McDonald's Cheeseburger vs. McDouble vs. Double Cheeseburger
Posted by Robyn Lee, December 11, 2008 at 10:00 AM
This past Monday was the first time I ever bought a cheeseburger at McDonald's. And probably my last.
But I did it for you. With McDonald's recent release of the McDouble, they now have three basic, sub-$2 cheeseburgers: the cheeseburger, McDouble (two patties with one slice of cheese), and double cheeseburger (two patties with two slices of cheese). Since it's AHT's job to document such a momentous occasion in McDonald's cheeseburger history, I went to the McDonald's a block away, got one of each burger, and took photos of and tasted each one.
Although we previously reported that the McDouble would be on the Dollar Menu, in Manhattan the cheeseburger appears on the Dollar Menu while the McDouble is $1.39 and the double cheeseburger is $1.49. Is it worth coughing up the extra dime for another slice of cheese? Yes. More details after the jump.
Cheeseburger
McDonald's cheeseburger is one of the saddest burgers I have ever touched in my life, perhaps only second to their hamburger. It felt so...dead. And I don't mean to imply that most burgers feel alive—I'm quite aware that they're inanimate objects—but something about this burger made me think "dead," "limp," and "sad."
It looked and tasted like sadness. Dry sadness. Let's move on.
McDouble
The McDouble is less sad. Two patties instead of one makes a big difference.
But it's still missing something...
Double Cheeseburger
It's missing the extra slice of cheese found in the double cheeseburger.
This was the clear winner in our panel of testers. Not that we'd necessarily recommend it, just that if you were wondering if it was worth getting over the single cheese sliced McDouble (only a 10¢ difference at our local McDonald's), we'd say yes. The semi-melted processed cheese helps balance out the dry patties. The McDouble doesn't seem to have much reason to exist except in places where it actually appears on the Dollar Menu.
If I ever go back to McDonald's though, I'll probably get a Filet-O-Fish.
can't help but think about yesterday's post about the worst value menu items.
How can something so small and plain looking be this:
"McDonald’s McDouble. 390 calories, more than 43% of them from fat. 65 milligrams of cholesterol, more than 42% of the recommended daily value. 920 milligrams of sodium, 38% of the recommended daily value."
The addition of topics concerning McDonalds, including yesterday's post re: the fish filet, has left me concerned about seriouseats.
What comes out of those waxy paper wrappers is not real food people! It's irresponsible for your health and the environment. And finally, it doesn't taste good.
So please, can we get back to other ways of talking about cheap, fast food that isn't so off-putting?
On the very rare occasion I might visit a McDonald's, my order always ends with "NO CHEESE". What is that horrible gluey stuff? And by rare, I mean maybe once a year. I do love their french fries when they're freshly hot out of the fryer. I ask for that and tell them I'll wait.
@spartana07: I wouldn't care if I didn't have to read about the McDouble seemingly every other day (while searching for burger news, haha..that's my job). It was my first foray into McDonald's in ages; trust me, SE is not going to become flooded with McDonald's talk.
Those are some sad looking burgs...but just seeing it teases my tongue with that distinct taste of American cheese and rehydrated onions, wrapped in that limp, flavorless bun.
I enjoyed the mini-review of McD's cheeseburgers and all, but as for the comments all I have to say is: Hating on McDonald's is BORING. Cheeseburgers in general aren't healthy, fast food in general isn't healthy, blah, blah, blah. Who the f cares about about your trite and well reasoned opinion? That guy who's eaten a million Big Macs and is obsessed with McDonalds? He's fucking amazing because he's unique. All the McDonald's/Fast food haters who pop up on this and other sites like it are doing the equivalent of telling me the sky is blue. Thanks, I got that one already.
I do enjoy fast food, but after working at McDonald's for 4-5 years as a teenager, I have no desire to eat it ever again. It's amazing how little what they actually serve resembles the menu "glamour shot" photographs of the products.
What's with all the hate ? Can anyone really say that one of their first burgers ever was not from a McD's ? In fact it's probably one of the reasons why we sought others as grownups. Yes, we now know better and go for all of the other guys who came AFTER the Golden Arches (unless you try a classic double with cheese straight from the grill still glistening).
I love their double cheeseburger as a snack. It is the best thing on their menu. The McDouble is good but is not as good- it is missing something. As a snack, the lower calorie count is good. I have always had a taste for their regular little hamburgers. I can skip the Quarter Pounder forever, I would rather get a real hamburger somewhere else.
I like small hamburgers. I don't have any slider places like White Castle or White Manna near me.
I don't have anything against McDonald's. Of course, I don't have any desire to eat half raw hamburgers like most on this blog seem to favor.
i can has cheezburgr too.
and I am oddly intrigued by doyouloveanapple's suggestion of meat cookies...and they kind of sound delicious if they are done right
Even though it is a bit sad, I kind of love the regular McDonald's cheeseburger. It's simple, small and a nice treat or hangover fix (for hangovers, you need two). It's just one of those childhood flavors that still taste good, like tuna casseroles and PB&J.
I've been a reader of this column for some time and always enjoy it, but I am so compelled to comment on this one that I actually had to sign up.
OK, so while I'm not suggesting that Micky-D's is in any way GOURMET, I do find and have found since I was a child that it can serve very well as somewhat of a "comfort food", especially on a cool rainy day like we are experiencing here today in Charlotte NC. Additionally, since tomorrow is payday and I am thus down to my last few bucks until then, I find McD's dollar menu offers serious bang for the buck.
Hence, my cheap lunch recipe, which I have just consumed: (2) McDoubles & (1) bacon cheesburger; remove the bottom buns from both McDoubles (cheese is on the top bun) and then oh-so-carefully remove both buns from the bacon cheeseburger, preserving as much of the top bun cheese as possible. Stack them all together with the two top buns on the outside (the top bun is always my favorite half, after all) into a -- uh -- quintburger? (McD's patties are really small enough that this roughly equates to a Wendy's triple, but that's another post.)
With the addition of a $1 small fry, my entire lunch bill came to $4.30! (McDouble is served on the $1 menu here in the south).
Healthy? Unlikely, but cheap-slide-down-greasy-meaty-cheesy-deliciousness, ABSOLUTELY!
While I love me some fast food burgers, I absolutely REVILE McDonald's. I just really dislike the meat, and the buns are pretty dry. That said, the double cheeseburger has been a quick 'reset' for my hunger on days when I've waited to long to eat. I buy one and eat it first so that I don't order the entire dollar menu and have 'burger guilt' as I choke down the rest.
You must have a different definition of REVILE than the rest of the world. Most people would revile eating dog shit, but that said they don't pop into the dog park for a quick reset when their blood sugar's low. 'sayin.
I know McDonald's is awful for me, but you know what? I eat it. Because I'm lazy sometimes and don't pack and other food near my office was always expensive ($6 to stuff my face at McDonald's vs. a $15 burger at a sit-down place nearby? I don't know about y'all's bank account, but I'm no Wall Street CEO).
Eat it or don't, but we all know it's bad and have probably read Omnivore's Dilemma and blah blah blah.
Robyn's first and last time at McDonalds, AND she likes the Filet-O-Fish? Awww, you just moved down a notch in my book, not sure you are worthy to mother my children now =(
I am as much of a gourmand as the next - eat anything, cook anything, worked in restaurants for years, go to the hip new restaurants - but there is a time and place for everything and that includes McDonalds. I allow myself a heart-clogging McD's lunch about once per month although I think this month I am skipping it to grab a friend for a City Burger classic vs. Black Label showdown. Yum.
I had one of their "Angus" 1/3 pound "Classic" burgers the other day. As when it was originally reviewed, the toppings are better, but the meat tastes the same. It tastes like a bigger 1/4 pounder with lettuce and tomato. I have no qualms whatsoever with McDonalds, but I don't eat there often. There's no question that the taste takes you back to when you were a kid, and that's not such a bad thing.
I think that their Angus burger is my favorite product of McDonalds now. It's definitely their best burger. I liked the bun, the rest of the toppings, and the patty is decent (although way overcooked). The patty reminds me of a Costco frozen 1/3 pounder.
I agree with you. I also like small, simple, fully-cooked burgers... ones that don't turn into a soppy mess on a plate when you're just a few bites in.
Food can be a guilty pleasure. And that can take forms that may not appeal to everyone. While McDs was not my first burger, it was a different world than the backyard cookout, and it was more fun to be with friends at McDs than family in the backyard. My tastes have changed and evolved since then, and Im lucky to live in an area that has some really good indie burger shops. But a couple times a year, I enjoy having a McDs cheeseburger. This product is just the right size for a quick snack if you're in a hurry and need to raise your blood sugar.
Maybe it''s a shred of nostalgia pouring through or maybe it's just a tastebud misfire, but from my first taste - close to 50 years ago - it's the rehydrated onions that remain the McDs' cheeseburgers' redemption. While I mourn their switch to Plasticheese and their insistence on pouring enough sugar into their ketchup to light up a schoolyard, if I request extra onions and close my eyes, my occasional visit to the drive-thru becomes a little rocketship to my childhood.
I haven't eaten at a McDonald's in more than 7 years--and that just means in the place, since I'm a vegetarian. But it's weird how many of our 'childhood memories' including my own are set in McD's, from getting Happy Meals, to eating with my mother and grandmother when my father was away, to road trips. It makes you see why, despite the fact that I find the smell revolting now, the brand lives on.
these are amazing to throw... i tossed several double cheeseburgers at people in jest and anger during summer 08. with an average arm you can throw a double cheeseburger 30 feet unwrapped and 40+ wrapped.
Hilarious.
I just happen to be eating a McD's Cheeseburger right now! I missed lunch and had the hubby bring me one, well actually two, to work.
Tastes pretty good when you're really hungry!
I know folks who prefer the cheeseburger because it tastes better than the double cheeseburger.
I have to say the McDouble works for me because the one slice of cheese allows for the meat flavor to come through more than on the double cheeseburger.
I know this is off the subject, but the new Angus Mushroom & Swiss is good!
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44 Comments:
can't help but think about yesterday's post about the worst value menu items.
How can something so small and plain looking be this:
"McDonald’s McDouble. 390 calories, more than 43% of them from fat. 65 milligrams of cholesterol, more than 42% of the recommended daily value. 920 milligrams of sodium, 38% of the recommended daily value."
intheyearofthepig at 10:23AM on 12/11/08
I still want a cheeseburger now though, even a McDouble.
sad.
intheyearofthepig at 10:24AM on 12/11/08
The addition of topics concerning McDonalds, including yesterday's post re: the fish filet, has left me concerned about seriouseats.
What comes out of those waxy paper wrappers is not real food people! It's irresponsible for your health and the environment. And finally, it doesn't taste good.
So please, can we get back to other ways of talking about cheap, fast food that isn't so off-putting?
spartana07 at 10:32AM on 12/11/08
Mmmm... meat cookies.
doyouloveanapple at 10:33AM on 12/11/08
@intherearofthepig: If you are worrying about these nutrition values, you shouldn't even walk into McDonald's for anything.
kobetobiko at 10:34AM on 12/11/08
On the very rare occasion I might visit a McDonald's, my order always ends with "NO CHEESE". What is that horrible gluey stuff? And by rare, I mean maybe once a year. I do love their french fries when they're freshly hot out of the fryer. I ask for that and tell them I'll wait.
PerkyMac at 10:39AM on 12/11/08
@spartana07: I wouldn't care if I didn't have to read about the McDouble seemingly every other day (while searching for burger news, haha..that's my job). It was my first foray into McDonald's in ages; trust me, SE is not going to become flooded with McDonald's talk.
Robyn Lee at 10:45AM on 12/11/08
@kobetobiko
I don't ever walk into McD for anything,
but I still worry.
And I still want a cheeseburger.
intheyearofthepig at 10:53AM on 12/11/08
Those are some sad looking burgs...but just seeing it teases my tongue with that distinct taste of American cheese and rehydrated onions, wrapped in that limp, flavorless bun.
And this thought actually makes me want one.
PizzaDinosaur at 10:56AM on 12/11/08
I enjoyed the mini-review of McD's cheeseburgers and all, but as for the comments all I have to say is: Hating on McDonald's is BORING. Cheeseburgers in general aren't healthy, fast food in general isn't healthy, blah, blah, blah. Who the f cares about about your trite and well reasoned opinion? That guy who's eaten a million Big Macs and is obsessed with McDonalds? He's fucking amazing because he's unique. All the McDonald's/Fast food haters who pop up on this and other sites like it are doing the equivalent of telling me the sky is blue. Thanks, I got that one already.
EazyB at 11:00AM on 12/11/08
@spartana07- most serious eaters don't come to SE for a scolding. Quit it.
Kerosena at 11:02AM on 12/11/08
be easy, EazyB.
the nutritional info of the McDouble was part of a post yesterday.
I thought it was relevant again today.
The sky is blue?
really?
I had no idea.
intheyearofthepig at 11:05AM on 12/11/08
If forced to eat a McDonald's hamburger I'm going for the single every time. The meat frightens me too much to double up on it.
RegrettableFoodie at 11:11AM on 12/11/08
i need to have an eating party at mcdonalds. mmm...
foodinmouth at 11:15AM on 12/11/08
I do enjoy fast food, but after working at McDonald's for 4-5 years as a teenager, I have no desire to eat it ever again. It's amazing how little what they actually serve resembles the menu "glamour shot" photographs of the products.
http://ryanschierling.blogspot.com/2008/10/king-vs-clown.html
(From "Ugly Food," a photo series looking at processed and packaged food that anyone can purchase for one dollar or less.)
nordicfraley at 11:18AM on 12/11/08
What's with all the hate ? Can anyone really say that one of their first burgers ever was not from a McD's ? In fact it's probably one of the reasons why we sought others as grownups. Yes, we now know better and go for all of the other guys who came AFTER the Golden Arches (unless you try a classic double with cheese straight from the grill still glistening).
plantainsandkimchi at 11:19AM on 12/11/08
@kerosena: most people who eat mcdonald's regularly end up with their own, gastronomic punishment, so i don't need to scold. :)
spartana07 at 11:20AM on 12/11/08
I love their double cheeseburger as a snack. It is the best thing on their menu. The McDouble is good but is not as good- it is missing something. As a snack, the lower calorie count is good. I have always had a taste for their regular little hamburgers. I can skip the Quarter Pounder forever, I would rather get a real hamburger somewhere else.
I like small hamburgers. I don't have any slider places like White Castle or White Manna near me.
I don't have anything against McDonald's. Of course, I don't have any desire to eat half raw hamburgers like most on this blog seem to favor.
eatorama at 11:38AM on 12/11/08
Sadburgers! Those wouldn't even tempt a lolcat.
Though now that you mention it, I could go for a cheeseburger. A cheezburger, even.
butterface at 11:42AM on 12/11/08
i can has cheezburgr too.
and I am oddly intrigued by doyouloveanapple's suggestion of meat cookies...and they kind of sound delicious if they are done right
decemberain27 at 11:52AM on 12/11/08
Double Cheeseburger is $1.89 at 40th & Second Ave Mickey Dee
jakeyd at 12:01PM on 12/11/08
Even though it is a bit sad, I kind of love the regular McDonald's cheeseburger. It's simple, small and a nice treat or hangover fix (for hangovers, you need two). It's just one of those childhood flavors that still taste good, like tuna casseroles and PB&J.
minoric at 12:24PM on 12/11/08
This post just gave me a craving for Five Guys.
Btw, even if the burgers were less than delicious, these photos are amazing!
JudgeFudge at 12:29PM on 12/11/08
Check out this site for more reality vs ads:
http://thewvsr.com/adsvsreality.htm
jkdrummer at 12:39PM on 12/11/08
Makes me want a motherfuckin' McDonald's cheeseburger. Pregnancy cravings are the BEST/WORST.
O_Leaozinho at 12:40PM on 12/11/08
@kerosena, " most serious eaters don't come to SE for a scolding."
I do. Scold me, baby - that's right. I've been a bad boy - I had a double cheeseburger yesterday. Such a bad boy...
shoneyjoe at 1:20PM on 12/11/08
I've been a reader of this column for some time and always enjoy it, but I am so compelled to comment on this one that I actually had to sign up.
OK, so while I'm not suggesting that Micky-D's is in any way GOURMET, I do find and have found since I was a child that it can serve very well as somewhat of a "comfort food", especially on a cool rainy day like we are experiencing here today in Charlotte NC. Additionally, since tomorrow is payday and I am thus down to my last few bucks until then, I find McD's dollar menu offers serious bang for the buck.
Hence, my cheap lunch recipe, which I have just consumed: (2) McDoubles & (1) bacon cheesburger; remove the bottom buns from both McDoubles (cheese is on the top bun) and then oh-so-carefully remove both buns from the bacon cheeseburger, preserving as much of the top bun cheese as possible. Stack them all together with the two top buns on the outside (the top bun is always my favorite half, after all) into a -- uh -- quintburger? (McD's patties are really small enough that this roughly equates to a Wendy's triple, but that's another post.)
With the addition of a $1 small fry, my entire lunch bill came to $4.30! (McDouble is served on the $1 menu here in the south).
Healthy? Unlikely, but cheap-slide-down-greasy-meaty-cheesy-deliciousness, ABSOLUTELY!
lodger at 1:50PM on 12/11/08
While I love me some fast food burgers, I absolutely REVILE McDonald's. I just really dislike the meat, and the buns are pretty dry. That said, the double cheeseburger has been a quick 'reset' for my hunger on days when I've waited to long to eat. I buy one and eat it first so that I don't order the entire dollar menu and have 'burger guilt' as I choke down the rest.
Hercules Rockefeller at 2:48PM on 12/11/08
@Hercules Rockefeller
You must have a different definition of REVILE than the rest of the world. Most people would revile eating dog shit, but that said they don't pop into the dog park for a quick reset when their blood sugar's low. 'sayin.
EazyB at 3:05PM on 12/11/08
EasyB = best.
I know McDonald's is awful for me, but you know what? I eat it. Because I'm lazy sometimes and don't pack and other food near my office was always expensive ($6 to stuff my face at McDonald's vs. a $15 burger at a sit-down place nearby? I don't know about y'all's bank account, but I'm no Wall Street CEO).
Eat it or don't, but we all know it's bad and have probably read Omnivore's Dilemma and blah blah blah.
anysuchname at 3:21PM on 12/11/08
Robyn's first and last time at McDonalds, AND she likes the Filet-O-Fish? Awww, you just moved down a notch in my book, not sure you are worthy to mother my children now =(
I am as much of a gourmand as the next - eat anything, cook anything, worked in restaurants for years, go to the hip new restaurants - but there is a time and place for everything and that includes McDonalds. I allow myself a heart-clogging McD's lunch about once per month although I think this month I am skipping it to grab a friend for a City Burger classic vs. Black Label showdown. Yum.
Just kidding Robyn, I still want your babies.
Big B at 4:52PM on 12/11/08
I think you guys are forgetting that you absolutely have to put in a layer of fries on the burger for the full effect. Mmmm.
TrashedOut at 5:43PM on 12/11/08
I tried the McDouble yesterday. Meh.
Blue387 at 6:15PM on 12/11/08
I had one of their "Angus" 1/3 pound "Classic" burgers the other day. As when it was originally reviewed, the toppings are better, but the meat tastes the same. It tastes like a bigger 1/4 pounder with lettuce and tomato. I have no qualms whatsoever with McDonalds, but I don't eat there often. There's no question that the taste takes you back to when you were a kid, and that's not such a bad thing.
I think that their Angus burger is my favorite product of McDonalds now. It's definitely their best burger. I liked the bun, the rest of the toppings, and the patty is decent (although way overcooked). The patty reminds me of a Costco frozen 1/3 pounder.
tjmile1 at 6:46PM on 12/11/08
Oh yeah, and the extra slice of cheese is absolutely necessary.
tjmile1 at 6:47PM on 12/11/08
@eatorama-
I agree with you. I also like small, simple, fully-cooked burgers... ones that don't turn into a soppy mess on a plate when you're just a few bites in.
smile at 9:00PM on 12/11/08
Food can be a guilty pleasure. And that can take forms that may not appeal to everyone. While McDs was not my first burger, it was a different world than the backyard cookout, and it was more fun to be with friends at McDs than family in the backyard. My tastes have changed and evolved since then, and Im lucky to live in an area that has some really good indie burger shops. But a couple times a year, I enjoy having a McDs cheeseburger. This product is just the right size for a quick snack if you're in a hurry and need to raise your blood sugar.
chanterelle at 11:25PM on 12/11/08
Maybe it''s a shred of nostalgia pouring through or maybe it's just a tastebud misfire, but from my first taste - close to 50 years ago - it's the rehydrated onions that remain the McDs' cheeseburgers' redemption. While I mourn their switch to Plasticheese and their insistence on pouring enough sugar into their ketchup to light up a schoolyard, if I request extra onions and close my eyes, my occasional visit to the drive-thru becomes a little rocketship to my childhood.
sallyforth at 12:39AM on 12/12/08
I haven't eaten at a McDonald's in more than 7 years--and that just means in the place, since I'm a vegetarian. But it's weird how many of our 'childhood memories' including my own are set in McD's, from getting Happy Meals, to eating with my mother and grandmother when my father was away, to road trips. It makes you see why, despite the fact that I find the smell revolting now, the brand lives on.
HeartofGlass at 9:14AM on 12/12/08
McDonald's cheeseburger's are like cigarettes...sometimes you just gotta have one.
chardonnay at 10:37AM on 12/12/08
these are amazing to throw... i tossed several double cheeseburgers at people in jest and anger during summer 08. with an average arm you can throw a double cheeseburger 30 feet unwrapped and 40+ wrapped.
yr momz at 9:41PM on 12/12/08
I want to know why the double cheeseburger was cheaper than the cheeseburger for a while. does anyone remember that? one was $1 and the other $1.29
titiflores44 at 12:47PM on 11/19/09
Hilarious.
I just happen to be eating a McD's Cheeseburger right now! I missed lunch and had the hubby bring me one, well actually two, to work.
Tastes pretty good when you're really hungry!
soozm32 at 4:16PM on 11/19/09
I know folks who prefer the cheeseburger because it tastes better than the double cheeseburger.
I have to say the McDouble works for me because the one slice of cheese allows for the meat flavor to come through more than on the double cheeseburger.
I know this is off the subject, but the new Angus Mushroom & Swiss is good!
jlewfoodie at 6:57PM on 11/19/09