Redditors Noticed McDonald's Cheese Doesn't Melt Anymore. Does It?

Eating at McDonald's offers lots of advantages: The menu is widely standardized, the combo meal price doesn't hurt the wallet, and there's an involved nostalgic factor, too. Yet the chain's food also comes with scrutiny. One often circulated claim includes that the chain's burgers won't rot (true, but only due to dehydration — moisture totally evaporates well before rot even has a chance). However, social media users also suggest that McDonald's cheese doesn't melt.

Discussion regarding the topic appeared circa the late 2010s, when internet users reported an increased frequency of burgers featuring unmelted cheese. As the skepticism intensified, the discussion alluded to the ingredient's composition. "I remember the days when the cheese used to melt," a Reddit user wrote. Posts also appeared on forums like the Lemon8 community, showcasing a Big Mac with a slice of cheese fully intact. However, all such claims that McDonald's cheese is losing its melting ability don't hold. Rather than a strange new cheese recipe, it's simply a matter of physics: not enough heat.

Fast-forward from the era of McDonald's outrageously cheesy cheddar melt to today's solid slices, and the dairy skepticism is understandable. Yet start to break down its composition, and it's obvious that more complex factors come into play. For its cheeseburger, McDonald's employs good ol' American cheese. This foodstuff has unique FDA guidelines, since it's not technically cheese, due to emulsifiers and other additives. Yet rather than preventing melting, these compounds actually enhance the resulting gooeyness, making it one of the best options for a cheeseburger.

So why aren't McDonald's slices turning into a perfect molten topping? According to a McDonald's Reddit thread, the shift occurred due to a change in the assembly process. In decades past, the chain employed heat lamps to keep pre-batched burgers toasty, which could soften the dairy. "Now that each sandwich is made to order, depending on how hot the meat is, the cheese might not melt," a user clarified.

On a fast-food Reddit thread discussing the cheese controversy, a commenter furthered the explanation. "Almost all fast [food] places use product holding units (PHU) to hold quantities of cooked meat for a period of time," they cited. While the resultant patties come out warm, the residual heat from such machines isn't enough to soften the cheese. Yet stick a McDonald's burger into a microwave, and you will get gooey cheese, thereby debunking the claim.