Review: McDonald's McCruncher

Currently in test at select McDonald's restaurants (including one in the Central Valley of California), the McCruncher is a McDonald's Hamburger variant with white cheddar cheese, crispy fried onion strings, and chipotle Ranch sauce.

It sells for $1 on the Dollar Menu.

The McDonald's Hamburger/Cheeseburger has been left relatively untouched as far as variations and limited-time offers go here in the U.S. (until recently that is).  While I've tried variations like the McPork and the McPepper in other countries, I can't say the same here at home. So I was quite excited when The Sister returned home from the S.F. Bay area with a McCruncher that she picked up a McDonald's in the Central Valley.

There's something oddly comforting about McDonald's hamburger bun; the heft and feel of it is just familiar, like a childhood friend. I imagine I'd be able to ascertain it from other similar buns with my eyes closed.

The main feature of the McCruncher and the source of its namesake are the onion strings which were reasonably crisp and I imagine even crunchy when fresh. They provide a light sweet onion taste and there's just barely enough for even coverage throughout the burger.

The sauce was applied sparingly and is what some chains call a southwestern sauce. Despite the "chipotle" in the name, it wasn't spicy or particularly smoky, but carried a slight tanginess and creaminess that works well with the rest of the burger.

The cheese is cheddar in name only. It's a pasteurized dairy product like American cheese, but isn't as distinct. Mostly, it supplies a pleasant creaminess to the burger, but not much flavor. It's probably nicer melted, but that wasn't that case here.

The beef is McDonald's standard. Thin and small, but it does the job.

I quite enjoyed the McCruncher. It's meat and cheese at McDonald's in a purer fashion than the ketchup and pickle laced Hamburger/Cheeseburger. The onions and sauce are slight sidekicks and allow the beef and cheese to stand front and center. I really hope it makes it out of test and onto the regular menu.

Nutritional info not available.