Fast Food Trivia: 10 Juicy Facts About Your Favorite Chain Burgers

10/11 Previous Next

© The Doctors

9. Fast Food Burgers Are Not Immortal

Despite popular belief that fast food burgers can be kept for decades and still look the same as the day they were bought, the reality isn't quite that simple. There are many factors, which may contribute to the superficial longevity of fast food burgers, but the biggest one remains the amount of moisture they originally have, in addition to the conditions in which they are stored. According to Dr. Keith Warriner, who fielded a question for McDonald's about its supposed "un-rottable" burgers, the patty loses its water during the cooking process, and the bun is toasted, which reduces moisture as well. He goes on to say: "This means that after preparation, the hamburger is fairly dry. When left out open in the room, there is further water loss as the humidity within most buildings is around 40%. So in the absence of moisture or high humidity, the hamburger simply dries out, rather than rot." On the other hand, if the burgers are stored in a very humid setting, you can expect them to get moldy and gross the way you'd expect. Fast food burger myth—debunked.