The humble McNugget is one of those childhood joys that never truly dies. You’d need to completely shut yourself off from your own happiness to turn your nose up at a 20-strong share box of them, along with an iron will to stop yourself from eating all 20 of them on your own.
In all the years of guiltlessly munching through McDonald’s nuggets, you’ve likely noticed there are four regular shapes that come up time and again.
It’s no coincidence, and they’ve each got their own names: the bell, the ball, the boot, and the bone, with the latter occasionally called the ‘bow tie’ for inexplicable reasons.
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McDonald’s sticks to these shapes for a few reasons. A major one is that, despite their varied shapes, they all have the same cook times. This means McDonald’s can guarantee they’re all cooked properly and to the same texture every time.
It’s also important for food standards, especially as improperly cooked chicken is one of the top ways to give yourself food poisoning.
Another good reason for it is the sense of variety. McNuggets are made for dipping in dips, and having varied shapes means there’s a faint puzzle element to getting as much nugget in the BBQ sauce as you can, with different techniques required for each shape.
Think that’s a stretch? Let’s see if you’re above that simple joy the next time you order that 20-box.
If you’re interested to know how these fine odes to poultry are made, look no further than this 2014 video from McDonald’s Canada that lifted the sharebox lid on the process.
First up, whole chickens are deboned and the breast meat is removed. The breast meat is then blended up and seasoned to ensure the McNuggets always have the same consistency.
The resulting meat paste is then cut into the four shapes using a cookie cutter-like rolling machine.
They can’t head out in their birthday suits, of course, with the next step being a dousing in light batter before a second baptism in tempura. The nuggets are then fried, frozen, and packaged up for shipping to a Maccies near you.
McDonald’s Canada made the video to debunk claims that a curious pink goo was being used to make its McNuggets, citing a picture of some styrofoam-like goo being squeezed out of a bag toothpaste-style.
Luckily, McNuggets are more savoury than that. It’s not a pink goo, it’s a white-grey one. You’re welcome.
Rachael Davis