Hamburger Wrap for Snacking

Published on Wednesday, February 17, 2010, by James Norton / Edit Post

McDonald’s Mac Snack Wrap

McDonald’s Mac Snack Wrap

I Paid: $1.49 for a wrap (prices may vary by region)

Taste: 3 stars

Marketing: 4 stars

The new Mac Snack Wrap looks almost exactly like Taco Bell food. Same shape; same pale, nearly flavorless tortilla that only really asserts itself as a filmy texture rather than as a flavor. There is one disturbing difference, however: The patty remains a patty, when you’re expecting to see ground beef.

If you sample the Mac Snack Wrap side by side with a Big Mac, two striking things emerge. First, the fabled sesame seed bun really is a major player in the Big Mac’s signature taste, and you’ll miss it when it’s gone. That said, the second thing you’ll realize is that McDonald’s has been able to nearly totally reproduce the taste of a Big Mac in a soft tortilla. Even the proportions are right: the onions, the Special Sauce, the pickles, the workmanlike-but-serviceable industrial ground beef. Save for the missing bun, you’re eating the same dish. And as fast food goes, it’s well balanced, each component pulling the collective yoke in a unified direction.

True to its name, the Mac Snack Wrap really is only a snack. It’s smaller than a Big Mac, and clocks in at 330 calories, versus 540 calories in the burger. You’re also saving a bunch of money: The Snack Wrap is $1.49, the Big Mac $3.39. And yes, you can eat it in your car while driving without running as much risk of a Special Sauce emergency.

James Norton edits the Upper Midwestern food journal Heavy Table. He's also the coauthor of a book on Wisconsin's master cheesemakers. For his Supertaster column, he samples offerings from supermarket aisles and fast-food menus. You can follow him on Twitter and fan him on Facebook. His wife, Becca Dilley, takes the photographs for Supertaster. She specializes in weddings and food photography, and is the coauthor of and photographer for the book on Wisconsin's master cheesemakers.

ALLSupertaster
POST A COMMENT |12 Comments

COMMENT

  • If you're worried about "chemicals" in your food you probably won't want this either, but the Wendy's BLT Wrap is really tasty.

  • Forget ammonia. This is more disturbing about McDonalds: something like 30% of their "beef" is used in dog food.

  • Even before your meat gets to the supermarket it may be cleaned with ammonia. A local butcher if you have the availability and financial capability is the way to go if you still want to eat meat sans the cleaner.

  • More like "stop eating supermarket meat."

  • To people who commented: yes, there are new cleaners on the market that don't use ammonia. Your local Whole Foods probably uses something better. Chowhounds have reported many instances of Windex use in display cases and on surfaces. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/675056
    I have seen it myself on many an occasion.
    Glance behind the counter when you're buying stuff next time: you'll surely see...+READ

    To people who commented: yes, there are new cleaners on the market that don't use ammonia. Your local Whole Foods probably uses something better. Chowhounds have reported many instances of Windex use in display cases and on surfaces. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/675056
    I have seen it myself on many an occasion.
    Glance behind the counter when you're buying stuff next time: you'll surely see the familiar blue bottle somewhere.-COLLAPSE

  • strawbrry, could you please elaborate on your statement about ALL beef, or perhaps cite a reference? i does sound a bit overstated, but I'm interested. Thanks

  • StrawbrryF: There are many common surface sanitizers on the market other than ammonia, so your statement is a little overbroad and a bit misleading.

  • Miss Rennie, ALL beef is prepared with ammonia. Your local supermarket uses the stuff to clean the surfaces where it cuts up your steaks. Want to stop eating ammonia? Stop eating meat.

  • My way of downsizing the big mac had been to order a cheeseburger with mac sauce. I'll try this.

  • What's wrong with ammonia?

  • I'm never eating McDonald's again, not since that story about how the beef is prepared with AMMONIA.

  • hmmm, when i first saw the adds for these wraps I thought Mcdonalds was really phoning it in but I now I see their true intentions. Low calories and lower price. Well played Mcdonalds. They could have used a whole grain tortilla or even a sesame seed tortilla but bland is king at MCd's.