Burger King Fattens Up Fries

The big fight among fast food chains is over who has the best fries—and in an effort to increase its standing, Burger King has changed its recipe for the first time since 1998. The new fries will be thicker (just a tad wider than a No. 2 pencil), have 20% less sodium, and will be crisper and stay hotter longer thanks to a new coating. Increasingly, Reuters notes, fast food restaurants are offering more "natural" fries.

Wendy's, for example, last year rolled out "natural cut" fries, which leave some skin on and include sea salt. In-N-Out cuts its fries from fresh potatoes every day; Five Guys uses peanut oil; and Smashburger uses sea salt on its regular fries and rosemary, olive oil, and garlic on its sweet potato fries. Of course, McDonald's plain-by-comparison fries consistently rank No. 1 in consumer surveys. BK's new fries are out in North American stores Monday. (Click to see how Burger King is outsmarting San Francisco's "Happy Meal ban.")