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How McDonald's makes their Chicken Nuggets/McNuggets

rygon

Moderator
thats how sausages are made as well (the cheap ones). Called MRM (mechanically reclaimed meat). There was a prog on tv a bit back saying how they get away with it. They have to call them "bangers" as there isnt enough real meat to call them sausages. Also turns out they can call a certain amount of fat meat. They had some chicken Kievs that had 11% "meat" which in reality only contained 6-7%
 
What sorta nuggets do you guys all have???

Our nuggets here actually look like chicken inside long stringy strands if ya break em up
not minced

- wel I'm pretty sure anyway last I checked lol
 

merrywidow

mum with a dogdy tum
i wont click on that link, as we love chicken nuggets, if we saw how ALL our food was mad, we wouldnt eat a thing unless we grew it ourselves.
any uk bod seen the "food" programme? its on channel 4 but the older programmes can be watched on 4OD. pigs cheek anyone?
 
if we saw how ALL our food was mad, we wouldnt eat a thing unless we grew it ourselves.

I totally agree!
 
I'm officially, totally grossed out. My son has been eating these disgusting thing for 8.5 years. Never again.
That's what I was going for.

Stuff like this make just make it seem blatantly obvious to me what is making us sick is in our food supply (I'm sure meat that has been drenched in Ammonia is great for our intestinal tracts). I know people disagree but damn, how can you not get sick eating that crap.
 
I saw this somewhere else too. It's turning into a new internet rumour type thing or whatever you want to call it. First of all this particular article can ONLY be found on blogging websites with no author cited. There's no source for the information either; no studies, no documentation or agencies mentioned of any kind. These factors are enough to de-validate the article in my opinion. I could have slapped something together that looks exactly the same in 30 seconds (if I had a blog) and spread it all over the internet. Motivation? Maybe the guy at McDonald's didn't give me enough ketchup.. People are people and will do about anything for attention..
Also I agree with Rob. Chicken nuggets, though they contain mostly pulverized parts as well as various binding agents (that's another story), do present some degree of grain, or 'flake' when you bite into them, which would mean the 'ice cream' effect showed in the picture is bogus. What do you think the chances seriously are that somebody was granted unsupervised access through the McDonald's chicken McNugget factory to BEGIN with, AND got a picture of their chicken paste? I seriously doubt they would allow that.

But don't get me wrong. I find fast food pretty unappetizing in general and cruel in the process. But at the same time, I feel a line needs to be drawn between the truth (which is probably still quite repulsive) and lies/exaggeration (if applicable)

Just my 0.02 =)
 
And true Becky.. most of our food is processed and completely disgusting when you really take a look at how it's made. I try to keep away from as much food processing as possible. Ingredient labels on food packaging have also become a best friend of mine teehe
 

rygon

Moderator
MRM does actually look like that, although mcdonalds do not use any of that, its normally for catering businesses where they need to sell cheap food.

Never tried pig cheeks, but cod cheeks are gorgeous
 

vonfunk

Bourbon Bandito
Location
Toronto,
When I was in cooking school the chef showed us a video on slaughter houses, he felt we should know where our meat comes from. I'm pretty sure it was the same one that PETA shows, but with a different narrator.
 
You have to be certifiably crazy to eat shop brought processed chicken nuggets.

Many sorts of pressed meat that you find in the freezer or deli section of your local supermarket are made on a similar basis (i.e.) chicken nuggets, turkey roll, fish fingers, luncheon meat, etc...

If you want nuggets, buy some organic chicken breast and make up your own spiced breadcrumb mix at home, and make them yourself. Tastes much better and at least you know exactly what is in it.

P.S. My comments come from first hand inside knowledge, not internet rumours. If you saw how they make margarine, you would never allow it to pass your lips again!
 
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Margarine, bread, meat pies, dougnuts, cakes etc etc etc etc etc

I worked in the food manufacturing business for several years
if you saw how anything was made, produced, stored, handled etc you'd end up dying of starvation an dehydration

go to a farm an see how the milk is produced an stored etc
or the eggs are collected stored etc
then to the factories an watch what they do with it all......

Even the water you drink, jus remember there is only a set amount of it on this planet so it is recycled over an over again
so if you think where that cup of water has been once before.........
 
They taste good! So good! I hate McDonalds but if it's a nightout and I end up in McDonalds it's always the nugget meal as judging by the nutritional facts on the back this is the best thing on their menu.
 

rygon

Moderator
I think people dont like mcdonalds due to them being a big corporate business. Ok their food isnt amazing to taste, but its on par, if not better than most greasy spoons around. And im guessing a lot "healthier"

As theyre in the spotlight they get loads of bad publicity (ive eaten only mcdonalds for a mnth and feel ill) but you are going to find that with every fast food place. At least mcdonalds have some standards (compared to a few independant places ive seen)
 
Miss Spencer, I do prefer to make my own meals from scratch. Unfortunately I can't afford to buy top quality meats, and I don't always have the time or energy to cook. So I try to have a balance between fresh cooked and preprepared stuff. I figure I still have a healthier diet than most my age.
 
Pretty much everything fast food looks completely disgusting at some point in its preparation. McDonald's also has a ridiculous sugar:volume ratio for their sweet tea. Disgusting but delicious.
 

Dexky

To save time...Ask Dusty!
Location
Kentucky
I saw this somewhere else too. It's turning into a new internet rumour type thing or whatever you want to call it. First of all this particular article can ONLY be found on blogging websites with no author cited. There's no source for the information either; no studies, no documentation or agencies mentioned of any kind. These factors are enough to de-validate the article in my opinion. I could have slapped something together that looks exactly the same in 30 seconds (if I had a blog) and spread it all over the internet. Motivation? Maybe the guy at McDonald's didn't give me enough ketchup.. People are people and will do about anything for attention..
Also I agree with Rob. Chicken nuggets, though they contain mostly pulverized parts as well as various binding agents (that's another story), do present some degree of grain, or 'flake' when you bite into them, which would mean the 'ice cream' effect showed in the picture is bogus. What do you think the chances seriously are that somebody was granted unsupervised access through the McDonald's chicken McNugget factory to BEGIN with, AND got a picture of their chicken paste? I seriously doubt they would allow that.

But don't get me wrong. I find fast food pretty unappetizing in general and cruel in the process. But at the same time, I feel a line needs to be drawn between the truth (which is probably still quite repulsive) and lies/exaggeration (if applicable)

Just my 0.02 =)
Chronadian and Rob are right!! Read a little further down in the article and one of the commenters posted a link to a Snopes article debunking the whole rumor. But, truth be told, I'd say chicken nuggets are still a pretty poor choice...even for a healthy gut!!
 

rygon

Moderator
If you cant afford the top quality meat, then its worth buying the cheaper cuts (which I actually find much tastier). Braising steak, belly pork, cod cheeks etc. Buy a whole chicken rather than breasts and use the rest up in curries, rice dishes and home made stocks. A lot of recipes using the above, means spending 2mins marinating the meat and a couple of hours in oven.

The best thing to do is plan a week in advance what to eat and how long it takes to cook. I normally get some ironing or cleaning done as its cooking or just sit in front of tv. Planning definately makes it easier and less time consuming
 
Miss Spencer, I do prefer to make my own meals from scratch. Unfortunately I can't afford to buy top quality meats, and I don't always have the time or energy to cook.
I can’t afford expensive cuts of meat either. But I would rather go without, than eat packaged / pre-prepared frankenfood shite just because it is quick/easy/convenient.

The good thing about making chicken nuggets at home is the simplicity. You only need a few ingredients: chicken, flour or breadcrumbs, egg wash, seasoning and oil.

This is an ingredient list copied off a Mcdonalds website for their chicken nuggets, it is long for something so small:

Chicken, water, salt, sodium phosphates. Battered and breaded with: bleached wheat flour, water, wheat flour, food starch-modified, salt, spices, wheat gluten, paprika, dextrose, yeast, garlic powder, partially hydrogenated soybean oil and cottonseed oil with mono-and diglycerides, leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, ammonium bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate), natural flavor (plant source) with extractives of paprika. 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.

As someone else on here says: "chicken nuggets are still a pretty poor choice...even for a healthy gut!!"

I worked at Mcdonalds as a teenager and that was an eye opener I can tell you :biggrin:
 
While what form of "meat" the the goop in the picture actually is has not yet been confirmed, it's not McDonald's. They've been using actual white chicken meat for a while for their nuggets.

Something like this would be more what you'd find in Tyson nuggets, where the meat has the consistency of sawdust. Assuming it's real.
 
My husband said that McDonald's is not allowed to use mechanically processed meat. But, like Redward said, many store bought frozen chicken nuggets are made this way.
 
Some days I am so tired all I can do is lie on the sofa. Most of the shopping I bought on Monday is still in bags in the kitchen because I was too tired to put it away. I only just took the bin in this morning, and our bin day is Wednesday. So forgive me if once in a while I buy food that only requires that I turn the oven on and shove something in.
 
Some days I am so tired all I can do is lie on the sofa. Most of the shopping I bought on Monday is still in bags in the kitchen because I was too tired to put it away. I only just took the bin in this morning, and our bin day is Wednesday. So forgive me if once in a while I buy food that only requires that I turn the oven on and shove something in.

I know that feeling
sux hey
and the days you don't feel so bad - and almost human, you'd rather spend outside etc with friends reminding your self your human and not part of the couch or loo or bed etc

Luckily for me I have a reasonable butcher nearby, they make small meals up you jus throw into the oven for half hour an wallah!! Dinner is served lol

I used to love cooking etc
but the fact I'm limited to what I can eat without pain has somewhat stopped the joy
an now I'd rather spend time doin other things when I feel well enough
 
I worked at McDonalds for a year in high school because I didn't have a car yet to drive to a superior job. This was '99-2000, and their nuggets didn't look like that, but back then we did have both dark and white meat nuggets. You could tell by the tint by holding any nugget in question up to the light. It was like judging a legit $100 bill. :)

The Wendy's spicy snack wrap agrees well with me and has a decent amount of protein for a quick snack and real white meat chicken in its entirety (not minced like a nugget) with no trans fats and few carbs. Two of them are a nice meal, and cheaper than most equivalent real chicken meals at "these places". I am gone many days for 12.5 hours a day from work because I have to work longer for bathroom breaks (don't ask), I'm not going to come home and after doing bills, garbage, dishes and some "Crohn's time" make a spicy chicken Go Wrap or two from scratch. My days off consist of catching up on sleep and running errands/shopping. They're not so processed that I need to subject myself to such labor.
 
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And true Becky.. most of our food is processed and completely disgusting when you really take a look at how it's made. I try to keep away from as much food processing as possible. Ingredient labels on food packaging have also become a best friend of mine teehe

"If you think you can win, you can win. Faith is necessary to victory."
William Hazlitt
Like your signature quote.

It's totally possible to go to the grocery store and buy ALL stuff to eat, that you would have no problems seeing how it was made.
 

AndiGirl

Your Story Forum Monitor
Okay, I'm a chicken! I'm afraid to view the link. I am grossed out by what was said though.
 
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