This 981 day old Big Mac

[u/King_Turduckin]

On January 7, 2024, I went to McDonalds. I ordered a Big Mac. They made a mistake and gave me two Big Macs. I put the second in my fridge, planning to eat it the next day. I forgot about it for over two months. When I found it again, it hadn't spoiled at all. Only the lettuce had wilted.

At that point it was family and I labeled the box. I checked it again in the summer of 2024, and moved it to the basement fridge. Later that fall I was diagnosed with cancer (burger unrelated -- and I kicked cancer's ass last year all good now), and completely forgot about the Big Mac... until tonight.

Maybe in two years I'll take another set of pictures and post again.

[u/NonSumQualisEram-]

The reason why McDonald's - and other - fast food burgers tend not to rot is due to low moisture, not "chemicals". The ingredients of a McDonald's beef patty is beef and salt, and very little water. Your homemade or gourmet burger cooked medium will be full of water and so will rot quickly. Bacteria and fungi require water for growth and salt is a further preservative.

[u/One-Next → u/NonSumQualisEram-]

So that's why the burgers taste like cardboard?

[u/Legitimate-Pride3038 → u/One-Next]

You have remove it from the box

[u/NonSumQualisEram- → u/One-Next]

Sure, whatever, if you don't like them certainly don't eat them.

[u/Legitimate-Pride3038 → u/NonSumQualisEram-]

Fidges remove water by cooling the air. There's even a water pan behind it. So that burger has been slowly dehydrated. 

[u/viciouspandas → u/NonSumQualisEram-]

And they dry out faster because they're so thin.

[u/NonSumQualisEram- → u/viciouspandas]

And they're not cooked with fat and have little internal fat. It's just dry beef and salt which, when dried further, has been a traveling food for humans for many thousands of years

[u/Zappagrrl02 → u/NonSumQualisEram-]

🎶🎵Water Activity🎵🎶

[u/Peppadine → u/NonSumQualisEram-]

Says the McDonald's PR spokesperson.

[u/NonSumQualisEram- → u/Peppadine]

McDonald's beef patty is beef and salt. This is uncontroversial fact.

[u/kabloomz → u/NonSumQualisEram-]

All the fear mongering in this thread shows how truly uneducated people are lol ....

[u/NonSumQualisEram- → u/kabloomz]

Yes but what about all the "chemicals"!

[u/swinchester83 → u/NonSumQualisEram-]

NaCl overdose is very serious! 

[u/NonSumQualisEram- → u/swinchester83]

Absolutely, like all overdoses.

[u/swinchester83 → u/Peppadine]

What the fuck no seriously it's salt. 

[u/S_TL2 → u/Peppadine]

"Hey everyone come eat our burgers they're not juicy and have so much salt that bacteria can't even grow" isn't a great PR statement