actually trash them whole)."
Even Matthew D'Ambrosio, a writer for The Vampire Diaries and The Witcher, tweeted,
"In n Out fries are trash and I'm glad people are finally talking about that very true fact."
There's no denying that celebrity chef David Chang knows a thing or two about food.
Despite his renown, he's no snob.
He readily admits to eating fast food, including a surprising passion for Domino's.
"I grew up eating it.
That was like my first pizza."
But one fast food he won't touch is In-N-Out's fries.
He agrees with the rest of the world that they are "total garbage," and what's more,
he revealed to Vulture his theory about why this is so.
Chang lays the blame on the fact that the chain makes such a big deal out of using fresh
ingredients.
He says that potatoes have their peak season of freshness, but that at other times of the
year, they're not going to be as good.
Because In-N-Out refuses to use frozen potatoes, this means that inevitably many of those fresh
potatoes they're using are going to be out of season and thus not very tasty.
Nevertheless, he says, he kind of admires the chain for its commitment to quality, despite
the fact that this results in one substandard product.
As he put it,
"I think it's amazing that they can take a loss right off the bat because they're priming
you for the whole experience."
In 2019, Los Angeles Times food columnist Lucas Kwan Peterson put together what he called
the official French fry power rankings.
He compiled a chart that ranked the fries from 19 different fast food chains.
Fries were judged according to two criteria: texture and taste.
The overall best of the best came from Five Guys, with McDonald's famous fries landing
at #2.
All the way at the other end was In-N-Out, whose fries ranked dead last in taste and
second-to-last for texture.
So why, Peterson asked, is In-N-Out unable to make a better fry?
His theory is that it comes down to sheer laziness.
In his opinion, In-N-Out, has gotten used to coasting on its reputation of having a
burger that everyone loves, more for its iconic status that evokes California than for its
actual taste.
With its reputation already firmly cemented in everyone's consciousness, the chain simply
doesn't feel the need to make an edible french fry.
"The, uh, french fries here are really great."
David Chang may well be correct that In-N-Out doesn't mind putting out terrible fries as
a kind of loss-leader proof of its commitment to freshness.
And Lucas Kwan Peterson may be right in thinking that the chain simply doesn't want to bother.
But these theories simply speak to the motivation, or lack thereof, that has kept In-N-Out fries
substandard for years.
As for the actual reasons why these fries are so awful compared to other fast-food chains,
it seems to come down to ingredients and preparation.
Quora users have weighed in on what makes In-N-Out fries so hated.
Several of them have mentioned the fact that the chain uses the Kennebec potato, which
isn't available in grocery stores.
Other restaurant chains use the starchy Russet potato, so the Kennebec may not be something
most of us are used to eating.
"French fried potaters?"
"Yep.
French fries."
While familiarity is said to breed contempt, when it comes to food preferences, the opposite
is more likely to be true.
Some Quora users also noted that In-N-Out tends to use cottonseed oil, which isn't as
tasty as canola or other oils.
Maybe it's the fault of the potatoes, the oil, or even the fry cook, but there's one
more possible reason why In-N-Out's fries aren't generally beloved.
Chef Steve Samson, owner of multiple Los Angeles eateries, told LAist in 2018 that by slicing
the potatoes and then tossing them immediately in the fryer, In-N-Out is making a big mistake.
Potatoes should be soaked in water before being fried, as this helps ensure that the
fries are properly cooked and can achieve a slightly crunchy exterior while remaining
soft inside.
But perhaps the biggest goof that In-N-Out makes with its fry preparation is in failing
to double-fry them, which most other fast-food chains do to ensure the crispiest fries.
As Samson explains,
"The only way to make a really good french fry is to cook it at least twice, if not three
times."
If you're at an In-N-Out, there's a bit of a workaround for this.
If you ask for your fries "well done," employees won't cook them twice, but they will keep
them in the fryer for a bit longer.
While this won't make In-N-Out's fries anywhere close to what the platonic ideal of french
fries should be, it will, at the very least, make them taste like Potato Stix.
So, that's an improvement of sorts, assuming you like Potato Stix.
In-N-Out actually offers several different versions of its fry experience.
None of them can really transform the fries into anything truly memorable, at least not
in a good way, though they do at least provide a certain variation on the overall fry mediocrity.
In addition to the basic fries, there are different ways you can special order them.
FoodBeast characterizes In-N-Out's custom-cooked fry terminology as follows: "light" is soft
and terrible, "light well" is a little crispier than the basic version, "well done" is darker
and crispier, and "extra well done" is almost burnt and inedible.
If you think that hiding unpalatable fries under a mess of toppings makes them tastier,
instead of just messier, you may want to try the cheese fries.
Or you can go all-out and order the notorious animal-style fries, which include cheese,
grilled onions, and a special sauce that closely resembles Thousand Island dressing.
But if you don't ask for the fries to be cooked well done before asking for extra toppings,
it pretty much guarantees you'll get a nasty, gloopy mess.
In-N-Out's standard fries, after all, are way too limp to hold up under anything much
heavier than ketchup.
If you're looking to improve your In-N-Out fry experience, there are some hacking methods
out there that you can try.
FoodBeast suggests making creative use of condiments or other offerings to create your
own secret menu.
Lemon pepper fries can be made by sprinkling on a generous amount of black pepper and then
squeezing on a few of the fresh lemon wedges meant for iced tea.
Peppered ketchup is a quick and easy upgrade that just involves mixing pepper with your
ketchup.
Chopped chilies are a burger topping that can also be ordered for your fries.
Be aware, though, that chilies are free if you get them on a burger, asking for them
as a fry topping will incur an additional fee.
You can also try marrying your In-N-Out fries with another menu item.
FoodBeast suggests something they call a "Monkey Style" burger, which involves sticking your
fries inside your burger's bun.
And there's also the ever-reliable "shake fries," in which you dip your fries into a
milkshake for a sweet and salty sensation in which the fries' substandard texture won't
really matter too much.
Finally, if you want a lighter, less messy version of animal-style fries, you can simply
ask for a few packets of "spread," aka the special sauce.
That way, you can just dip your fries in the condiment without having to overwhelm those
poor, fragile little tubers.
"There are several sacred things in this world that you don't ever mess with.
One of them happens to be another man's fries."
If you're intrigued by the sound of animal-style, but don't want to deal with In-N-Out's disappointing
fries, you can try to DIY your own animal-style fries at home.
The internet has numerous In-N-Out copycat recipes, such as the one provided by the Dinner
Then Dessert food blog.
If you're brave enough to do what many bloggers suggest and take charge of your own deep frying,
then you can double or even triple-cook your fries to crispy perfection.
Just don't forget the chef-recommended trick of soaking them in cold water first.
If you'd rather skip this step, though, you can always heat up a bag of frozen fries or
even substitute fries from McDonald's.
Once your fries are good to go, the next step is to caramelize the sliced onions.
Saute these in salted butter, adding a little water from time to time so that they don't
dry out.
When the onions are done, mix up the In-N-Out-style special sauce by using mayo, ketchup, and
sweet pickle relish plus a sprinkle of sugar and a splash of distilled vinegar.
Then check your fries and reheat if necessary, since they'll need to be warm for the next
step, in which you cover them with a few slices of American cheese.
Top the cheese with the onions, finish off with the sauce, and scarf the whole mess down
before it's cold.
Despite In-N-Out's reputedly subpar fries, it's still one of the nation's most popular
fast food chains.
So why all this love and loyalty for a restaurant with such lousy fries?
To paraphrase the old real estate maxim: "There are three things that matter in fast food:
burgers, burgers, burgers."
And when it comes to this particular criterion, In-N-Out's offering is indisputably epic.
No less of a food expert than Anthony Bourdain revealed in a 2015 interview with Eater that
one of the reasons he enjoyed visiting Los Angeles was the airport In-N-Out.
He believed that the burgers were close to perfection.
His go-to order was a Double-Double, animal-style.
So it's too bad about those fries, but you know what's the best side dish to accompany
an In-N-Out burger?
Another In-N-Out burger!
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
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