Fast Food Menu Items That Food Network Stars Love

We all love a little fast food now and again, and chefs are no different. Some of the most familiar faces out there in the food world aren't exactly shy about their love of fast food, and just as there are Food Network stars who run gourmet restaurants, there are also Food Network stars who are known to enjoy McDonald's or In-N-Out. As you'd expect from food professionals, though, the fast food that Food Network stars love isn't vague — it's specific. These famous folks are very clear about the exact items they like to order from fast food restaurants, and why they love them over other types.

Some of these beloved fast food menu items might surprise you, too. A bucket of KFC might not be everyone's go-to, particularly given that KFC is considered one of the chain restaurants with the lowest-quality chicken, but chefs like Michael Psilakis consider it a firm favorite. Elsewhere, folks like Kristen Kish praise unlikely items like Arby's chicken fingers, while Andrew Zimmern's love of Culver's crinkle cut fries is impassioned (particularly when he's comparing them to another major fast food chain). Ready to check out what your favorite Food Network star likes to eat? Let's dive in.

It takes a real connoisseur to order a Filet-O-Fish over anything else at McDonald's. It may not hit the spot every time — and like all McDonald's burgers, it can suffer from varying quality — but it's hard to deny the glory of that soft, sweet bun, the flaky fish, and the half-slice of cheese that adds tang without overwhelming. Valerie Bertinelli agrees. 

The star of "Valerie's Home Cooking" is well aware of the unique appeal of a Filet-O-Fish and knows that when it's just been cooked, it's heaven. "You've got to catch them between 11:00 and 11:30 in the morning when they're fresh, there is nothing like it," Bertinelli said in an interview with Mashed, before reiterating that you've got to move fast on the sandwich. "It is so perfect and so delicious but that's the half hour that you have."

Bertinelli was speaking to Mashed to promote her cookbook, "Indulge," in which she has a few recipes for homemade fish sandwiches. However, she's quick to point out that there's only one Filet-O-Fish, and try as you might, you probably won't be able to make it like McDonald's does. If you want to try a fast food item that the famed chef calls "heaven," make a morning trip to your local restaurant. You'll have the time of your life, we promise.

We never underestimate the power of an onion ring, and neither does Sunny Anderson. The Food Network star knows how good this fried side goes down, and there's one place she goes to get hers: Sonic. "Onion rings. You got to have them," Anderson said in an interview with Insider, in which she was asked about her favorite Sonic dish. She went on to stress that the rings weren't the only thing she liked to order, but they were definitely the top choice. "It's either a Coney dog or a cheeseburger or double cheeseburger and the tots ... You got to have a little bit of everything, but the onion rings. Oh, my God."

The reason why Sonic onion rings taste so good is because of their sweetness. Sonic's onion ring batter has a sugary note to it and is almost cake-like in its consistency. As with all fast food dishes, it's hard to get the actual recipe out of the folks who work there, but one former employee recommends using vanilla ice cream as an ingredient, if you're making them at home. Look, we never said they were healthy, folks, but we promise they'll be delicious.

When a chef is advocating for a specific fast food item for over 15 years, you know that it's probably gonna be good. That's certainly the case when it comes to Tyler Florence and his love of the Double Double Cheeseburger from In-N-Out. The Food Network personality has been praising In-N-Out's burger for what seems like forever, making the case for it way back in 2009, when he said that the fast food sandwich was as good as the kind you'd find in an upmarket restaurant. As for how he likes his Double Double, Florence opts for animal style.

Florence's love of In-N-Out has continued through the years. The chef posted a picture of himself carrying a box of In-N-Out back in 2021. It somewhat feels as though this was a post in collaboration with the restaurant, but even if he was being paid for it, he's made his love of it very clear. In 2025, he also repeatedly voted to keep the Double Double in an elimination game spot that he took part in with Food & Wine. During the game, he also said he was a fan of Popeye's fried chicken and indicated that his ideal dish would be a Double Double with a piece of chicken on top. That's a flavor combo we need to try!

The thing about chefs is that they know the good places to eat — and sometimes those places aren't what you think they'll be. Food Network star Duff Goldman proves this with his love of food sold at Sheetz. This convenience and gas stop chain is popular in the mid-Atlantic, but anyone outside of the region may not have even heard of it. If you have, though, you'll know that it also sells fast food, and its meatball sub is a particular favorite of Goldman. "I like the way the sauce melts into the bread and it gets all saucy and doughy," he said in an interview with Thrillist.

Goldman also points out that Sheetz has a pretty extraordinary beverage selection in its stores, and he's right. As you'd probably expect from a convenience store, it has all the sodas and soft drinks you care to name — but it also sells fresh milkshakes, smoothies, coffees, hot chocolates, Refresherz, and a frozen Red Bull concoction that looks like an amped-up slushie. Come for the food, and stay to have your thirst quenched.

You know what really rocks? McDonald's fries. Sure, there's been a fair amount of failed McDonald's burgers and other menu items that never really took off, but the chain's fries have been a staple since 1955, and they've remained tasty throughout the decades. One person who's continued to appreciate them is Giada de Laurentiis, who's unable to resist their appeal.

De Laurentiis clearly knows a classic when she sees one, and she isn't the only Food Network chef who's fallen for the charms of McDonald's fries. Sunny Anderson is also a big fan of them, particularly when they're fresh: Her trick is to buy several orders of the fries in one go, so that she can ensure that they're made then and there. There's been plenty of discussion over the years about the secret behind McDonald's fries, but the restaurant itself is very clear about why they're so tasty. For McDonald's, it's all about the potatoes they use to make them, which need to be of the highest quality.

Sometimes, the best fries are in the places you expect the least — or, at least, the places that don't shout about them too loudly. Our proof? Check out what Andrew Zimmern thinks of Culver's. The host of "Big Food Truck Tip" praised Culver's crinkle cut fries in an episode of "Hot Ones," when he boiled the fast food chain's success with its fried potatoes down to one thing: According to Zimmern, "it's just good." He feels this despite not being a crinkle-cut fry person in the first place, which speaks to the quality of the dish.

Zimmern elaborates on exactly why he thinks Culver's is so great in his "Hot Ones" interview and praises the fact that it makes all of its food fresh, with its vegetables sliced by hand on the day. He's also a massive fan of Culver's ButterBurgers, saying that its beef is good quality and the bun is buttered just right. You know what Zimmern doesn't have time for, though? In-N-Out. He calls the chain's hamburger completely overrated and flavorless, and says that its fries are easily the worst out there. That's a pretty controversial opinion in the fast food world, but this chef's sticking to his guns.

The late Anne Burrell was one of the most prominent faces on Food Network and was the star of several shows before she died in 2025. Most people will know her for her extraordinary attention to detail when it came to cooking, and her love of good technique. What people may not be as familiar with, though, is her love of fast food, and particularly of In-N-Out. Burrell may have been a New Yorker, but her fast food inclinations lay on the West Coast.

As for what Burrell ordered at In-N-Out — well, she knew exactly what she wanted. "Double Double, animal style, no tomatoes, extra spread, fries well done," she said in an interview on People Talking Sports, without any hesitation. It's that kind of specificity that we're here for, folks. As ordering your burger animal style already gives you spread sauce, grilled onions, and cheese, we'd imagine that adding extra sauce would have made this a pretty wet choice of meal. However, we're also sure that it tastes absolutely delicious.

Chefs are people who are passionate about food, so it makes sense that when they like something, they can't stop talking about it. This is the case when it comes to Kristen Kish, guest judge on "Chopped" and "Guy's Grocery Games" and co-host of "Fast Foodies." The chef has affirmed her love of Arby's chicken fingers in not one, but two separate interviews in the last few years. She's very clear about what she likes to eat them with: It's curly fries or nothing.

Kish is quick to acknowledge that her love of Arby's may be tied to its regionality. Kish trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago and then worked in Boston before achieving onscreen success, and so the restaurant chain's strong presence in Illinois may have meant that she had more exposure to it. This is compounded by the fact that Arby's isn't generally considered to have the best chicken fingers out there, with chains like Raising Cane's and Popeyes generally being more praised for their offerings. However, Kish likes what she likes, and honestly, we're here for it. One order of Arby's chicken fingers, please!

KFC isn't exactly excelling in the fried chicken space these days. It may be the most prominent of all the fried chicken brands out there, but in recent years, it's seen a lot of competition from up-and-comers, and now it's even struggling to keep its doors open. If it does end up shutting for good, then Michael Psilakis will be pretty upset. The Food Network star has been very vocal about his love of KFC, and particularly its most iconic item, the chicken bucket.

For Psilakis, it's really all about the crust on KFC's chicken. He treats it as the main event, comparing it to the crumb on a crumb cake. The actual chicken is just incidental to the experience, really. We can imagine that it's also about the ritual of grabbing a bucket of chicken itself, which has been a main offering from KFC since 1957, and which is as embedded in fast food culture as any menu item.