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Quote:
Originally Posted by NorthofHere
McDonald's and the like use syrup and then add the soft serve ice cream and then put it in the mixer (I have watched them doing it). What most serve as chocolate shakes or any kind of shake are really a smoothie. A true chocolate shake is made with milk, ice cream (vanilla or chocolate) and syrup. Blended for 2 seconds and served. It is more of a drink and not so thick you can't suck it from a straw.
I didn't know they even went that far, haven't been to a MickeyDs in several years, last time it was so poor I swore it off. I keep hoping to find one of the original style shake mixers at a flea market sometime.
I didn't know they even went that far, haven't been to a MickeyDs in several years, last time it was so poor I swore it off. I keep hoping to find one of the original style shake mixers at a flea market sometime.
It's fairly new - they make the shakes as part of the "McCafe" stuff, where they have fancy coffees that supposedly compete with Starbucks (I don't drink any coffee so I have no idea if they do or don't). Before that, they had the separate machines that used the pre-made "shake mix" and just dispensed it directly into the cup. Kind of like a Slurpee machine but for shakes.
I haven't actually tried one of the new shakes, but I have seen them made when I've happened to be in a McDonald's, with the froufrou whipped cream on the top which I personally find unappealing. Who wants whipped cream on a milk shake??
I worked at McDs way back in high school many moons ago. Not sure if they do it the same way now because I haven't ever had one of their shakes since high school however, back then we made them with a white base produced from milk (because milk is after all, white) that came out of the machine and then we would add a vanilla syrup to that base to make a vanilla shake and we would add chocolate syrup to the base to make a chocolate shake. And same went for strawberry and shamrock shakes. They are all flavorings.
There was no adding chocolate syrup to any kind of a manufactured vanilla ice cream to make a chocolate shake. Vanilla ice cream, of any kind, is a manufactured product by using some form of vanilla flavoring and adding it to plain "white" ice cream. In other words, just because an ice cream is white it does not mean it is vanilla ice cream. You don't call white milk "vanilla" milk, do you? No, not unless you were adding vanilla to it.
And just for the record, I have no idea if McDs still makes their shakes this exact way or if any other places do either. There may be some places that make their chocolate shakes by adding chocolate syrup to a manufactured vanilla flavored ice cream.
But yes, as a matter of fact, they do use actual soft serve and then add flavored syrups to make shakes. This is a fairly recent thing, before that they did use a shake base and machines that dispensed pre-made chocolate and vanilla shakes.
Does McDonalds take soft serve, add milk and flavoring, and blend it into a shake? No. Do they even add milk to their shakes? No.
If you take soft serve, and add flavoring (but no milk), do you get a shake? No. You get flavored soft serve.
McDonalds is prevaricating. They don’t take soft serve and turn it into a shake. The only milk in their shakes is as a component ingredient of the soft serve/shake base that they use. While there is soft serve base in their shakes, there is no “completed†soft serve (actually frozen to the consistency where it could be served as soft serve).
It's fairly new - they make the shakes as part of the "McCafe" stuff, where they have fancy coffees that supposedly compete with Starbucks (I don't drink any coffee so I have no idea if they do or don't). Before that, they had the separate machines that used the pre-made "shake mix" and just dispensed it directly into the cup. Kind of like a Slurpee machine but for shakes.
I haven't actually tried one of the new shakes, but I have seen them made when I've happened to be in a McDonald's, with the froufrou whipped cream on the top which I personally find unappealing. Who wants whipped cream on a milk shake??
OK, now I’m starting to second guess myself. What I’ve described previously is how it’s been done for a long time, but it’s been a while since I’ve had a shake at McDonalds. I’ll go tomorrow and report back.
Does McDonalds take soft serve, add milk and flavoring, and blend it into a shake? No. Do they even add milk to their shakes? No.
If you take soft serve, and add flavoring (but no milk), do you get a shake? No. You get flavored soft serve.
McDonalds is prevaricating. They don’t take soft serve and turn it into a shake. The only milk in their shakes is as a component ingredient of the soft serve/shake base that they use. While there is soft serve base in their shakes, there is no “completed” soft serve (actually frozen to the consistency where it could be served as soft serve).
Again, false. They use the same "completed" soft serve that they dispense into a vanilla cone, put it in a container, add syrup and use a shake mixer. I didn't say they added milk, or that they make a traditional "milk shake." But they no longer use the kind of shake base that you are talking about.
ETA:
I didn't see this when I posted
Quote:
Originally Posted by TaxPhd
OK, no I’m starting to second guess myself. What I’ve described previously is how it’s been done for a long time, but it’s been a while since I’ve had a shake at McDonalds. I’ll go tomorrow and report back.
Yes, they've changed things up, as described in other posts above. The ironic thing is that if you go and get a shake there tomorrow, you'll be one up on me. I've seen them made, but I haven't tried one myself.
As far ago that I started drinking milkshakes with my first one in the 1030s, they have always been made that way. It has always been vanilla and flavoring and milk.
Reason. The typical shake maker and restaurant, does not stock sufficient ice cream to make the shakes out of that flavor of ice cream. You can stock plenty of vanilla to cover all flavors of shakes, but stocking sufficient in all flavors you make shakes would be too expensive to have the both the storage, and ice cream. There would be a lot more waste also.
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