You Can Get A Basket Of Fries At McDonald's, But Is It Worth It?

Fast-food joints, in addition to being full of cheap eats and sodium, are always full of surprises. And McDonald's is no exception. As one of the most iconic fast-food franchises in the world, it seems their menu items are an ongoing topic of conversation, and people eat up every chance they get to order something special.

Sometimes it's a little-known "secret" item or menu hack that catches fire, like the "Land, Air & Sea Burger" which basically stacks a McDonald's Big Mac, McChicken, and Filet-O-Fish into one massive, towering sandwich. Sometimes it's a rare limited-release item you wish would stay forever, like Donut Sticks or the Stroopwafel McFlurry of menus past. And sometimes it's just a regular old item on the menu that you didn't realize you could order until now.

Enter the latest McDonald's craze: the basket of fries. We're all used to the paper bags or cardboard cartons marked with the famous golden arches that carry those iconic salty, delicious McDonald's fries. But apparently, for several years now we've had the option of ordering a basket of McDonald's fries — and many of us had no idea. So what's the deal (literally) with the basket, and is it actually worth it?

The basket first rolled out at select McDonald's locations like Nashville, TN, and Huntsville, AL back in 2019. And while it's still available (you'll find it on McDonald's menu online), it's unclear how many locations offer this item, so you may not see it on the menu at your local joint.

But don't worry, if you haven't gotten a chance to order the basket, you're not really missing out. Long story short: the basket of fries doesn't really gain you anything other than a slightly different fry-eating experience. As a couple of helpful McDonald's employees explain on TikTok, the basket of fries is merely two medium-sized fries dumped into a tray.

That means that as far as bang for your buck, you're better off just ordering the large fries — which are the most cost-effective order at McDonald's. So unless you're really attached to the idea of eating your fries out of a basket rather than a carton, stick with the large fries for the best deal.

The basket may not pan out for you, but we've got your back with some more french fry hacks to make the most of your McDonald's fries. Because no matter what vehicle you eat them out of, those addictive strips of salt are truly something special.

The first tip might seem a little counterintuitive, but if you want to ensure your McDonald's fries are as fresh as can be, order them without salt. You may have to wait a couple of extra minutes and salt them yourself, but McDonald's will have to make your order fresh since all of the other fries will naturally be covered in good old sodium chloride.

And don't skip out on Free Fries Fridays! Every Friday — yes, every Friday — McDonald's offers a free order of medium fries with any purchase of $1 or more. So if you want a fry fix, go grab them on a Friday. And if you need easy access to your fries while you're driving, take a tip from this TikToker and order your large fries in a cup; that way they'll fit in your cup holder and you can have a no-fuss fry fest while you're on the road.