The Beloved Breakfast Food McDonald's Doesn't Season With Salt

If there is one thing you can count on, it's that your McDonald's order is going to be hot, fairly greasy, and oh-so-deliciously salty straight out of the bag. The burger chain is known, at least in part, for its famously sodium-filled food. Items like its hot, fresh fries, which go into a vat of canola oil blend for cooking, get tossed with a sprinkling of salt once they emerge from the fryer, and all of the burgers receive a special seasoning blend, made of an exact ratio of salt and pepper, as they're cooked up on the grill, as well. With how salt-happy McDonald's is, it might surprise you to learn that the beloved hash browns, which are available only during breakfast hours, don't actually get seasoned with the stuff.

While they are like french fries in that they are made of potatoes and they are fried, there are a few reasons why hash browns don't get salted before they're slipped into their sleeves and passed off to the customer. First, hash browns are structurally different from fries. Whereas fries are singularly sturdy, and able to withstand a deal of shaking, the potato patties are more delicate and could easily turn into potato crumbles if given the same after-fryer treatment.

There is also the fact that McDonald's hash browns don't need any additional salt because when they're formed off-site, into the mix of potatoes, corn flour, and other components goes salt. You can see it on the ingredient list on McDonald's product page – it's the fourth item listed.

If you have a real hankering for that which is salted, maybe the included amount in McDonald's hash browns isn't enough for you. In that case, you might be wondering if you can request to have salt sprinkled on top of your next breakfast potato order. Just like you can elevate your McDonald's egg McMuffin by asking employees for the aforementioned burger seasoning, there is no reason why you couldn't inquire to see if they will add a bit of salt on your hash brown after it's come out of the fryer (McDonald's workers tend to be very accommodating of special requests — especially if you ask kindly and are willing to wait the extra time the prep takes). However, no customization feature for this item exists on the app, so you will have to relay your request verbally, either at the drive-thru or at the counter.

There is a reason we salt fried foods, like standard fried chicken, immediately after they come out of the screaming-hot fryer, and that's because the glistening sheen of oil keeps the seasoning right where it lands. However, if the McDonald's employees deny your added-salt request, in the future, you can at least order extra salt packets and sprinkle the granules on by yourself, as soon as you get your bag, while the hash brown is still hopefully hot from the fryer.