The new Pickle Fries from Burger King seem like they were initially intended just to be a background character on one of their new Whoppers. But in reality, they’re one of the coolest things they’ve added to the menu in a while.
They’re tasty. But be prepared for some of your slippery eels of brined cucumber to try and escape. The “fries” run into the same issues as some onion runs where the fried coating comes off, allowing the inner veggie to pull a “Finding Nemo” and go for an ill-planned prison break.
Pickles are the latest food entity that Burger King has imprisoned in the crispy prism of a “fry.” To this point, the chain has already come out with Chicken Fries, Mozzarella Fries, Chicken Parm Fries, Chicken & Waffle Fries and (of course) french fries. So what’s one more perfectly good food cut into thin strips and thrown into the sizzling depths of the deep fryer?
Burger King Pickle Fries | Review
The option to purchase Pickle Fries feels like a little bit of an afterthought from Burger King. They were introduced alongside the trio of fan-made “Million Dollar Whoppers,” one of which features fried pickles on it.
Under the big banners for the new Whoppers, Burger King essentially tells customers, “Hey, if you want, you can just get the fried pickles if you’re weird like that.”
It turns out that, yes, I am weird like that. Give me a bunch of slimy tendrils that look like they were lopped off a deep-sea monstrosity and deep-fry them. I don’t care if they’re bad for me and actively trying to slip free of my grasp at any given moment.
What do they taste like?
The flavor of these fries is great. You get a nice brush of savory taste from the outer coating and then a wash of sharp, salty vibes from the inner pickle. It’s well-balanced and well-put together. I kept finding myself wanting to reach for another one.
Fries pickles usually come in chip form, which I’m a fan of. But I can see the value in making them into fries. It shifts the batter-to-pickle ratio to give you more crunch. You also get some instances where half of the coating falls off the fry, giving you different balances.
The fries come with a side of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing. But I found that the ranch dressing didn’t add much flavor. I thought the Pickle Fries were better without it.
Ranch dressing is usually good as a dipping sauce, but these could have used a sauce that was punchier and had more heat, like a spicy aioli. But now I’m just nitpicking, which is a sign of how much I liked these.
So are they any good?
Against all odds, yes. I hope they keep these around. It’s unlike anything else on Burger King’s menu.
The final word
Burger King seems obsessed with turning things into fries. Here’s every kind I’ve tried, ranked worst to best:
7. Chicken & Waffle Fries — They’re like a cross between a Chicken Fry and a French toast stick, but with the bad qualities of both.
6. Chicken Parm Fries — They’re just Chicken Fries with parmesan and Italian seasonings in the coating. That’s not how Chicken Parm works!
5. Pickle Fries – To be clear, I liked these. However, they’re competing with what are basically chicken nuggets and mozzarella sticks.
4. Chicken Fries – It’s a long chicken nugget. Highly recommended.
3. Mozzarella Fries – It’s a skinny mozzarella stick. I wish more fast food chains had these.
2. Churro Fries – I’m still surprised by how well Burger King pulled these off. These should be a full-time item.
1. French Fries – Undefeated. Still the No. 1 burger sidekick.
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“I ate it so you don’t have to” is a regular food column about off-beat eats, both good and bad. I picked the name years ago and now we’re sort of stuck with it.
You can send any praise/food suggestions to nomalley@masslive.com. Please send all criticisms and questions about what happened to the other fish who escaped from the dentist in “Finding Nemo” to tsanzo@masslive.com. You can check out the rest of the series here.
