Everyday Systems

Recently I was in the supermarket and looking at the fries. I like waffle fries, and picked up a new one out that was seasoned. I decided to check the ingredients because my husband doesn't like Old Bay because he is allergic to shellfish and he just has an aversion to it. I found out that it contains MSG, an additive I try to avoid.

I decided to look up McDonald's ingredients for their fries and found that they contain natural beef flavor. This is old news for most people, but not for me. I have been vegetarian for 2 years now and I know that if I have to go to McDonald's I can get fries and fish. I do feel guilty eating a thing of fries which is usually purchased impulsively and eaten ravenously. But thank you McDonald's I will not have to feel that way again because I won't be eating the fries (except if I go back to eating beef).

Another suprise was that McDonald's fries contain wheat and dairy. I have a friend with an autistic child who is on a gluten-free diet. She buys the fries for her child because he loves them, but she had no idea they contain wheat! Well, luckily for us, a Chik-fil-A is opening up around the corner and their waffle fries don't have wheat, milk, or dairy.

I guess, what I really should do is make my own at home.

Old Bay doesn't actually contain any shellfish, it's just often used to season them. It's certified kosher, and shellfish aren't kosher.

Of course, your husband could have a food aversion to Old Bay, in which case it wouldn't actually matter if the Old Bay was what made him sick or not, just whether he had it around the time he got sick. That sucks for him, because Old Bay is good.

McDonald's fries in some other parts of the world (notably, India) do not contain any beef products.

oliviamanda wrote: I guess, what I really should do is make my own at home.

That sounds like a good choice to me.

The more you read packages, the more you realize that packaged "foods" are pretty nasty! Although there are occasional pleasant surprises -- many potato chips are just potatoes, sunflower oil, and salt, making them actual food. Most prepared stuff, though, is full of things you wouldn't choose to eat.

I read something once about 'never eat anything with an ingredient you wouldn't find in a normal stocked kitchen, or that a 6 year old couldn't pronounce'.

Makes a lot of sense to me! I don't always abide by it, but it does make me stop and think about what I'm eating a bit more.

I think the main reason why the fries at McDonald's may contain wheat and dairy is because their fryer grease may contain particles in it, and they would prefer to include that in the ingredient list to flag anyone with a hype-allergy to these ingredients... this is not a positive conclusion, just one from having worked at a well known chain restaurant, we had to declare our french fries as NOT gluten-free because there might/possibly be a chance that the fries were fried in grease that maybe once had floured products in it...
just saying.

also, my favorite recipe right now for oven roasted potato wedges is this:
6 medium potatoes
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
-Scrub potatoes and rinse under cold water. Pat dry.
-Cut potatoes into wedges or thin steak fries (about 6-8 wedges per potato).
-Using a large mixing bowl, toss potatoes in oil. Or, put oil and potato wedges in a gallon-sized ziplock bag, seal, and shake to coat. (Or, use a large bowl with a tight-fitting lid, and shake to coat.)
-In a small bowl, mix dry ingredients thoroughly. Pour over potatoes and toss to coat. Or, add seasonings to bag, seal, and shake to coat.
-Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread potatoes in a single layer on an un-greased non-stick* baking sheet.
-Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until potatoes test done with a fork. Sprinkle with salt to taste.

these are awesome! I made them for my husband (who usually prefers the "seasoned" variety of pre-packaged fries, and he loved them (he said, for me to please keep this recipe because he never wants to eat those pre-packaged kind again!) wow, what a complement, and how unbelievable simple the recipe is!!!

Yum they sound amazing Jamie!

I do something similar with sweet potato but I'm lazy and have a pre-mixed 'jamaican seasoning' powder that I throw on Not even sure what's in it but it tastes lovely!

Nicest of the Damned wrote:Old Bay doesn't actually contain any shellfish, it's just often used to season them. It's certified kosher, and shellfish aren't kosher.

Of course, your husband could have a food aversion to Old Bay, in which case it wouldn't actually matter if the Old Bay was what made him sick or not, just whether he had it around the time he got sick. That sucks for him, because Old Bay is good.

McDonald's fries in some other parts of the world (notably, India) do not contain any beef products.

He knows there isn't any shellfish in it, it just reminds him of it. He got the allergy at puberty, and ate quite a lot of shellfish before then.

If you have ever watched an episode of Bizzarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern you see that pig's ears, feet, glands, wieners, etc. are a delicacy in some parts of our World. Along with bats, grubs, brains, testes, etc.

Speaking of french fries...I make this recipe now and again. They're very good, not very greasy and don't grease up the stove/kitchen. They do take time, though.

On my stove I do need to turn up the heat to medium or so until the oil starts to bubble. Then I turn it down until I'm ready for the fries to brown.