There’s something about the combination of alcohol and more alcohol that creates an almost magnetic pull to the nearest Maccie D’s. Don’t act like you’re better than us, we all fall off the wagon now and again.

They say ignorance is bliss, and sometimes knowing exactly how some of your guilty pleasures are made can spoil the fun. Thanks to Yahoo we can now break down the process of making McDonald’s world-famous skinny chips from start to finish.

Step 1: Peel, Cut and Blanch – Non-GMO potatoes are peeled and forced through a cutter at 65mph (104,6 kmh, yowzers). They are then blanched to spoilage and develop a fluffy interior.

Step 2: Dip in “Ingredient Bath” – We quote here…

This is the most unnatural step of the process. The now-cut and blanched fries are dipped in an “ingredient bath” which consists of dextrose and sodium acid pyrophosphate. The dextrose, a natural form of sugar, is to help achieve a uniform golden color and the sodium acid pyrophosphate prevents the potatoes from turning grayish after they are cooked.

Step 3: Dry & Quick Fry – Again from Yahoo:

McDonald’s not only fries the potatoes in a mix of oils – canola, soybean and hydrogenated soybean – but also adds natural beef flavor derived from beef fat.

Sorry vegetarians, it seems them French fries are out. Moving on…

Step 4: Flash Freeze – They freeze them rapidly and transport to individual outlets.

Step 5: Ship & Cook in Restaurants – Do your thing Yahoo:

When you’re ready to order, the restaurants cook the fries for a third time, frying them in more oil. This time, it’s a vegetable oil blend of canola, corn, soybean and hydrogenated soybean oils.

There you have it. Not quite as gruesome as the story of how they make their chicken nuggets, but bad news for vegetarians who want to munch down on some fried and salted potato bits. Oh well, we hear that steamed broccoli makes for a great drunken snack after an evening at the bar.

[source:yahoo]