The McDonald's Hack That Takes Any Breakfast Sandwich To The Next Level

McDonald's started serving the Egg McMuffin as its first breakfast item in 1972, and it quickly became a beloved classic among lovers of fast food (and lovers of breakfast in general). The popular sandwich was created by Herb Peterson, a franchisee from California. The company referred to the sandwich — which is made with Canadian bacon, a perfectly round egg, and a slice of cheese sandwiched between two halves of an English muffin — as "eggs benedict on the go." Since its conception, more breakfast sandwiches, like the Sausage McMuffin and the sweet and savory McGriddle, have also been added to the beloved breakfast menu.

The breakfast sandwiches available at the Golden Arches come with either a round egg or a folded egg, both of which are pretty dense and take up a large portion of the sandwich. According to a former McDonald's corporate chef on TikTok, McDonald's serves four different kinds of eggs. The one you immediately think of has to be the round egg that traditionally comes on McDonald's breakfast sandwiches, like the egg McMuffin, which gets poured into a ring mold and cooked fresh in-store (it's the only one of the four that gets cracked on the spot) — but that's not the only egg available.

If the round egg doesn't sound all that appetizing, consider swapping it out for the Big Breakfast's scrambled eggs. The source claims the scrambled eggs are made from "liquid egg products" and are freshly scrambled in the restaurant for each order.

Swapping for scrambled eggs can elevate your McMuffin experience

TikToker @chefmikeharacz is a former McDonald's corporate chef well known for sharing fast food secrets, tips, and tricks like why the company doesn't serve onion rings, why employees won't cut your burgers in half, and what really happened with that whole Szechuan sauce incident. He deems the round egg his favorite but admits substituting scrambled eggs on your McMuffin can also upgrade the classic. The former chef highly recommends this egg hack over eating the pre-made folded eggs that come on biscuit sandwiches, which he described as having "the texture of a stack of Post-it notes." 

On the official McDonald's website, the company confirms that scrambled eggs used in the big breakfast platters are "cooked fresh on our grill with real butter," while the folded eggs are "flash frozen by ... suppliers."

@chefmikeharacz

Former #McDonalds corporate chef talks about the 4 types of eggs on the menu. #mcdonaldshacks #McDonaldsHack #mcdonaldssecrets #McDonaldsSecret #McDonaldsmenu #McDonaldsLife #McDonaldsTikTok #McDonaldsBreakfast #mcdonaldsegg #fastFood #FastFoodSecrets #FastFoodMenu #McMuffin #EggMcMuffin #eggmcmuffinsausage #eggmcmuffins #McGriddles #sausageeggandcheese #FYP

♬ original sound – Chef Mike Haracz

Adding scrambled eggs to a breakfast sandwich may provide a slightly creamier yolk that many breakfast enthusiasts prefer. It also highlights the meat and cheese, as scrambled eggs won't be as dense as their round and folded counterparts. TikTok users shared their personal experiences of using this breakfast sandwich egg hack. Clearly, the scrambled eggs have a dedicated fan base, and curious McDonald's customers are eager to try it out. Before you rush to the drive-thru to try this hack out for yourself, make sure that your McDonald's is still serving breakfast. As always, be extra kind and patient to employees when you ask for a substitution or customization.

Can you still get breakfast at McDonald's after the AM?

If you vaguely remember a time when you could get your hands on a McGriddle and a hash brown at any time of day, you aren't mistaken. There was once a time when McDonald's (very briefly) allowed late risers and night owls to order from its breakfast menu. After fans begged the company for years to serve breakfast all day, McDonald's finally made their dreams come true in 2015. Unfortunately, the all-day breakfast at McDonald's disappeared almost as quickly as it arrived. When the COVID-19 pandemic sent people into quarantine, many restaurants had to scale back and reassess what was not just safe for employees and customers but also what would be economically feasible. The all-day breakfast was one of the first menu offerings to be removed, and three years later, it still has not returned (at most locations, anyway). RIP, late afternoon hash browns and coffee, we hardly knew ye.

Equally as sad, these days, the restaurant does not serve breakfast before sunrise, even at its 24-hour locations. According to the McDonald's website, breakfast begins at 5 a.m. at restaurants that are open 24 hours. Depending on when your day starts and ends, you could snag an extra late night (or extra early morning) Sausage McMuffin, but not before 5 a.m. or after 10:30 a.m. or 11 a.m., depending on your location. So, if you're hoping to try out the latest Egg McMuffin hack, you'll have to make sure to hit that narrow window of time.