What's Really Edible At Fast Food Places?

[Lisa]

Sorry, but I just got Open Original Shared Link

French Fries:

Potatoes, vegetable oil (canola oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavor [wheat and milk derivatives]*, citric acid [preservative]), dextrose, sodium acid

pyrophosphate (maintain color), salt. Prepared in vegetable oil (Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to

preserve freshness). Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent.

CONTAINS: WHEAT AND MILK.

*(Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients).

It's that natural beef flavor that gives McD's fries their distinctive taste, but unfortunately, we can't eat it. BTW, TBHQ is a Open Original Shared Link that has some rather nasty side effects.

So sorry teacherkd, but McD's fries and hashbrowns ARE considered gluten free. All the Celiac Associations support that position.

In an effort of full disclosure, McD's has posted honestly. What you need to know is that hydrolyzed wheat is processed to the point of rendering it gluten free, below what is considered safe for people with Celiac Disease to consume. They are cooked in dedicated fryers.

This is a frequent topic and one that will go down in the record books around here! Eat them if you feel comfortable, or don't. Cross contamination is a risk at all fast food restaurants..far greater than the hydrolyzed wheat.

I do enjoy the fries from time to time.

[Lisa]

Wendy's has some nice gluten free options.

Open Original Shared Link

[psawyer]

Once upon a time, the beef flavor in McDonalds fries was actually derived from beef tallow. McD never advertised the fries as vegetarian, but some people assumed they were. Lawsuits were filed. Moving on.

Today, the beef flavor is "natural" in that it is derived from natural ingredients, not a chemistry lab. It contains derivatives from wheat and milk.

The flavor is a very small portion of the oil in which the potatoes are partially fried at the plant. A small amount of the oil is absorbed during that process. The fries are frozen and then shipped to your local McD outlet. There, the frying is completed in pure vegetable oil in dedicated fryers. The finished product has been tested independently and contains no detectable gluten using the most sensitive test available today.

As Lisa said, they are generally accepted as safe. If you are worried about the undetectable gluten in them, then you should absolutely dread the risk of cc in McD or any other fast food establishment.

I eat the fries from time to time, and also the hash browns (which share the same fryer and oil).

[sarahbella636]

Thanks for the info on McDonald's fries. I always assumed they were a no-no but this is something to consider!

[kareng]

My mom was a taste tester years ago ( about 30) when McDs wanted to change from the beef fat version of fries. She said everyone liked the new version and they seemed pleased about it. This was a time when veggie oils were considered healthier and cheaper and better shelf life. That's why they put flavoring on them during the first " cooking".

I haven't tried McD fries since gluten-free because at least 80% of the time pre gluten-free, they were soggy & disappointing. I love Ore Ida Crinkle Fries in the oven. Probably a lot iless fat, too.

[BethM55]

I recently downloaded an app to my DroidX phone, called Find Me Gluten Free. It was free to download. It'll find places that offer gluten free menus or products for you. We'll be out and about this weekend, so I plan to make good use of it then.

[cap6]

I used to have a potato at Wendys and have never been sick but.... I watch they pull the potatoes and don't know what they touched before and who wrapped the potatoes and...and...and.. There is just too much gluten flying around in these places for me to want to take a chance any more. I will go to a chain place like Outback or Red Robin but just won't do fast food any more.

[Bubba's Mom]

We went to Red Robin for the first time last night. I asked for the gluten free menu and ordered a bacon cheese burger plain-no bun and a wedge of lettuce with dressing, and mandarin oranges. I told the waitress I needed gluten free and asked if the kitchen was aware of cc. She assured me that I was in good hands and that my food would come in a special "basket".

My food came and was a burger patty wrapped in a lettuce leaf, and oranges. Both were on a regular plate. It was brought by a different waitress. I told her it wasn't what I ordered and repeated the order to her. She brought back a patty with cheese..no bacon and a lettuce wedge with dressing.

I asked if she could bring me the bacon and she took the plate back..and came back with the right thing.

After a bit the original waitress came over and told me I ordered the wrong thing. I asked for a plain patty with cheese/bacon and a lettuce wedge with dressing.

Can anybody more experienced with Red Robin tell me what I did wrong?

[RacerX35]

They must have had the problem taking the order. My family and I just recently went to a Red Robin (and this was the first time I'd gone to one in a year and a half)and I too asked for a gluten free menu. The menu was a different color so when the waitress arrived she instantly said said, "Oh, you have a food allergy.". I ordered and my burger came out as they stated, on a special plate that was a different color than all the other ones in the restaurant at the time. Just seems that some places are run better than others. I've gone to a few sushi and japanese steak houses and they have been able to accomodate as I needed, seperate cooking and a couple even had gluten free soy sauce on hand. Usually I bring my own soy sauce. Hopefully this was just a poorly run restaurant and the others you may go to are more aware and take your order correctly.

Good luck!

Ray

[Juliebove]

There have been some concerns lately about California Pizza Kitchen and CC. I don't have one in my area. You might like to read Open Original Shared Link

Wow! That's not good at all!

[violentlyserene]

We went to Red Robin for the first time last night. I asked for the gluten free menu and ordered a bacon cheese burger plain-no bun and a wedge of lettuce with dressing, and mandarin oranges. I told the waitress I needed gluten free and asked if the kitchen was aware of cc. She assured me that I was in good hands and that my food would come in a special "basket".

My food came and was a burger patty wrapped in a lettuce leaf, and oranges. Both were on a regular plate. It was brought by a different waitress. I told her it wasn't what I ordered and repeated the order to her. She brought back a patty with cheese..no bacon and a lettuce wedge with dressing.

I asked if she could bring me the bacon and she took the plate back..and came back with the right thing.

After a bit the original waitress came over and told me I ordered the wrong thing. I asked for a plain patty with cheese/bacon and a lettuce wedge with dressing.

Can anybody more experienced with Red Robin tell me what I did wrong?

What a frustrating experience! It was really rude to tell you that you ordered the wrong thing. I've never had any sort of service issue with Red Robin so I'm hopeful for my local one but we'll see how well that holds up.

[Rosey321]

Arby's has a salad that I would rate as the best fast food salad - at least at my nearby Arby's, it is fresh, the roasted chicken on top is flavorful and I really like the honey mustard dressing. Their jamoca shakes are also gluten-free.

Another good fast food place is In-n-Out Burger - they will serve your burger in a nifty lettuce wrap and the fries are safe because they don't cook anything else in their fryers.

A lot of fast food pizza places now have gluten-free crust pizza - Streets of New York, California Pizza Kitchen, Barro's (I think). Subway will make your sandwich in a bowl as a salad and I like that you get to see what they put in your salad.

Fast food places are tough - the choices are really limited. I download all the gluten-free menus that I can think of, am adding new ones frequently, and keep them handy as my husband likes to stop for fast food when we are out. Having the menu in front of me helps and I don't have to memorize each place's offferings. . . .

Good luck-

Lilith

I did not know about the jamoca shake being gluten free. I love jamoca shakes and I am just a few weeks into being gluten free. You are my new best friend!! Has anyone tried the Amys frozen meals? Some are gluten free like the tamolie (sp). It is like eating real food again : > )

[Gfreeatx]

I did not know about the jamoca shake being gluten free. I love jamoca shakes and I am just a few weeks into being gluten free. You are my new best friend!! Has anyone tried the Amys frozen meals? Some are gluten free like the tamolie (sp). It is like eating real food again : > )

When I was first diagnosed I used to devour Amy's Cheese Enchilada dinner. It tasted so good to me. Unfortunately though I noticed after awhile that I started to have a reaction after eating it so I haven't had one in about 8 months. I know some of the other people on the forum have mentioned a problem as well with some of Amy's products. Not sure if they just have some cc issues in manufacturing or if I am just really sensitive.