The Popular Fast Food Chain That Has Some Of The Worst French Fries

It can be just as difficult to find legitimately crispy french fries from fast food restaurants as it is to make them at home. To help us all avoid another disappointing hunt for spuds, Chowhound's own Alex Springer sat down and ranked fast food french fries from best to worst. One of the worst picks in question? In-N-Out.

While this California-based chain is beloved by many people for its fresh, premium burgers, including legends like Anthony Bourdain, who considered In-N-Out a favorite fast food spot, its fries aren't so well-regarded. Springer sees the appeal of the restaurant impressing guests by julienning and frying them right in front of you. However, while this freshness and transparency might give In-N-Out points in the flair department, it actually is a pretty frowned-upon culinary technique. Frying potatoes that have been freshly cut doesn't give the spuds time to release excess moisture, which is why most fry aficionados choose to blanch their fries before they touch hot oil. Failing to do so results in soggy, texture-less potatoes, which Springer says is the biggest issue with In-N-Out's failed fries. For a better, crispier side, Springer acknowledged that many customers order their fries well-done, earning them extra time in the fryer. But this doesn't fully repair the damage done by the rushed prep process.

While Springer ranked In-N-Out's fries low on his list, fans of the chain will be glad to know it wasn't the worst batch he tried. That award goes to Dairy Queen and its truly flavorless and "forgettable" french fries. 

While In-N-Out's fries fall low on Alex Springer's list, he's far from the only one with this opinion. Most customers of the chain know that receiving lackluster fries is just the price to pay to get the real deal here — the juicy, delicious burger. You can order the accompanying fries well-done or animal-style to disguise their disappointing features, but a bad fry is a bad fry.

If you're hoping to redeem your tastebuds after a trip to In-N-Out, Springer has a good idea of where you could go instead. (Just never Dairy Queen. Save this chain for a late-night ice cream craving like it was intended.) For a universally beloved, reliable choice, stick to McDonald's fries. It's rare for a fast food restaurant to achieve the flavor of these crispy, salty golden sticks of heaven, which is why Springer dubs them the best fast food french fries of the 15 chains he tried. For something a little more unique, though, Springer also speaks highly of the crinkle-cut fries at Shake Shack, as well as the perfectly spiced nacho fries from Taco Bell. As long as you steer clear of In-N-Out when satisfying your craving for french fries, you should be in for a good batch of crispy spuds.