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10 Fast Food Gadgets You Absolutely Need In Your Life
While we love a good fast food appreciation post, we also want to give some recognition to all the fast food related gadgets out there. Some are useful, some are whacky, all are entertaining. Whether they were created by fast food chains as part of a promotion or are simply useful for any fast food lover to have on hand, these ten fast food gadgets are ones that you most definitely want.
10. Burger King’s Freedom Crown
Perfect for the fourth of July, or any day where you’re feeling particularly patriotic, is this all-American Burger King Crown. The fast food chain’s trademark are their paper crowns, which are usually gold and embossed with the restaurant’s logo. Usually, the crowns are nothing more than cutesy souvenirs from a fun night of eating out, but, in summer 2018, Burger King decided to take things to the next level. These new crowns were colored red, white and blue, and pictured an eagle clutching the Burger King logo in its talons. However, the aesthetics are just the beginning. This crown was designed in a partnership with Budweiser and was created with function in mind. On one side, is a platform for holding your burger. On the other, a sleeve that is perfectly sized to hold a can of beer. As a bonus, there’s a tube that connects to the can of beer, so that you can drink hands-free. The burger that was released as part of this limited-time promotion was the American Brewhouse King Sandwich, which has an impressive list of ingredients, including two beef patties, thick-cut smoked bacon, onions, American cheese, tavern sauce and mayo. It doesn’t sound half bad. Between the burger, the beer and the crown, you’re on your way to living like a king. Is the Freedom Crown obnoxious and over-the-top? Absolutely, but it’s all part of the charm.
9. French Fry Holder
Picture this: you pay a visit to the McDonald’s Drive-Thru to pick up some fries for you and whichever friend or family member is sitting in the passenger seat of your car. You expect the fries to be split fifty-fifty, but, since you’re driving, your passenger ends up holding them and thereby gets a monopoly over them. This gadget not only rights that particular injustice but is also just generally convenient. The French Fry holder is made of black plastic, and its base is shaped to fit in your car’s cupholders. The top is designed to hold a standard container of French fries, like the one’s you get at McDonald’s. This is ideal for any fast food fan who often finds themselves eating on the go. No one will be stuck holding the container of fries (which, if you’re driving, you shouldn’t be doing anyways), and by keeping the fries secure, the French Fry Holder minimizes any mess that can come from eating in the car. While this product was clearly designed with French Fries in mind, it can also be used to hold various other items, including juice boxes, granola bars or any small packages of snacks. Actually, its use isn’t even limited to food – you could also store pens, pencils or emergency makeup products in it.
8. Steering Wheel Desk
Before getting into this product, it must be stated that it’s something that should only be used when your car is parked. Multitasking while driving increases your risk of having an accident, so attempting to eat a full-blown meal is just downright dangerous. Now that that disclaimer is out of the way, we can acknowledge the fact that this Steering Wheel Desk can be incredibly useful. It’s lightweight and is easily mounted onto the bottom of your car’s steering wheel, providing you with an ergonomic desk perfect for doing work on your laptop or, what we’re more interested in, eating whatever food items you picked up from your favorite fast food restaurant. This could be great for road trips or camping excursions when you don’t have time to stop for the full restaurant experience, but need to take a break from driving while you eat. It’s yet another gadget that will keep your car crumb-free. This is especially true if you have kids. There’s even a built-in cupholder to help avoid spills. Cleaning the tray is definitely an easier chore than having to clean the entire interior of your car, so the Steering Wheel Desk is absolutely deserving of a place on this list.
7. The STRAW
This limited-edition item was released by McDonald’s in 2017. Its official name is the Suction Tube for Reverse Axial Withdrawal, which, oh so conveniently, forms the acronym STRAW. The aptly named STRAW was released to pair with McDonald’s Chocolate Shamrock Shake, which is half mint and half chocolate. To achieve optimal flavor, its necessary to get both chocolate and mint in every sip. This, of course, can’t be achieved with any ordinary straw. So, how exactly does the STRAW get around this problem? The complicated answer is fluid dynamics. The straightforward answer is that it has a hooked bottom and five holes in various places along its length. The STRAW’s packaging is almost cooler than the product itself. It’s incredibly sleek and looks like something that was designed by Apple. It’s unfortunate that they chose to make the STRAW from plastic, instead of stainless steel, however it’s still reusable, and is therefore still more environmentally friendly than a regular single-use straw. This gadget had a very limited run, and, even when it was available, could only be found in select restaurants. Now, you might find that you have a lot of trouble tracking it down, but, with the right eBay search, it just might be possible.
6. Portable Stove
Have you ever picked up take-out fast food for yourself or your family, only to arrive home and find that your meal has reached a lukewarm temperature that isn’t remotely appetizing? After a long commute home, you probably don’t want to have to wait for your food to heat up in the oven, and, if you have young children, odds are they won’t be too happy about it either. That’s one problem that you’ll be able to avoid if you purchase this 12-Volt Portable Stove. It plugs into most lighter-type sockets, meaning that it’s compatible with pretty much every car. Plus, since it weighs only three pounds, it’s super convenient for when you’re on the go. This Portable Stove has a max temperature of 300 degrees and uses relatively little energy. It’s ideal for heating up leftovers, or keeping your takeout warm, but, if you’re feeling ambitious, you can even use it to cook a full meal. This makes the Portable Stove the perfect companion for camping and road trips, since on those types of excursions, you don’t always have access to restaurants. It can, however, also come in handy for anyone with a busy schedule. You’ll never have to settle for cold fries again!
5. McDonald’s Car Window Tray
Like with the Steering Wheel Desk, this item comes with the note that eating a full meal while driving is definitely not something any of us should be doing. However, that doesn’t mean that the McDonald’s Car Window Tray can’t come in handy. This tray can be installed on any of your car’s doors, meaning that your passengers can enjoy their meals without the inconvenience of having to use their laps as a table. Like a couple of previously mentioned gadgets, the Car Window Tray will help keep your car clean, which we can all agree is a point in its favor. This is another item that would be great to have on a road trip, when a lot of eating is done on the go. It’s designed to hold an entire meal, with places designated to hold a fountain drink, fries and burger or nuggets. Since this is a McDonald’s item, it’s a delightfully bright yellow. If you don’t mind the fact that it might clash horribly with your car’s interior, you’re good to go. Like The STRAW, this product has been discontinued. You can likely find something very similar on Amazon, but if you’re a hardcore fan and want the original McDonald’s brand item…well be prepared to rack up quite the credit card bill, because they’re going for hundreds of dollars on eBay.
4. Bluetooth Two-Way Tracker
This item is a strange addition to this list, because it doesn’t necessarily have to do with eating fast food, but it’s a McDonald’s-themed gadget, so it totally still counts. Essentially, this like square gadget connects to your phone via Bluetooth. By downloading the app that goes with it, you’re able to track its location at any given time. It has a split keyring attachment, so it can be easily attached to a key chain. Gone are the days of turning the house upside down to find your missing car keys (which were in your jacket pocket all along). As long as you haven’t lost your phone too, you’ll find them in no time. The time saved by not having to search for your keys can then go towards stopping by your local McDonald’s before work. That’s a win in our book. The Two-Way Tracker is simple in appearance; it’s all white, with the exception of the golden arches logo that is printed on the middle. It’s a subtle touch that allows you to show off your fast food loving side. It’s also only fifteen bucks on the McDonald’s Smilemakers website, so it’s definitely a worthwhile purchase.
3. 2-in-1 Smart Car Cup Warmer and Cooler
Many people are very particular about the temperatures of their drinks. They want their cold drinks icy and their hot drinks scalding. Even if its temperature doesn’t make or break the drink for you, no one can honestly say that they enjoy a lukewarm beverage. That’s why the 2-in-1 Smart Cup Warmer and Cooler is such a revolutionary gadget. Whether you like your coffee hot or iced, you’ll be able to maintain it at an optimal temperature until it’s finished. This gadget will fit into your car’s cupholders, and simply needs to be plugged in to be used. Most drink containers, from coffee cups to cans of soda, will fit snugly inside. All you have to do is press either the “Warm” or “Cool” button and it’ll proceed to do exactly that. Taking only five minutes to get to temperature, the ice in your soda won’t even have time to melt before the cooling system kicks in. Conveniently, it’s super lightweight making it very portable, and its insulation makes it safe to use. All in all, the 2-in-1 Smart Car Cup Warmer and Cooler is definitely something that any car-owner can benefit from, especially if they enjoy stopping by a Drive Thru to grab themselves a drink for the road.
2. The Frork
This McDonald’s item has potential to be useful but is mostly just really entertaining because it’s kind of ridiculous. It’s called the Frork, which is the result of the clever combination of the words “fry” and “fork.” From that you can probably gather that this is a special fork for eating French fries. That pretty much just sounds like a normal fork, but the thing about the Frork is that it doesn’t have any prongs. Basically, you insert three French fries into the space at the base of the fork and they act as the prongs. What is the point you ask? Well, the logic behind the Frork is that burgers often leave drippings behind. Be it BBQ sauce or guac, many people enjoy mopping the residual condiments up with their fries. However, doing this by hand can be a messy process. While barbeque sauce tastes great, it doesn’t exactly make for a nice moisturizing hand cream. With the Frork you can keep things classy and avoid having to deal with sticky fingers. Once you’ve set up your Frork with its fry prongs, you can dip the French fries in the leftover sauce that has dripped from your burger, ensuring that nothing goes to waste. Then you eat the fries straight out of the Frork and start the process all over again. The Frork was available for a limited time only at participating McDonald’s in 2017, but there are probably still some floating around on the Internet if you want to get your hands on one.
1. Burger King Whopper Holder
This gadget is really only for people who have completely given up on caring about what others think of them. Burger King’s Whopper Holder allows you to enjoy their famous burger completely hands-free. It’s really for the multitaskers among us. Read a book, write an essay, do your taxes, all while eating a Whopper. This plastic item hangs around your neck and has a holder into which you can place your Whopper. Your burger will sit right at mouth level, so eating it will take minimal effort. Burger King released the Whopper Holder as part of a celebration of their fiftieth anniversary. You would think that after fifty years they would go for something a little more…dignified. It had a very limited release and was never available for purchase. It was sent to fifty diehard Burger King fans, and as such, it’ll probably be worth a fortune someday. The main complaint about this item is that it kind of resembles a horse’s feedbag. This item can be mocked all day long, but we have to consider that maybe some people don’t have time for a lunch break, and a gadget such as this could allow them to fit some food into their day. Burger King had good intentions in creating an object that allows for multitasking, but, judging by the general response, the idea might need a bit more development.