Steak 'n Shake announced Thursday that it’s making the switch from vegetable oil to beef tallow to cook its signature shoestring fries.
“Our fries will now be cooked in an authentic way, 100% beef tallow, in order to achieve the highest quality and best taste,” said Chris Ward, chief supply chain officer for the Indianapolis-based quick-service burger chain, in a statement.
Proponents agree that cooking in beef tallow results in a tastier french fry. McDonald’s original fries were made that way, but the burger chain switched to vegetable oil in 1990. At the time, the medical community believed that vegetable oils contained heart-healthy fats, while animal products like beef tallow added harmful saturated fats to the diet.
Recently, there’s been a backlash against vegetable oils derived from seeds, including soybean, canola, sunflower and corn. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., president-elect Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, is one of the most vocal opponents of seed oils, calling them “one of the driving forces of the obesity epidemic” in a recent post on X, formerly Twitter. Inflammation and brain fog are other supposed side effects of the fatty acids in seed oils.
Social media has turned seed oils into nutritional villains, and chains including Sweetgreen and Hopdoddy are shying away from them. But most health professionals recommend moderation, not total elimination; too much of any fat is not healthy.
That said, fans of beef tallow are garnering support from a flavor standpoint. There’s a petition on Change.org for McDonald’s to bring back its original french fries cooked in the animal fat. Signers are encouraged to support a “Throwback Fries” month, where for a limited time, people can sample what made McDonald’s fries cooked in beef tallow “taste so delicious.” Vegetarians need not apply.
In the meantime, those petitioners can head to Steak 'n Shake. By the end of February, all 436 U.S. locations will use 100% all-natural beef tallow to cook the chain’s french fries.
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