How To Replicate McDonald's Fry Salt At Home

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Salt is the key to French fries' delectable taste, because, let's be honest, potatoes on their own are bland. If anything, it is the starch's job to be a vessel for other flavors, be it loaded baked potatoes  or McDonald's French fries' beefy taste from the fry oil and, more importantly, saltiness. Salt is a boon in general because it reduces bitterness, and in the case of French fries, brings the intense savory flavor and helps keep them crunchy by drying them out. The signature sodium-laden quality of the McDonald's fries doesn't come from regular salt, however. What the chain uses, and what you should use when cooking up fries at home, according to a chef, is fine salt. 

Fine salt is pretty much what it sounds like. According to chef Frank Proto, this variety — also called popcorn salt — is great at gripping onto foods (via Epicurious). By using it, McDonald's can ensure its fries are totally coated with the seasoning.

If you're looking to make your homemade French fries taste like McDonald's, you can easily make fine salt. Pour the spice into a blender or food processor and grind it up to make the perfect fry seasoning. You can also technically buy the specific seasoning, but it may be hard to find in grocery stores. However, Morton Salt sells a popcorn salt, which you can find on Amazon.

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The secret of fine salt on fries was a pleasant revelation to many on the internet. One person remarked, "I never knew this! I'll try and hunt down some popcorn salt to put on my fries!" while another agreed with the magic of popcorn salt, saying, "I grind my salt for popcorn too! Mum thinks I'm nuts, but it tastes amazing. I feel validated." Others offered improvements, with one commenter saying, "Add some MSG in there and you've nailed it," and another suggesting to salt your fries immediately after frying for the best stick.

A few people argued that McDonald's no longer uses popcorn salt, with one noting, "They now use iodized salt." Others griped that the fries aren't as good anymore and "now taste old cold and dry." It's unclear if the salt change is true, but the chef is speaking from experience from an unknown point in the past, so the trick may not reflect the chain's current seasoning strategies. Plus, regardless of potential salt changes, McDonald's has altered its fry oil recipe, so the fries do taste different now compared to a few years ago.

You can easily try fine salt on frozen French fries or, if you want to go the extra mile and happen to have an air fryer, making your own from scratch with this 20-minute recipe. If you long for the beefy flavoring McDonald's fries used to have, make this copycat McDonald's French fry recipe. Just don't forget to bring your fine salt!