A Former McDonald's Chef Says This Store-Bought Brand Tastes Just Like McDonald's Pickles
With more than 40,000 locations worldwide, it's hard to believe that everyone isn't within at least a few miles of a McDonald's, but you can't really help where you live when you have a Big Mac attack. Thankfully, if your closest Golden Arches is too far for your liking, with a little ingenuity it's not hard to recreate the chain's classic burgers at home. The secret's been out for a while about how to make Big Mac sauce, but pickles have been more of a mystery. Enter Mike Haracz, a former McDonald's corporate chef, who shared with TikTok what he thinks is the closest thing to Mickey D's pickles at the grocery store, and no, they're not our fan fave Claussens, they're Best Maid Hamburger Slices.
"Yes, they are crinkle cut, which is different than regular McDonald's pickles on their hamburger, cheeseburger, whatever," he said of the only major difference between the store-bought brand and the restaurant version, adding, "but they taste absolutely identical." Finding the right pickle dupe, said Haracz, was a matter of comparing the ingredients between McDonald's version and store-bought brands. While not exactly the same, Best Maid Hamburger Slices have several ingredients in common with the fast food behemoth's fermented cukes.
Where to find Best Maid pickles
One of the biggest similarities between McDonald's pickles and Best Maid, according to Mike Haracz, is that both varieties are heat treated. This renders them shelf stable, allowing them to last longer than fresh, refrigerated pickles, though they do need to be stored in the fridge after opening.
@chefmikeharacz Former #McDonalds corporate chef tells you where to buy their pickles. #mcdonaldshacks #mcdonaldshack #mcdonaldssecrets #mcdonaldssecret #mcdonaldslife #McDonaldsMenu #mcdonaldstiktok #fastfood #fastfoodsecrets #fastfoodmenu #fastfoodtiktok #Pickles #picklesarelife #picklesnack #mcdonaldspickles #bigmac #quarterpounder #doublecheeseburger #mcdouble #FYP
If you're always asking for extra pickles at McDonald's, save yourself a trip to the drive thru because these copycats are available everywhere. According to the company website, you can find Best Maid pickles at stores like Walmart, Brookshire's, H-E-B, Kroger,Albertsons, Brookshire Brothers, and Lowe's Market, which pretty much covers the entire country. And if you can't find them anywhere near you for whatever reason, you can also order them from the brand website. If you're browsing your local supermarket for Best Maids, "You're gonna wanna go in the aisle with the salad dressings, the olives, all those kinds of things," Haracz told his followers.
Once you get your hands on the right pickles, putting together a Big Mac shouldn't be too hard. All you need are two griddled beef patties, a sesame seed bun, one slice of American cheese, shredded lettuce, and of course some special sauce. If you manage to get it all together, don't forget to take a video and tag Mike Haracz on TikTok, where he regularly critiques the results.