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BainsBane

(53,035 posts)
Sun May 12, 2013, 05:37 AM May 2013

14 yr old McDonald hamburger survives

"Utah man David Whipple has managed to hang on to a hamburger from McDonald's since 1999. The extraordinary part isn't the fact that he didn't throw the burger out, though -- it's that the burger barely looks like it has aged.

Appearing by phone on the TV show "The Doctors" recently, Whipple explained that the burger was discovered many years ago in his coat pocket, oddly enough. It looked the same then as it does now.

Whipple isn't the only one to discover this non-rotting burger phenomenon. In 2010, J. Kenji López-Alt conducted a series of tests for Serious Eats to figure out if various burgers would rot over time. He found that "the burger doesn't rot because its small size and relatively large surface area help it to lose moisture very fast. Without moisture, there's no mold or bacterial growth."

It isn't just burgers that have a eerily long shelf life, though. Melanie Warner, author of the book Pandora's Lunchbox: How Processed Foods Took Over the American Meal, conducted several food experiments earlier this year. Her findings? Fast food chicken sandwiches, store-bought guacamole and American cheese can also stand the mold-free test of time. But that's not necessarily a good thing."

Video at link

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/23/worlds-oldest-hamburger-mcdonalds_n_3139231.html

8 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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14 yr old McDonald hamburger survives (Original Post) BainsBane May 2013 OP
This thread w/ the same Huffpo link has a couple of responses that suggest bike man May 2013 #1
I thought maybe it was the ammonium BainsBane May 2013 #2
Or the generous amount of hoax slathered on. nt bike man May 2013 #3
probably BainsBane May 2013 #4
Not probably, Definitely. Same results with freshly ground prime beef. HERVEPA May 2013 #5
It survived? Does that mean he ate it? burnodo May 2013 #6
Yeah, sure. try it yourself and see how long it lasts. hobbit709 May 2013 #7
It was found in Ted Nugent's shorts. TheCowsCameHome May 2013 #8
 

bike man

(620 posts)
1. This thread w/ the same Huffpo link has a couple of responses that suggest
Sun May 12, 2013, 06:07 AM
May 2013

this is hoax-y.

The Daily Mail has had other articles over the years with photos of other long-lasting burgers, and 'some say' that source is iffy at best.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022740940

edited to add an earlier dailymail link http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1319562/McDonalds-Happy-Meal-bought-Sally-Davies-shows-sign-mould-6-months.html

edited again to put the second 'l' in dailymail

 

HERVEPA

(6,107 posts)
5. Not probably, Definitely. Same results with freshly ground prime beef.
Sun May 12, 2013, 07:16 AM
May 2013

Proven science is not really debatable.

hobbit709

(41,694 posts)
7. Yeah, sure. try it yourself and see how long it lasts.
Sun May 12, 2013, 07:32 AM
May 2013

Even if it dried out it should look shrunken and not still be somewhat flexible.

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