How McDonald's Gets The Eggs For Its Egg McMuffin So Round
While the chicken sandwich war is far from over, when it comes to the battle of fast-food breakfasts, McDonald's is the clear winner, and its signature Egg McMuffin is the reason. Invented by California franchisee Herb Peterson in 1971 — just one year after McDonald's started opening its doors in the early hours of the morning — CNN reports that the chain's iconic breakfast sandwich solidified its spot on menus nationwide, where it has stayed to this day.
Everything about the sandwich makes it a treat — from its buttery English muffin and melted American cheese to its juicy Canadian bacon, or sausage patty if that's what you prefer (via McDonald's). But what really makes the Egg McMuffin stand out from the breakfast sandwiches available at other chains, and even those alongside it at Mickey D's, are the eggs themselves, which are always served up fresh and in a perfect circular shape. How do they do that?
McDonald's uses a special mold to shape the eggs for its Egg McMuffin
According to McDonald's, the trick to making their Egg McMuffin eggs "effortlessly" fit in the sandwich is with the use of an "egg ring," which ultimately makes their breakfast menu staple easy to chow down while on the go.
Labeled an "ingenious" tool by the chain, the egg ring is exactly that — a ring-shaped mold that ensures that the fresh egg cracked into it doesn't run all over the place as it cooks on the grill (via Wide Open Eats). The concept was developed by none other than Herb Peterson, the gentleman behind the Egg McMuffin itself who, according to his son David, enlisted a local blacksmith to help execute his plan (via Good Food Journey).
His hard work paid off, as McDonald's is still utilizing the concept today to serve up the same sandwiches that Peterson created. One Redditor says that you can even ask for the "round egg" to be added to any other McDonald's breakfast sandwich!