Year Old Cheeseburger

I can't vouch for this article, it might be urban legend...Thought it was interesting enough to post.

What does a fast food cheeseburger look like when it's sat on the shelf for a whole year? Pretty much the same as it did on Day One. Melanie Hesketh, a California nutritionist, bought a McDonald's cheeseburger a year ago as an experiment. And then she let it sit around for a whole year, unwrapped and unrefrigerated, just to see what would happen. And ... nothing happened.

Continued:

http://thestir.cafemom.com/food_party/1 ... me_oneline

I'll call your year-old cheeseburger with a cheeseburger in a can.

My friend Judith has a cheeseburger from McD's from 10/08 - she has kept photos of it in a timelog format but in reallife you can see that there's no decay and the smell is, well, there is no smell. I think they embalmed the thing!

My sister has a couple of Pillsbury from-a-can biscuits that she's had for two or three years now. While they've gotten slightly hard, they never molded.

I gotta try this. Ya think I should get one without condiments ? I mean condiments have to mold, etc. Don't they ?

I gotta try this. Ya think I should get one without condiments ? I mean condiments have to mold, etc. Don't they ?

Ketchup and mustard are preserved by their vinegar content. I suspect once the thing dries out, it would basically be mummified if kept inside, in a low humidity, air-conditioned environment.

If you eat enough of these you will never die !

^ Unfortunately, eating that many makes you wish you were dead.

Not all that surprising given the level of sodium - kind of like a cured ham.

OK...So it's not been a year but here is a picture of my two week old McDonald's Cheeseburger and fries. All elements (bun/patty/cheese and fries) are rock hard but NO sign of mold. They look as if a little bit of water might just rehydrate them into their original goodness.

P1000755.JPG

Steve...does that burger have pickles or ketchup/mustard on it?

Steve...does that burger have pickles or ketchup/mustard on it?

No condiments...I figured those would mold.

I wouldn't count on it...