Tag Archives: hamburgers

Worst Burger of the Year: 3,000 Calorie “The Beast” in Kansas

If you’ve got $20+ to blow, and happen to be in Kansas, fast-food restaurant Spangles has a challenge for you.

Launched on Christmas Eve, the Beast is a limited-time offering by Spangles, though will continue to be sold while customer demand for it exists. The burger itself features six 1/3-pound steak burger patties, 12 slices of American cheese, mustard, ketchup, onion, and pickle.

We asked Mary Hartley, R.D., to break down the Beast nutritionally. While Spangles says the burger has 3,000 calories, she estimates that the number is closer to 3,570. “To put it in perspective, one burger provides almost two days worth of calories, sodium, and calcium; 3.5 days worth of fat, cholesterol and iron; 6 days worth of protein; and 16.5 days worth of saturated fat; but (oops!) no fiber.”

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Posted on January 6, 2024 by Elizabeth

World’s Biggest Cheeseburger Breaks Records and Calorie Limits

There are some pretty crazy, weird and interesting records in The Guinness Book of World Records. This past Labor Day weekend, a ridiculous world record was broken when Minnesota’s Black Bear Casino made the world’s biggest hamburger. Why did the casino decide to make a colossal hamburger? They would say, just for the fun of it.

As reported by Eater.com, Jerry Bayerl – Black Bear Casino’s executive chef – recently decided he wanted to make the world’s biggest burger.

At first, he thought the record for the biggest burger was 200 pounds, but after some extensive research he found out the previous record for the world’s biggest burger was 881 pounds. In order to secure the new title, Jerry made sure his bacon cheeseburger clocked in at an amazing 2,014 pounds!

Cooking the cheeseburger was no easy feat. It required a crane, parking lot, and a gigantic homemade oven.

The diameter of the buns and meat patty measured up to a total of 10 feet. It took seven hours to bake the bun and four hours to cook and flip the meat patty. Stacked on top of the patty was even more ingredient madness. There were 60 pounds of bacon, 50 pounds of lettuce, 50 pounds of sliced unions, 40 pounds of pickles and 40 pounds of cheese.  (more…)

Posted on September 5, 2023 by Samantha

Healthier Burger Alternatives for Your 4th of July Cookout

Fourth of July is here and burgers sizzling on a hot grill is practically the American dream, but with so many people watching their weight, the typical high-fat beef burger is no longer the best barbecue option.

Not only are typical burgers high in saturated fat and calories, but the toppings people use to dress them, like bacon and cheese, can be calorie bombs themselves. With seafood, chicken and vegetables offering a lower-fat and calorie option, there is no shortage of grill fare to choose from when it’s time to plan your next party.

The book Burger Parties by James McNair and Jeffrey Starr (Ten Speed Press) offers a variety of party menus centered around burger recipes, including beef alternatives like chicken burgers with jicama slaw an swordfish burgers with tangy apple tartar sauce.

This year, when you’re grilling to celebrate your favorite patriotic holiday, opt for something lighter than the traditional burger. Look to different protein options, such as chicken, fish, turkey and tofu to fill your menu.

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Posted on July 4, 2023 by Maris

McDonald’s Healthiest Menu Choices

It’s happened to all of us. You’re on the road, you’re hungry and your only option is fast food. So what do you do? You choose the healthiest option possible! But looks can be deceiving. We did some research on what is the healthiest menu option at the popular fast-food chain McDonald’s and if you’re looking for a meal, there weren’t a lot of choices, but there are some.

We selected the below food options based on feedback from registered dietitian Rebecca Scritchfield. All meals have less than 500 calories and about 500 milligrams of sodium, as part of the new daily sodium recommendations from the U.S. government.

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Posted on February 4, 2024 by Jennipher

What Keeps a McDonald’s Burger from Rotting

McDonald's Hamburger

UPDATE [10/15/2024]: McDonald’s released a statement in response to the Happy Meal Project. They argue that the burger didn’t rot from lack of moisture: “If food is/or becomes dry enough, it won’t grow mold or bacteria. In fact, any food purchased from a restaurant or grocery store or prepared at home that lacks moisture would also dehydrate and see similar results if left in the same environment.”

We recently posted an article about photographer Sally Davies’ “Happy Meal Project,” which documents the life of a McDonald’s hamburger and fries as they steadfastly refuse to rot. The project is not the first of its kind, and there are reports of burgers that looked about the same after four and even 12 years after their date of purchase. The idea is this: most healthy food will eventually spoil, so how long a food goes without going bad is an indicator of unhealthy ingredients.

So what’s behind the miraculous preservation? As far as the beef patty is concerned, it’s not from preservatives. According to the ingredients list published by McDonald’s, the patty contains 100 percent Angus beef, prepared with a “grill seasoning” that consists of salt (we wonder how much) and black pepper. The high fat content and the high cooking heat are enough to account for the burger’s resistance to decay. Over time, the moisture in the burger will evaporate and the fat will harden, much like it does in arteries of people suffering from atherosclerosis.

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Posted on September 9, 2023 by Margaret

A McDonald’s Hamburger: 145 Days Later

McDonald's Hamburger after 145 DaysOne of the eating guidelines in Michael Pollan‘s Food Rules is to eat things that will eventually rot. Things like meat, fruits and vegetables, all eventually decompose, returning them to the organic cycle from which they came. Foods that don’t go bad, from Twinkies to Spam, have been highly processed. Not only are processed foods often full of synthetic chemicals, they’ve also been stripped of many of the nutrients that your body needs yet are still full of empty calories.

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Posted on September 2, 2023 by Margaret

5 Odd Fast Foods from Around the Globe

Most of us know about the entertaining world of strange language translation goofs, particularly from Asian languages into English. There are entire websites dedicated to the phenomenon, and I think they are generally done with good-natured humor and not condescension or racism.

But, can food concepts get lost in translation? Maybe you can just chalk it up to cultural differences, but either way, the following fast food items from around the globe are sure to raise a few eyebrows, if not turn a few stomachs.

(Note:the list is largely skewed towards McDonald’s food. It’s not a conspiracy on my part, just how the cards fell in my research on global fast food items.)

1. Winter Double King Pizza at Pizza Hut (Japan)

I’ve heard of some strange pizza topping, but this one from Pizza Hut Japan takes the cake. With the cryptically named Winter Double King Pizza, you get crab, shrimp, beef, broccoli, corn, onion, mayonnaise, and potato. What do you think? Did they leave anything out? (more…)

Posted on September 1, 2023 by Jason

David Beckham Trades Soccer for Chocolate

The World Cup, one of the biggest sporting events worldwide, is kicking off this month. But one very famous player will not be on the field: David Beckham. Unfortunately, an injury is prohibiting Beckham from training and practicing, which means the British soccer player will not be representing his English team in South Africa when the World Cup tournament begins.

Instead of training with his teammates and flashing those abs we’ve all come to know on the field and off in Versace advertisements, David Beckham has been seen indulging in some of his favorite gut-busting foods. From L.A.’s In-and-Out Burger to chocolates, it seems perhaps missing the World Cup is driving this increase in snacking and leading to larger pant sizes.

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Posted on June 2, 2023 by Amy

May is National Hamburger Month!

The hamburger has gained so much popularity that it has actually earned its own annual holiday – May is “National Hamburger Month.” With an estimated 14 billion hamburgers eaten annually in the U.S. alone (roughly 45 burgers a person each year), the burger has become one of the most celebrated American foods to date.

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Posted on April 30, 2023 by Carmen