Junk Food Junkies, we have been blessed with insider info! If you've never worked in fast food it's easy to assume everything on the menu is about the same quality. Apparently, that's not the case. One Reddit user asked:
People who work in fast food: what is one item from your menu you would never order?
Honestly, if there's anyone who would know what to steer clear of, it's the people who make the food, right? So listen, take notes. You'll thank me after your next 1AM drunken fast food binge is helluh upgraded. You're welcome for the glow-up!
Brown And Slimey
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I worked at a popular midwestern pizza chain for a while. The pizza was really good and the ingredients were fresh, with the sauce and dough being made fresh every morning and the veggies delivered whole and sliced and diced by hand, along with whole blocks of mozeralla being shredded throughout the day. Good food, felt good about making it and serving it. Literally the only thing we got that was consistently gross was the lettuce we would use for sandwiches and salads. It would come pre-shredded in a plastic bag that was who-knows-how-old and would turn brown and slimy seemingly within the first hour or two. And I think that's par for the course.
When our store opened on Chicago's north side, we took the fucking neighborhood by storm. People instantly became downright addicted to the pizza. But at least once a week people would call in or walk in angry about how disgusting the salad was.
tl;dr, Every fastfood place has terrible salad, no matter how much quality there is in other ingredients.
Scoop The Mold Off The Top
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When I worked at 7-11 years ago one of the things we got was a nachos machine, which had a big glass bin full of chips and two heated cookers with spigots on the bottom, one for chili and one for cheese. It was pretty popular. I don't know if there was supposed to be some cleaning schedule, but we never had one. Cleaning it meant emptying the cookers, which wasted food (the boss said).
In any case, the cheese one wasn't so bad. When it was low we just dumped in another tub of cheese. Some oily separation, but it seemed ok. The chili, on the other hand, tended to mold, which crept up the insides of the cooker. When it got low we'd scoop the mold off the top and wipe the inside a bit, then just dump another batch of new chili in on top of the old. If I weren't young and stupid about things then I'd probably have said something, but all I did was avoid the stuff myself.
- Dxrey65
Um... What Happened To "Eat Fresh?"
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Sandwich shop tuna is literal poison in a container. It is always several days older then expiration. I used to walk on shift and throw it out by look alone. Old tuna just got mixed in with new tuna and people usually didn't notice. It comes in like a giant flaky pressed tuna patty that doesn't look edible in the first place and you mix it with a bunch of mayo and just smush it together with your hands. We usually used two bags of mayo for one tuna brick at my store, others used different ratios.
Coolatta Cleaning
Never get the coolattas. The machines at the one I worked were hardly cleaned. Also if you want fresh donuts go to one with a bakery and not one that gets them shipped from other locations (they change them out every 12 hours).
Skip The Soda
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I've seen too many moldy ice containers and nozzles in the soda fountain to ever order a soda. I go with what I have at home, get a canned soda from the vending machine at work, or get a bottle of water if I'm eating on the run.
I've found it's actually a little cheaper most times. The combos/meals are cheaper than say a burger + fries + drink separately, but more than just burger + fries.
Sliced Cheddar, Please
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Under no circumstances should you get a Beef 'n' Cheddar. Make them put a cheddar slice on it like civilized people.
I'll just say this: Cleaning out the cheese goop pump when closing was enough to prepare me for working with human stool, sputum, and blood lab specimens without blinking years later. It would congeal to a foul-smelling brown-orange gel substance coating the pump container that required a surprising amount of scrubbing to clean off.
McFail
Please god don't order the fish sandwich. They keep them in the freezers for up to a month and literally just reheat them if they didn't use them the day before. They are like 40 percent fish.
I can't believe people eat it.
Pasta Mouse
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Had one of those quick-service food bars that they would empty and sanitize every night after closing.
I didn't work in the food department, but in the produce section. One night just after closing (before they had emptied them), I was mopping the floor nearby and a mouse unearthed itself from inside the pasta salad tray, hopped down onto the floor and ran off.
So... the pasta salad.
H/T: Reddit
Ordering food or, for the time being, enjoying a socially distanced lunch at an establishment is convenient, but it can take a toll on your wallet.
So what options are there?
Fortunately, there are plenty of them that do not involve nuking a frozen entree.
Strangers on the internet shared their amateur culinary wisdom when Redditor SandandS0n asked:
"What's your go-to under 5 minute meal?"
These dinner selections are super sufficient.
In Case You Didn't Know
"Quesadilla. super quick and easy to make and there's a ton of ingredients that you can add without much effort that will make it even better."
– Arcinbiblo12
Noodling Around
"Ramen and an egg, but not the traditional way."
- "Boil roughly half an inch of water (we want just enough water to boil the noodles, with very little water left over when it's done boiling)."
- "Smash up the ramen noodles, while still in the package (optional but cooks MUCH faster)."
- "Open the package and remove the seasoning."
- "Dump the noodles in."
- "While boiling, crack an egg and whisk in a small bowl."
- "Noodles should be done and almost all the water should be gone, if not strain out some.
- Remove from the heat."
- "Slowly pour in the egg while mixing very quickly, try not to let the egg touch the pan."
- "Mix as much of the seasoning packet as you like (I prefer 1/2 - 3/4 because I usually add a salty component at the end.)"
- "Add to bowl and top with some chives, thinly sliced, ripped up ham/salami and/or parsley. Leftover bacon or pancetta are fantastic crunchy components to dial up the texture."
"Easy, fast and checks so many of the 'munchie' boxes for me."
noodles ramen GIF by HUANG'S WORLDGiphyDon't Underestimate Soups
"Tomato soup and add tortellini. I like the spinach ones from Trader Joe's and Progreso creamy tomato with basil. It's bomb and it really makes a decent meal."
– ambernoodle
For people in a rush, these tasty snacks would suffice.
Goes Well With Veggies And Cheese
"Hummus is such an underrated food. It goes well with a lot of veggies and breads and chips or heck even cheese. All the time I hear hummus being listed as one of those weird, gross foods when its actually an amazing snack, or a meal if done correctly. It's not really unhealthy, either, especially if eaten with veggies (celery and carrots go great with hummus)."
Ready In Seconds
"All I do is get a paper towel, and put 5 Oreos on it."
– KeengPeach
"Then go back and get the whole package."
Peanut Butter Fantasies
"Peanut butter sandwich."
– IgnoreMe733
"If I'm feeling extra froggy I'll add nutella to the peanut butter and honey sandwich and put it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Goes down about as well as a popeye's biscuit though."
– saluki352
Nature's Candy
"Fruit."
"It's like cheating the system. You eat sweets and call it healthy."
Start your day without all the hassle of a fancy breakfast.
Put It In A Bowl
"Oatmeal or cereal."
– essa618
"Cereal is definitely underrated as a meal outside of the breakfast dynamic."
– johndavidcard
Thanks, Nonna!
"A very simple recipe my grandma prepared for me when i was a kid."
"It's basically scrambled eggs...but before adding the egg she would cook sweetcorn (from a can) with a little bit of butter, add the eggs and then when the eggs were almost ready, add small cubes of cheese and cook for a minute or until the cheese start to melt (she was using fontal, but any swiss or white cheddar will do). Just a little black pepper and salt."
"Takes 5 minutes to do but it's absolutely delicious, fill you up, not so unhealthy and I feel my late grandma with me."
'I tried variations with chives or spring onions, paprika or other stuff. Still good but nothing as good as a simple "uova strapazzate con mais e formaggio.'"
"Grazie nonna"
– Xelorath
I consider yogurt a healthy snack/lunch option.
I like having a bowl of non-fat plain Greek yogurt with raspberries, blueberries, sprinkled with granola and drizzled with honey.
It's packed with nutrients and gives me a nice boost of energy.
Yogurt also makes for a perfect chip dip. I sprinkle some onion soup mix and stir in the mixture. Who knew quick and easy food prep could be so delicious?