Last Friday, Burger King launched some new fries – offering free samples while supplies lasted. Our scientific sisters at Consumer Reports jumped in the car and headed to two Burger King locations near our shared Yonkers, NY, headquarters to see if they could detect any changes.

The verdict? It seems that BK’s fries have improved, and are now closer in quality to McDonald’s, but more extensive testing is needed to determine a clear winner between those two fries. The infamous BK “coating” that many people seem to hate is still there, but CR says it’s less prominent.

Here’s the CR’s sensory staff’s initial take:

Last time we tested them we said that the BK fries were relatively low in flavor and that the fatty taste was about as intense as the potato flavor. Now we find that the new fries have potato flavor that is bigger than the fat flavor and more balanced.

The new Burger King fries have a moderate potato flavor with a baked potato texture, are moderately salty, fairly crispy, but lacked browned flavor. There still seems to be a coating on the fries but it is less obvious and less of a detractor than their previous version.

The new Burger King fries are now closer in quality to McDonald’s fries. Wendy’s is still clearly the standout with distinct potato flavor complemented by a browned and slight earthy skin flavor that is well balanced with salt and oil flavors, and has a moist interior.

Bottom Line: Burger King’s fries are indeed improved, but there are still better fries out there.

CR’s official look at BK fries is scheduled for the March issue.

BK Fries Are Better, But Still Not As Good As Wendy’s [CR]

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