ASU News Now

August 24, 2001
 
 
 

McDonald's Corporation Unveils "Defrydrator"
 
 
 
 

"It just may be the biggest thing to hit our franchise since the rise of the Extra Value Meal", said Ronald Mickeydee,  senior vice-president of the largest fast food chain in the world.  McDonalds has always been known for it's trademark BigMac and fries and for over 40 years the restaraunt has served America and other countries as the leader in fast food service.  However, recent studies have shown that the beloved family favorite is not the favorite of one's heart and respiratory system.  In fact, reports show that over 35,000 people in the past 12 years have died from eating too frequently at McDonald's, as it is infamous for foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol.

Yet starting next April, the public will no longer have to fear for their lives when they walk into a McDonald's because the company just yesterday unveiled one of their biggest innovations in over a decade - the Defrydrator. A brilliant aspiration, the Defrydrator is a machine that will help McDonalds regain the loyalty of the the American public.

One of the favorites at McDonalds is their golden-but-not-too-crispy french fries.  Conventionally, the fries have been dipped in pounds of grease and deep-fried, calling for a recipe full of cholesterol and fatty substances.  These fries, in combination with the BigMac, are resposible for the thousands of deaths that have happened in the last 12 years.  The Defrydrator, however, reformulates the method of cooking fries and makes the deep-frying baskets run for cover.

The Defrydrator actually cooks fries by using a combination of heat, steam, and rothrobiosis - or the process known as dehydration.  Much like the way fruit, vegetables, or jerky is dried in a conventional food dehydrator, the Defrydrator actually cooks the fries while it dehydrates the grease from within them.  As shown in the demonstration above, the fries are individually slid through the clips lining the outer rim of the defrydrator - which looks like a pot with no bottom - and then is cooked using the heat from a stove.  As the fries cook, they are simultaneously dehydrated, thus making the food much less hard on the heart.  Hence, the result is a french fries that is just as crispy and golden as the conventional deep-fried fry, but with less than half the fat and cholesterol.

ASU News Now was interested in finding out how the taste of the "Defry" compared to the regular McDonald's fry, so we surveyed over 600 people in a taste test to find out.  Out of every person surveyed, only 11 people claimed that they could taste a difference between the "Defry" and regular fry.  An overwhelming majority said they could not tell one fry from the other.  What's more, over 30 testers asked if the machine would actually be sold in retail stores!

Indeed, the "Defrydrator" has come prepared to battle the old grease pan and McDonald's is looking forward to the time when "defries" will be sold as part of the Extra Value Meal.  Just imagine how many lives the invention will help save!  But sorry, McDonald's does not plan to distribute their invention any time soon.  You'll only find at at the golden arches.  Good news for good eating!
 

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