Hannah

There was a time when I thought that McDonald’s St. Patrick’s Day tribute, with their “Shamrock Shake,” had topped the charts for fast-food milkshakes, and then I discovered Arby’s and their jamocha shake, which won out for me, hands down. The contest didn’t end there, though; this year, Chik-fil-A introduced their coffee caramel milkshake. This is the beginning of the end, at least the end of my grand “battle of the bulge.” I’ve offered truce for a while, until the coffee caramel milkshakes are no longer available.

This specialty is advertised as a limited edition flavor, and I saw, somewhere on the internet, that it’s available only through August 2. Pity, that–this one is great! It’s been described as “like a frozen caramel macchiato,” and I’d say that sums it up pretty well, although I think it’s a bit creamier than most macchiatos and a much better option for any time outside in this heat. As much as the budget will allow, I’ve been taking advantage of every trip past a Chik-fil-A. My theory is that if the shakes sell well enough, the company may decide to make this “limited edition” flavor a permanent addition to the menu. [Read more…] about Chik-fil-A’s Coffee Caramel Milkshake

I’m still debating whether or not Arby’s Jamocha shake performs as well as a cup of coffee. You get the great coffee flavor, though it is definitely not an overwhelming flavor–my mom, who loves the smell of coffee but can’t stand the taste of it, can enjoy a Jamocha shake. To make it even better, though, Jamocha gives you a generous serving of chocolate, right along with the coffee. And, especially nice on a hot summer day, it’s all blended with frosty cold cream and sugar. The Dairy Queen and Dunkin’ Donuts frozen coffee drinks are really good (especially Dairy Queen’s, if you ask me), but there’s something about a straight-up milkshake that just takes the cake, every now and then. [Read more…] about Arby’s Jamocha Shake – Better than Coffee?

So, let’s start from the beginning. What one ingredient is basic to every milkshake? Pretty much, every milkshake uses–go figure–milk.

Milk seems like a common enough bare-bones sort of ingredient, but have you looked at the shelves at the grocery store recently? There are a whole lot of different colored lids in the dairy section, from Fat Free (is that still milk? or has it crossed the line and become whey?) to Whole, not to mention Half-n-Half, Whipping Cream, and the full-bodied stuff you get at the farm (you know, where the cows live . . . when you take the milk home and it separates into two layers if you let it sit for any length of time). With all those options out there, which one makes the best milkshake? [Read more…] about What Makes a Milkshake Good?

Ok, I’ll readily admit it.  I’m a milkshake lover. And I’ve tried almost every restaurant’s strawberry milkshake across the planet.  (Ok, not quite every, and not quite across the planet).  But, I do love strawberry milkshakes.

Looking at my favorite fast food shakes, I’m going to touch on each one and not even do it in the “top 10? order like I originally planned.  It’s hard to really make that decision, and since I’m sometimes a rather indecisive person, I’ll just give you a list of my favorites and let you decide how you’d rank them.

(But, due to reader mumbling, I’ll toss in this top 10 list. Feel free to leave some input in the comments on how you’d sort them!)

10. Dairy Queen Blizzard
9. Friendlys Fribbles
8. Hardees
7. Steak & Shake
6. Jack in the Box
5. Sonic
4. Chik-fil-a Strawberry Shakes (if you’re in the mood for a malty taste; it does leave a not-so-pleasant aftertaste, though)
3. Wendys Strawberry Shakes (or just a vanilla or chocolate frosty, though the chocolate frosty is chocolate overkill for me)
2. McDonalds Strawberry Shakes (is it just me or do they always leave a funky aftertaste in your mouth? I can’t stand their vanilla shakes or their chocolate shakes; their egg nog shakes can be yummy good but only if they have the flavor metered properly; their green toothpaste shake they offer in March I’ll readily pass on)
1. Burger King Vanilla Shakes (can’t stand their strawberry shakes, but their new vanilla shake is awesome)

We’ll start off with good old McDonalds.  I’ll have to say that several years ago (how long’s it been – 8 years?) when they went through a drastic change of their shakes to the thick, creamy with strawberry lumps one they have now, it was a good change.  I still remember living in Greenville, SC and heading out for a McDonalds shake knowing that if I went to the McDonalds closest to where I lived, I’d get the old McD’s shake style but if I went out for a longer drive to one farther away, they’d have the new creamy one.  McDonald’s strawberry shakes are still probably my favorite, though I do like my variety. They’re thick, lumpy with strawberries (which my kids don’t like), and creamy-so-creamy.

Then you’ve got Burger King and their good ol’ standbye strawberry milkshake. You can definitely taste the syrup and it’s nothing like McDonalds, but I grew up probably with more Burger King shakes than McD’s, and I still enjoy a good large size shake at the king of the burgers. I’m almost thinking that they also changed their recipe several years back?  Well, not a major, major change but still a definite reworking of the old standard. Correct me if I’m wrong.

We currently live in a small town, and Burger King is a decent half hour drive away.  McDonalds is close by, but, as a family, we just don’t go there too much (long story – let’s just say my son likes real onions and not the rehydrated onion bits McD’s likes to place on their burgers; I also spent too many hot & greasy days emptying wire baskets full of fries at a McDs). We do have Wendys.  Now, I’ve never been a Wendy’s fan (square burgers? c’mon!), but I’ll concede that living where we are right now has forced me to actually like Wendy’s food –  most of it, that is. Their fries are still a mile lacking. Wendys recently came out with milkshakes – even strawberry – and their shakes are pretty good, too.  I’ve only had one strawberry shake so I can’t write too much about it. What we typically do is just get large Frosties, bring them back home, remove a couple spoonfuls of ice cream (that’s all Frosties are – just soft icecream in a cup instead of a cone) and add a little bit of milk and strawberry syrup. That’s pretty much my weekly strawberry shake right now. Part Wendys, part me.  It’s not too bad, either.  Definitely cheaper during these penny pinching times. But then our Wendys just upped their prices on many items. Guess for them the worldwide recession means it’s time to make a bigger profit or something.

Chick Fil A (practically impossible to spell their name right the first time) has strawberry shakes, and I’ve had several of them.  The first one may have had some spoiled milk in it or something?  They’re malty like but the first one I had (in a mall in North Canton, OH) was nasty.  Since then, I’ve had several more, and I’ve grown accustomed to the malty taste (still not my favorite), and they’re doable. Definitely a different taste than McDs or Burger King.  Wendy’s almost has a little bit of a malty taste to it, but not nearly as strong as Chick Fil A.

Guess I’ve run out of the top fast food shakes. Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and the other pizza places are behind the times and only dream about soda. I’ve heard rumors that Hardees sells milkshakes (truth, anyone?) but I hate Hardees so I’ve never been brave enough to swing through their drive thru just to order a strawberry shake.  Of course, if I did, they’d probably only offer chocolate (like Wendy’s used to only offer chocolate frosties for all too long … brrrr!).  Friendly’s strawberry shakes are pretty good, but they’re out of the realm of fast food, plus their shakes are too small and cost too much.

One of my all time favorite strawberry shakes was from a small ice cream store up near the Quebec/New York border. I used to spend part of my summers during my teen years up at some camps thataway, and that soft ice cream stand had shakes to die for.  I can still taste it on my mouth.  Something about using real strawberries to make a shake. Can’t remember the ice cream store’s name right now.  Dairy Haus is another one of my favorite ice cream stands. But I’ll pass on the strawberry milkshake there anytime (even throw it into a wire trash basket) in favor of their raspberry custard swirl soft ice cream cones.  Mmmm …

It really seems fairly obvious–Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary defines a milkshake as “a thoroughly shaken or blended drink made of milk, a flavoring syrup, and often ice cream.” In this day and age, though, there are a whole lot of options on almost everything, and milkshakes are no exception.

So, when does a milkshake cross the line and become an ice-cream treat? Is it when the shake is too thick to be sucked through a straw? Or, is it when there are enough chunks that you have to use a spoon? Who gets to decide if something qualifies as a milkshake? There are all kinds of variations on the theme of the standard vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. The three basics are available pretty much anywhere milkshakes are offered. From there, you can venture down one path with fruit, down another with cookies, down another with candy bars, and down another with colorful things that only kids want to eat.  [Read more…] about What Is A Milkshake?