Restaurants love to tout their use offresh ingredients, but what does that really mean?
That can be anywhere from in a panthe old-fashioned waytosous vide.
Some don’t even have freezers!
Elevation Burger / Facebook
Many fast-food chains use frozen meat, vegetables, breads, and eveneggsas a shortcut and money saver.
A few other chains stand behind a pledge of no microwaved foods, ever.
Here are six chains you could count on for the freshest food possible.
Flickr
The chain stands by its “Quality you’re free to Taste” slogan.
Other ingredients are no afterthought, either.
The buns are baked from old-fashioned, slow-rising sponge dough every morning.
Courtesy of Five Guys/Facebook
In-N-Out sources the freshest veggies and hand-leafs its lettuce.
Even the potatoes for the french fries are hand-sliced daily.
To boot, the limited, vastly unchanged menu is said to keep costs down.
QDOBA / Facebook
Everything is made to order and never frozen, except the shakes, of course.
What you won’t find in the kitchens aremicrowaves or even timers.
The cooks at Five Guys are trained to know when the burgers are done without them.
Elevation Burger / Facebook
This is true at all of the1,400+ restaurantsin all 50 states.
While Five Guys might not have In-N-Out’s clout, it has a lot more locations.
Qdoba
Qdobaserves Mexican cuisine at its 700+ locations that stretch across 47 states.
Baja Fresh Mexican Grill / Facebook
The chain is known for fully customizable burritos, tacos, and bowlsalong with some signature creations.
It’s also known for serving high-quality food and adhering to ahigh standard of sustainabilitywith its sourcing.
And it never microwaves its food.
Chipotle / Facebook
In fact, microwaves arebanned from its kitchens.
Another thing you won’t find in a Qdoba?
That means all the beans, veggies, and sauces that you add to your dish are freshly made.
Bonus: guacamole and queso are always free on your dish.
Elevation Burger
It’s no surprise that a place likeElevation Burgerdoesn’t use microwaves.
Nothing is ever reheated.
In fact, they alsoskip the holding areas and steam tables.
The chain also serves fries cooked in olive oil and uses cage-free chicken for its sandwiches.
Look for Elevation Burger in the Northeast, where it currently operates some 40 locations.
The chain hasno microwavesbut it also skips freezers and even can openers.
Chipotle
Have you ever wondered why Chipotle hasno seafood?
It’s because the chain has no freezers.
It also refuses to take shortcuts on its food and that includesno microwavesand no can openers.
Chipotle’s values are all over its website and also include no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.
So while Chipotle hasbeen blasted for raising prices, it has the quality to back it up.
It also opened 41 new restaurants in 2022, 34 with a Chipotlane.
