Burger Samplers Set Out To Test The New Mclean At Mcdonald's

Yes, but will people eat it?

That's what staffers in The Times food department wondered when we heard about the new McLean Deluxe burger at McDonald's.

This is the lower-fat burger that's managed to pull in buckets of publicity since McDonald's announced last week it was going nationwide with the new sandwich. The McLean has been test-marketed in Western Washington for about three weeks and in selected other markets since last fall.

Just how great can a burger taste when it's got seaweed - or more accurately, a small amount of carrageenen, a seaweed derivative - mixed in the meat? And would any normal burger lover order a McLean Deluxe again after trying it once?

To find out, a cadre of us trooped downtown to a McDonald's restaurant to give the McLean a try.

There was good reason for going to the bother. Americans love fast food. Fast foods, including hamburgers, are usually loaded with fat. And health experts are constantly telling us to eat less fat.

If a huge chain like McDonald's could put out a lower-fat burger - and sell people on eating it - that would be a step in the right direction. Company spokeswoman Ann Connolly said the product is going nationwide because of favorable public response.

Here are the McLean's vital statistics: 320 calories, 10 grams of fat, 60 milligrams of cholesterol, 670 milligrams of sodium. That's for the standard version without cheese. Cheese is optional and would add fat and sodium.

By comparison, McDonald's Quarter Pounder burger has these stats (with the cheese version in parentheses): 410 calories (510); 20 grams of fat (28); 85 milligrams of cholesterol (115); and 650 milligrams of sodium (1,090).

The McLean has less than one-third the fat, about half the calories, half the cholesterol and about two-thirds the sodium of the McDLT, which it will eventually replace.

Now about that seaweed derivative, carrageenen: It accounts for one-half of 1 percent of the McLean hamburger patty, said a McDonald's spokeswoman. It's added to help the extra-lean-meat patty retain moisture.

Besides the meat and bun, the sandwich also contains lettuce, a tomato slice, pickles, onions, mustard and ketchup.

The Times' tasters included a dedicated hamburger fan who loves juicy, goopy burgers and has them often at Dick's and other spots; several who enjoy burgers but indulge in them only occasionally - at places like BurgerMaster and Kidd Valley - because of the fat and calories; and one who rarely eats hamburgers because she hates grease.

Their verdicts:

The serious burger-eater thought the McLean was ``real dry. It was not juicy at all. At first I thought it was tasteless, but after I got into it a bit it began to have more of a meat flavor.''

He said he would buy a McLean again ``only if my wife made me.''

The woman who normally dislikes hamburgers and their grease liked the McLean and said she would order it again. Her only complaint: She wished it didn't include mustard or ketchup, which she doesn't like.

Among the occasional burger eaters, all said they would order the McLean again if they were in McDonald's, although they wouldn't go out of their way to go there.

``I was pleasantly surprised,'' said one. ``It was drier than (regular hamburger meat) but I wouldn't call it dry.'' He called the sandwich satisfying and thought it a good menu option.

Another said the the meat was ``tender and flavorful.'' Another thought the meat was a ``bit dry'' but liked the sandwich because it was light.

All agreed there was no hint of seaweed.

Meanwhile, it turns out that consumers can find hamburgers not too dissimilar from the McLean Deluxe at Burger King and Wendy's, the country's second- and third-largest burger chains.

Burger King's regular hamburger contains a beef patty, bun, pickles, mustard and ketchup (but not the McLean's lettuce, tomato and onion). It packs fewer calories, cholesterol and sodium, and only slightly more fat, than the McLean. The Burger King hamburger's numbers: 272 calories, 11 grams of fat, 37 milligrams of cholesterol and 505 milligrams of sodium.

Wendy's has a plain single hamburger with 340 calories, 15 grams of fat, 65 milligrams of cholesterol and 500 milligrams of sodium. This is with no toppings, although any toppings can be added. The patty weighs about an ounce more than the McLean patty's 3 ounces.

Wendy's also has a junior hamburger, with fewer calories, fat and cholesterol.