Dick Uliano, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – Fast food is under constant criticism for its high calories and trans fat.
But if you’re going to indulge — why not make it the best?
Jon Hein, host of the Discovery channel’s Fast Food Mania, lists his 10 favorites — despite frowning disapproval from fast food critics.
No. 1 on the list featured on The Daily Meal is Nathan’s French Fries. Hein admires their crinkle cut but prefers the fries without ketchup.
“The icing on the cake is that red plastic fry fork. You can’t find it anywhere else. Part of the stuff that makes fast food unique is the little ways they make things to set them apart,” Hein says.
Two other French fries make Hein’s top 10 list: McDonald’s fries, which he says are perfectly salted and you know what you’re going to get in the small red box. And he praises In-N-Out Burger’s “Well-Done Fries.” They’re a little more crispy.
For decades diners have waxed poetic about Colonel Sanders’ secret recipe for his Kentucky Fried Chicken. But it’s the KFC biscuit that draws Hein’s praise. He calls it “a great buttermilk biscuit.”
The biscuit is “thick, it’s the right texture and it complements the chicken,” says Hein.
“Where’s the beef?” is the question that propelled sales of Wendy’s hamburgers but at Wendy’s Hein likes the Frosty, and that’s not his only favorite fast-food dessert. He says it’s a “true fast-food dessert.”
At Dairy Queen he’s a sucker for the Blizzard.
Another fast food treat that made the list are Krispy Kreme’s hot glazed doughnuts. Hein recommends waiting for the “hot” sign in the window. That means the doughnuts are fresh.
See the full list with pictures on The Daily Meal’s website.
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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
