Order a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, hold the ketchup and mustard, add Big Mac sauce. You’ve got a Big Mac, except the beef patties are much better.1 I’m not 100% sure why—McDonald’s says the QP patties are “fresh beef, cooked right when ordered”—but during a recent taste test, the Quarter Pounder’s superiority was clear. The biggest difference was in the crust: my Big Mac’s patty had a flat and anodyne surface, while the Quarter Pounder’s was charred and aromatic.

Quarter Pounder on the left, Big Mac on the right.
Quarter Pounder on the left, Big Mac on the right.

Thanks to reader KZ for letting me in on this trick!

A midnight Quarter Pounder from McDonald's.
A midnight Quarter Pounder from McDonald's.

  1. There are at least three other differences, but they’re much less important.

    1. The buns are different, although both are topped with sesame seeds.
    2. The Quarter Pounder has no lettuce.
    3. The Quarter Pounder’s onions are slivered, while the Big Mac’s are finely chopped.

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