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McDonald's senior director of culinary innovation sees nothing unhealthy on menu
- Thread starter XiaNaphryz
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Yep. That's really all it is. Cooking can take LESS time than grabbing fast food. Hell, I'd go so far as to say if you do it right cooking your own food can always be more efficient for your time.
I bartend 14 hour shifts in a busy restaurant. It would be easy to just order shitty food from the menu when I get a minute of downtime, or I could you know, eat the delicious healthy food and snacks that took me a grand total of 5 minutes to prepare and pack.
Laziness.
Less time? Maybe if you're tossing together processed foods and packaged ready-to-eat products. If you cook veggies and meat, or do any kind of processing yourself in the kitchen, that takes time.
Yup. One of my favorite lunches takes barely anytime at all.
I hardboil 2 eggs while cooking breakfast. I then take a ton of salad mix (huge bag is 3.00 at Costco) put a can of tuna ontop, mix in the hardboil eggs, throw some broccoli in and top it off with something like sriracha (love spicy food). Keeps me full for 6 hours, easily.
I hardboil 2 eggs while cooking breakfast. I then take a ton of salad mix (huge bag is 3.00 at Costco) put a can of tuna ontop, mix in the hardboil eggs, throw some broccoli in and top it off with something like sriracha (love spicy food). Keeps me full for 6 hours, easily.
Not true. I can cook a ton of skinless chicken tenders and veggies in 10 minutes.
It's amazing how radically different the advertising for McDonald's is nowadays in the UK.
Do you wash, peel, and cut your veggies? Trimming fat off chicken breasts? I think what you're talking about is a narrow world of cooking. Not that it's worse or anything, just one that's better suited to the lifestyle for busier people.
I work a 50/60 hour week. Usually start at 6am, and by the time I get home at 5 or 6, I just want to sleep. I get two days off a week, unless I do REALLY long days to compensate. On Friday, I worked 8am until 2pm - then 5pm until 11:30pm. I then worked 7am until 4pm on Saturday,
I never have any fucking time to make lunches. Really. I try my hardest to cook a decent dinner for me and my girlfriend each night, but in the day I usually get a sandwich, a quick 6 inch subway or once in a blue moon, a McDonalds.
And having a McDonalds once a month hasn't done me any harm whatsoever.
I never have any fucking time to make lunches. Really. I try my hardest to cook a decent dinner for me and my girlfriend each night, but in the day I usually get a sandwich, a quick 6 inch subway or once in a blue moon, a McDonalds.
And having a McDonalds once a month hasn't done me any harm whatsoever.
You don't have to peel green beans and broccoli. The chicken has virtually no fat.
Jesus christ the excuses.
I've noticed a lot of people overcomplicate matters.
Uh, no. I cook for myself for breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday with a varied menu. It would take much less time to not do that and grab fast food instead. I just don't see how the opposite can be true unless you take a lot of shortcuts.
WanderingWind
Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
There are no federal laws requiring your employee to give you a break, or provide you with a employee break area. http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/workhours/breaks.htm
Bartenders, depending on the state, are not required to take ServSafe or other food handlers certifications, (http://www.safeserving.com/web/credentials.php?siteid=3&pageid=566&) so maybe you're simply unaware that cross contamination is a state inspected item on any restaurant in existence. So, if you do not have a separate employee break room in a restaurant - that is used for nothing else - then yes, it is against the law to bring in outside food anywhere but the front end, and even that is heavily restricted.
So, if your restaurant has it's own separate dining area for employees, separate refrigeration, separate heating utilities, then depending on the state, it may or may not be illegal to bring your own food in as an employees. A vast majority of employers will simply not allow it to avoid even the possibility of misuse of restaurant equipment and possible cross contamination.
Now, that doesn't mean that we never ate on the job. What is technically legal and what actually happens are two different things. When I worked fine dining, I never ate on the job - you would be summarily fired. When I worked mid-range places, we'd slap something together and chow when and where we could. My wife's company allows her to eat out on the patio outside.
Once again, we're back to the "well, I can do it, so everybody else who doesn't live exactly like I do, even though they hold separate jobs, in different areas, must just be lazy." It's a ridiculous argument.
Liberty4all
Banned
Wife and I make meat or fish or chicken and veg every single night. It takes maybe 10 min to steam the veg while, 5 min to sear meat then 20 on the oven. Total prep time is like nothing ... Half the total cooking time is me on the couch watching tv while meat cooks and veg steams. It's a joke to say good fresh food takes so much time. It doesn't.
To be honest, my diet last week (for dinners only) consisted of this:
- Roast Chicken breast with spiced tomato/pepper/onion sauce and cheese (homemade)
- homemade salmon fishcakes with mashed potato and baked beans
- vegetable stir fry with black bean sauce
- pork steaks with brocolli/peas/carrots and gravy
- cheese and ham omelette
- fresh pizza (not frozen, £3 from ASDA).
- ...baked beans on toast (was in a hurry).
Apart from the Pizza and Beans on Toast, each one of those was a proper meal I made and cooked myself from scratch. Pretty healthy, and I work fucking ridiculous hours.
- Roast Chicken breast with spiced tomato/pepper/onion sauce and cheese (homemade)
- homemade salmon fishcakes with mashed potato and baked beans
- vegetable stir fry with black bean sauce
- pork steaks with brocolli/peas/carrots and gravy
- cheese and ham omelette
- fresh pizza (not frozen, £3 from ASDA).
- ...baked beans on toast (was in a hurry).
Apart from the Pizza and Beans on Toast, each one of those was a proper meal I made and cooked myself from scratch. Pretty healthy, and I work fucking ridiculous hours.
If you do it yourself then why the excuses?
les papillons sexuels
Banned
I havn't been to a mcdonalds for over a year so the issue of whether or not their menu is unhealthy is somewhat irrelevant to me.
That said, a balanced diet can include the occaisional mcdonalds meal. For the most part the meals are fine albeit imbalanced, it's the amount of fries and pop that they serve that's the real problem imo. I'd probably go more often if they had a "mini size" version of it. And they do not have enough vegitarian options, I can only think of 3 items on the menu that doesn't come with meat.
That said, a balanced diet can include the occaisional mcdonalds meal. For the most part the meals are fine albeit imbalanced, it's the amount of fries and pop that they serve that's the real problem imo. I'd probably go more often if they had a "mini size" version of it. And they do not have enough vegitarian options, I can only think of 3 items on the menu that doesn't come with meat.
What are you even talking about?
You're trying to say making your own food just takes too long for some, correct?
Definitely true.
Deified Data
Banned
Pretty much. End of thread. There's nothing inherently "unhealthy" on McDonald's menu unless you're feeding it to your kid every single day. He shouldn't feel responsible because people choose to eat there. It really is that simple.
LOL.
ITT lazy people claim baking a chicken breast and boiling veggies is tough.
Do you really, REALLY want to be doing that after what was essentially a 8am - 11pm day, when you have to be up at 6am the next morning?
No. Thought not.
I never said that. Everything about making food faster yourself is about taking shortcuts and compromises, unless you can improve technique and let machines do some of the prep. Buying stuff that's already been processed -- like fish already been filleted, meat cut into size and shape for some dish, veggies already been washed, leafed, peeled, the inedible parts cut off, bread dough prepared to go right in the oven, and so forth -- are commonly done when people don't have the time or desire to do some of the more tedious tasks of cooking, at some cost of risk. Which is faster, going to the grocery and buying a whole raw chicken to roast in the oven, or buying the rotisserie chicken from the same place? Cooking it yourself takes more time.
Yes I do, because I recognize how important eating well is.
If that's a problem, cook it all on a day off, making sure you have enough to last through the week. There you go. For veggies, don't want to cook, ok, eat them raw.
I can grill a chicken breast at home and make a sandwich out of it faster than you will typically get a McChicken from the drive-thru.
We aren't talking about gourmet meals here. We are talking about simple things you can make yourself in 5-10 minutes or less, and it's really simple, easy, and quick.
How can you say that when one Big mac contains 45% of your daily sodium intake and 50%+ of your daily fat intake? Besides, I bet McDonald's food is filled with crap like meat glue. The buns alone are unhealthy.
Because he recognizes that fat is good for you, and sodium isn't the devil it's made out to be?
This professor lost weight eating nothing but Twinkies:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html
Clearly the problem isn't really what, but how much, people are stuffing in their gullets.
Simple, eat a sensible breakfast (fruit, bagel, juice) and another sensible meal - salad, maybe a little chicken, and a glass of milk.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html
Clearly the problem isn't really what, but how much, people are stuffing in their gullets.
Simple, eat a sensible breakfast (fruit, bagel, juice) and another sensible meal - salad, maybe a little chicken, and a glass of milk.
You're running on the assumption that skinny=healthy.
It doesn't.
Obesity is a symptom, it isn't the problem itself.
How am I supposed to do that if I'm working shifts in other stores, travelling miles per day? In a normal week, I can spend three days away from home at a time!
Last week I was off for half of it, and working close to home so I managed to have a decent diet for the week. How the hell do you expect me to cook fresh veg and chicken whilst in a travelodge in brighton when I live miles and miles away? If I am working away, as I am most weeks, I have no choice but to eat out! Whether I eat out at somewhere like McDonalds or KFC or somewhere like a decent cafe is the main factor. I have absolutely no other alternative. At all.
How would you suggest I overcome that, then? Bearing in mind I have no fridge in my car, or anywhere I stay!
Deified Data
Banned
If a big mac is 45% of your daily sodium intake, then you're fine. You're the one choosing to eat junk food. Don't eat it every day and you'll be fine. Just about anything is poison when consumed to excess.
I think the issue is that you're talking about very simple cooking. Quite frankly I'd get bored of eating chicken tenders and the same veggies day in and day out. There are lots of foods and cooking methods that take several hours but yield amazing food.
Get a room with a mini-fridge and stove, or hell, a microwave?
Buy pre-cooked chicken breasts and microwave some veggies.
Profit.
It really isn't complicated.
Keep on keeping on with the excuses though.
I agree. However you aren't comparing to a gourmet meal. You are comparing to McDonald's. They are saying they grab fast food because cooking is too hard/lengthy. We don't need to compare McDonald's to gourmet cooking now, do we?
Healthy eating tends to be a somewhat simple affair. When most of your meals are simple, you appreciate the indulgent, bad for you ones even more. A cheeseburger and fries never tastes as good as when you haven't had one for quite some time.
Probably, especially if you have the practice of multitasking in the kitchen. However, those chicken patties at McDonald's are probably already pre-cooked and all they need to do is to stick that in the microwave for a short time. The mayo comes in a squeeze bottle and the veggies are prepped before the day's start. It is a very quick work for McDonald's workers and most of the time spent for the customer is in the queue. But a grilled chicken patty is short work regardless; if you can make the same statement about the fish filet sandwich, then I'd be more impressed.
Well yeah because we're talking about time constraints.
You know I love to grill
. On a shorter day I definitely put more effort into cooking.les papillons sexuels
Banned
well, sodium and fats are necessary in a diet. If you decide to eat a big mac, fries, a large pop and a cheezeburger on the side then yeah, you're going to blow through your daily necessary amount of sodium and fat, but if you just go in and grab some chicken nuggets, then what's the problem.
If you balance your diet you can eat anything, and should eat pretty much everything, including the occaisional bigmac. While i think unhealthy foods, particularly highly processed foods, should be taxed so that healthier and fresh produce becomes cheaper, the responsibility ultimately falls on consumer.
It's not just gourmet foods though. Yesterday I made a baked potato on the grill and that took an hour, for a potato. Rice on a stove will take over a half an hour by itself.
One thing that really helps is a slow cooker. Throw everything in before you leave for work and it'll all by done by the time you get home.
Making ribs today. 6 hour process...Anyway that is not a lunch food.
Jason's Ultimatum
Member
I really hate corporations.
krameriffic
Member
People are more receptive to your points if you cut out the snobbery and elitism.
Jason's Ultimatum
Member
61g of carbs!? WOW. lulz, that's just an insane amount.
EDIT-Even bagged meat and chicken is BAD. Forget that nasty stuff. Everything fresh all the way. I even stopped using protein powder. The amount of shit I can't even pronounce can't be good for you.
My only indulgence is Kashi salsa flavored pita crisps.
triplestation
Member
No it's not lol
How is McDonald's NOT unhealthy?
I could make a burger at home, with a fresh bun from a bakery, and have no chance at getting anywhere near the levels of sodium and sugar in a Royale with cheese.
If anything, I think McD's is at the unhealthy side of the foods it offers. You could make your own fries and they's be healthier.
Sure, in a vacuum, it's FOOD, but it's like a pretty bad version of it.
I could make a burger at home, with a fresh bun from a bakery, and have no chance at getting anywhere near the levels of sodium and sugar in a Royale with cheese.
If anything, I think McD's is at the unhealthy side of the foods it offers. You could make your own fries and they's be healthier.
Sure, in a vacuum, it's FOOD, but it's like a pretty bad version of it.
Then the rest of the day you eat 55% sodium and 49%- of daily fat and its all good.
unless you are one of those paleo people then eat more animal fat
ClassyPenguin
Banned
That's pretty much true.
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