12-Year Old McDonald's Hamburger, Still Looking Good | A Hambur... http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2008/09/12-year-old-mcdonalds-...

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12-Year Old McDonald's Hamburger, Still Looking Good

Posted by Robyn Lee, September 25, 2008 at 4:30 PM

Photograph taken by Karen Hanrahan [http://bestwellnessconsultant.com/2008/09/23/1996-mcdonalds-hamburger-karen-hanrahan-best-of-mother-earth.aspx]

The McDonald's hamburger on the right is from 2008; the one on the left is from 1996. And they both look fairly edible.
55
diggs Wellness educator and nutrition consultant Karen Hanrahan has kept a McDonald's hamburger since 1996
[http://bestwellnessconsultant.com/2008/09/23/1996-mcdonalds-hamburger-karen-hanrahan-best-of-mother-earth.aspx] to illustrate its
digg it nonexistent ability to decay. Aside from drying out and bit and having "the oddest smell," it apparently hasn't changed much in the past 12
years.
This isn't the first time someone kept an uneaten McDonald's hamburger for an extended period of time for the sake of science. Or in the case of the
Bionic Burger Museum [http://www.bionicburger.com/], multiple burgers for over 19 years. There are even instructions
[http://www.bionicburger.com/create.html] on how to start your own collection of old, self-preserving burgers.
Anyone else have experience with Fast Food That Just Won't Rot?
Related
The Burger Museum: Weirdest Collection Ever [http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2007/03/the_burger_museum_weirdest_collection_ever.html]
41 Comments | Tags: hamburgers, health, McDonald's, seen it!

41 Comments:

These somehow both look better than the McDonalds burger I had 3 weeks ago....
JudgeFudge at 4:51PM on 09/25/08

There may a few White Castle sliders I ate in 1983 that haven't made it through yet. Just sayin ...
LunaPierCook at 4:52PM on 09/25/08

Haha... Dave... ewww...

FastFoodCritic at 5:02PM on 09/25/08

Does anyone else think that the burger on the left looks like the fresher one?
jessie at 5:17PM on 09/25/08

That is incredible about the burger. Maybe back then they had something in their other than beef?
Anyone who's ever found one on the floor of their car knows that McD's fries become petrified about 2 hours at room temperature.
OliverRanch at 5:19PM on 09/25/08

@jessie - Yes! I totally thought the burger on the left was the fresher of the two. I read it 5 times just to make sure!
bitchincamero at 5:31PM on 09/25/08

@jessie: Haha, count me in.

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roboppy at 5:39PM on 09/25/08

same here- just goes to proove, a burger is a burger, no matter how old. Eat it, it's good for you.
DanielJ at 5:46PM on 09/25/08

hahahaha. the question is, how much would someone have to pay you to eat both of them?
foodinmouth at 7:24PM on 09/25/08

I find this frightening, yet intriguing.

beth1 at 7:29PM on 09/25/08

My favorite barbecue joint near here gives out these little white buns in baggies with every order. I have never eaten one; they accumulate in cupboards,
and they do not rot. Instead they ossify. My boyfriend and I call them Foul Bun. I have a few that are several years old.
climalene at 7:48PM on 09/25/08

who wants to live forever?

jeffsayyes at 7:57PM on 09/25/08

Well, I don't know what they do to the burgers in the States, but here in Australia the burger patties are simply made up of reasonably good quality beef -
no preservatives, colours or flavours. Just saying...
Cookster at 9:12PM on 09/25/08

I'm not convinced.

There's an awful lot of good points about this raised on her site that remain unanswered, and/or censored according to many of the posters there.
It's also worth noting that both she (Karen) and the guy with the Bionic Burger Museum are both trying to get people to hire them as nutritional
consultants.
I'm not a big fan of McDonald's in general, but something here doesn't feel right.
FastFoodCritic at 9:13PM on 09/25/08

Well hell...
I guess I'm going to have to purchase some McDonald's burgers and let them sit around my house for a while. Hopefully they won't stink up the place.
Story and photos to follow.
FastFoodCritic at 9:23PM on 09/25/08

"Well, I don't know what they do to the burgers in the States, but here in Australia the burger patties are simply made up of reasonably good quality beef
- no preservatives, colours or flavours. Just dribbling..."
WAKE UP JEFF!!!
I bet you believe this too!
incase you didnt know "100% Pure Aussie Beef" was the company name that supplied McD's.. Not what you are eating.

Im not convinced either... Can anyone tell me why the older one is larger? All McD burgers now are smaller than 10 yrs ago thats for sure!
wakeupjeff at 8:25AM on 09/26/08

Anyone else have experience with Fast Food That Just Won't Rot?
Subway subs. I had one that was tossed into the back of my vehicle. I found it two weeks later(it was wrapped and in a bag, so no smell) and it still
looked and smelled the same as when I got it.
It was very unnerving to think that is what we are putting into our bodies.
greenbudangel at 8:45AM on 09/26/08

I beg to differ, neither look appetizing.

@Cookster, when I was in Australia I remember seeing a Burger King (aka Hungry Jacks). You're not all delicious and nutritious down there!
Laurel E at 9:26AM on 09/26/08

My Dad was a high school teacher and he left a Twinkie out of the wrapper for an entire school year and it never molded....
anderkr1 at 10:06AM on 09/26/08

A bartender friend once found a Maraschino cherry behind a bar fridge that was attached to a five year old receipt and still radioactive red.
jakeyd at 11:33AM on 09/26/08

In April 2007, I volunteered to help homeowners in New Orleans clean up after Hurricane Katrina. I was in a house 8 months after the storm that hadn't
been cleaned out yet. This house had been under 5 feet of water for more than two weeks, then everything just sat in the house for 8 months. I cleaned
out the refrigerator (which was on its side in the living room). Words cannot describe how disgusting that 'fridge looked or smelled, but one thing stands
out. The only thing that was still recognizable in that 'fridge was a bout a pound of deli-sliced American cheese. It looked completely normal. Maggots
ate just about everything else in there, but left the cheese alone. American cheese: It's Not Good Enough for Maggots!
Haladir at 12:00PM on 09/26/08

As if I needed anymore reason to not eat at McDonald's. And yes, a number of my co-workers commented that the burger on the left looked more
appetizing.

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misha1by at 1:48PM on 09/26/08

I began eating a McD hamburger 20 years ago. I was 28 at the time. 20 years later I have not wrinkled, aged, and my hair is still as red as it was then.
It's amazing. Better than Botox and anti-aging creams. The only catch is my wife says I look very much like Ronald McDonald and smell like a side of
beef.
I wonder if this would work with Wendy's or the BK Broiler??
MummyMan at 1:59PM on 09/26/08

That's every day I eat a McD hamburger. Two on Sundays.

MummyMan at 2:01PM on 09/26/08

The reason McDonald's burgers don't decay is due to the inert gases that make up its molecular structure (inert gases are those that contain 8 electrons
in their outer molecular layer, therefore they don't mix with anything in their environment, thus avoiding decay brought on by chemical reactions). That
explains why, after eating McDonald's burgers, my farts smell as delicious as the burger itself when unwrapped.
Makes sense?
asg749d at 5:11PM on 09/26/08

The burger on the left looks better because back then, they used to make them with better quality rubber. You people don't get it that globalization is not
always good for the economy! :)
asg749d at 5:18PM on 09/26/08

Not only the burger, but the bun on the one on the left still looks awesome and better than the 2008 bun.
ESNY1077 at 5:33PM on 09/26/08

It's like the ancient Twinkie I remember my high school history teacher kept in his drawer, bright and yellow.
esyooee at 3:22AM on 09/27/08

Reduce the water content of any food product enough and it will not "rot." No magic or insidious plots here. If it makes you feel good to bash companies
like McD's, have at it, but they are not ruled by some evil group of people whose only goal is to put one over on you.
PommeDG at 4:22PM on 09/27/08

QUOTE "Subway subs. I had one that was tossed into the back of my vehicle. I found it two weeks later(it was wrapped and in a bag, so no smell) and it
still looked and smelled the same as when I got it. "
Ya right! You can't even walk in to a Subway without that smell saturating your skin.
Sugar at 10:21PM on 09/28/08

My friend bought a loaf of Wonderbread out of desperation (got home late after a long weekend camping & no food in the house). Went shopping the
next day for real food, and weeks later when she came upon the Wonderbread still in the cupboard it was still soft & unchanged. THAT is not good for
you.
Sugar at 10:25PM on 09/28/08

It is called steroids.... they pump the animals full of the stuff,, no wonder it stays forever,, that is what you are feeding your kids,, when I told my kids that
they are filled with steroids, they don't want to eat them anymore,,
but of course the grocery stores are the same, all meat now adays are injected with the stuff,, what are you going to do??/
karolab at 5:41AM on 09/29/08

Are you guys serious, I am in pest control and some of those ingredients I spray spiders and termites with, there were a few listed that are banned in
Australia and now I am cured of eating McDonalds.
ozripper at 7:28AM on 09/29/08

It's called Dessication (drying).

It's one of the primary ways we stored food (along with smoking and curing) before we had refrigeration. Remove the moisture and there is no medium
for organic growth.
So, take off the foil hats and take your meds...and enjoy a burger.
Adlyb1 at 1:39PM on 09/29/08

Neither looks like the McDonald's burgers I've seen. These are both made for studio appearances and not for the consumer. But that’s OK with me, I
would only eat at McDonald’s if it was the only thing open and I was starving.
MrBill at 11:22PM on 09/29/08

@Sugar: I know what you mean about the Wonder Bread; I noticed it stays relatively fresh out of the fridge as long as it's not too warm in the kitchen
pantry, otherwise mold can happen in @3 days' time. This is purely from personal experience. Maybe the reason they call it Wonder Bread is: "Wonder"
how many more chemicals they can put into this bread and make it stay fresh forever?
iamon02 at 12:20AM on 09/30/08

@jessie I was just thinking that myself. I looked at the picture and thought okay the one on the left is the newer one, then I read the article and found out
the one on the right was the new one.
pjracz10 at 1:54AM on 09/30/08

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Mac burgers are just the thing for an upset stomach or a bacterial infection.
hughlim at 7:35AM on 09/30/08

Forget about the burgers. Get a MickyD shake, leave it at room temp and see what doesn't happen. A real milk shake will consolidate back to liquid as it
warms...Not Ronalds ...Chemicalada is what I like to call 'em.
jimmysoups at 10:17PM on 09/30/08

I remember something like this on a current affairs program here in New Zealand some time ago - kinda put me off McD's burgers...
libbyk at 3:29AM on 10/01/08

Well for a food to mold, there are several factors tat need to be met, including acidity, fat content, temperature, moisture content, etc...
Generally, foods with very high fat contents will not mold (such as a mcdonalds burger patty). A normal slice of bread will get quite moldy, but dip it in
oil, and it will essentially stay looking fresh forever in a relatively controlled environment.
Just a side note - unless you are eating unprocessed, whole foods - you are eating the same crap that is in mcdonalds. The entire food industry is (like
any other industry) concerned primarily with profits, not with peoples health or safety in mind. I am all about the free market, but when it comes to the
things we put into our bodies, profit shouldn't trump everything else.
djspaceace at 5:15PM on 10/09/08

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