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  4. I ordered the same breakfast from McDonald's and Burger King, and I thought the cheaper meal was better

I ordered the same breakfast from McDonald's and Burger King, and I thought the cheaper meal was better

I ordered the same breakfast from McDonald's and Burger King, and I thought the cheaper meal was better
An Insider reporter compared the same breakfast meal from McDonald's and Burger King to determine which one tasted better and was the best value.Erin McDowell/Insider
  • I ordered the same breakfast from McDonald's and Burger King to compare them on taste and value.
  • I compared the chains' sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit breakfast sandwiches and their hash browns.
  • Burger King's biscuit was practically leaking butter, but I thought it tasted better than the McDonald's one.

I ordered a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit breakfast sandwich and hash browns from each chain. I started by trying out Burger King's.

I ordered a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit breakfast sandwich and hash browns from each chain. I started by trying out Burger King
The Burger King bag.      Erin McDowell/Insider

My meal cost $5.36, plus taxes and fees. I ordered it through the Seamless app from my local restaurant in Brooklyn, New York.

I thought just over $5 was a fair price for how much food I received.

I thought just over $5 was a fair price for how much food I received.
Burger King breakfast sandwich and hash browns.      Erin McDowell/Insider

I got a medium hash brown and thought it was more than enough.

A medium-size hash brown from Burger King cost me $2.19.

A medium-size hash brown from Burger King cost me $2.19.
Burger King hash browns.      Erin McDowell/Insider

It came packed to the brim with small fried hash browns.

I enjoyed the hash browns from Burger King - I thought they were fluffy on the inside and perfectly crispy on the outside.

I enjoyed the hash browns from Burger King - I thought they were fluffy on the inside and perfectly crispy on the outside.
Burger King hash browns.      Erin McDowell/Insider

They could have used a little sauce for added flavor but were just fine on their own as well.

I also got a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit breakfast sandwich from Burger King.

I also got a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit breakfast sandwich from Burger King.
Burger King breakfast sandwich.      Erin McDowell/Insider

It cost $3.79 and came wrapped in wax paper to keep the heat and buttery biscuit safely tucked inside.

Right away, I noticed how buttery this sandwich was.

Right away, I noticed how buttery this sandwich was.
Burger King breakfast sandwich.      Erin McDowell/Insider

Butter had completely coated the wax paper wrapping.

Once I opened the sandwich, I saw right away why the wrapping was so buttery.

Once I opened the sandwich, I saw right away why the wrapping was so buttery.
Burger King breakfast sandwich.      Erin McDowell/Insider

The biscuit was a dark yellow color and almost crispy in texture. This told me right away that a lot of butter was added to whatever batter they use to make their biscuits.

The sandwich came with a biscuit, sausage patty, egg, and a slice of American cheese.

The sandwich came with a biscuit, sausage patty, egg, and a slice of American cheese.
Burger King breakfast sandwich.      Erin McDowell/Insider

When I bit into the breakfast sandwich, it tasted heavily of butter, but I could still taste the juicy sausage patty and egg.

There were small pockets of butter or oil on the top of the biscuit.

There were small pockets of butter or oil on the top of the biscuit.
Burger King breakfast sandwich.      Erin McDowell/Insider

However, that didn't really turn me off. There's nothing worse than a dry biscuit — which I would discover later on in this taste test.

The sausage patty was perfectly thick and moist, while the eggs were light and fluffy.

The sausage patty was perfectly thick and moist, while the eggs were light and fluffy.
Burger King breakfast sandwich.      Erin McDowell/Insider

The biscuit was crumbly rather than flaky, but it complemented the other flavors and provided the perfect vehicle for the other ingredients.

I ordered the same items from McDonald's: a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit breakfast sandwich and one hash brown.

I ordered the same items from McDonald
The McDonald's bag.      Erin McDowell/Insider

My meal cost $7.38, plus taxes and fees. I also got it delivered through the Seamless app.

It was slightly more expensive than the meal from Burger King, so I was anxious to see if the flavor would live up to the higher price tag.

It was slightly more expensive than the meal from Burger King, so I was anxious to see if the flavor would live up to the higher price tag.
McDonald's breakfast sandwich and hash browns.      Erin McDowell/Insider

When I compared the same meals from Burger King and McDonald's, the meal from the larger chain was also more expensive.

I got one hash brown, which appeared to be smaller in size than the medium hash browns from Burger King.

I got one hash brown, which appeared to be smaller in size than the medium hash browns from Burger King.
McDonald's hash brown.      Erin McDowell/Insider

However, it was more expensive at $2.29.

The hash brown was perfectly crispy on the outside.

The hash brown was perfectly crispy on the outside.
McDonald's hash brown.      Erin McDowell/Insider

It wasn't as fluffy as the Burger King hash browns. The potato inside was more shredded in texture and had a lot more moisture. I liked it but thought the serving size was a little small and expensive for getting basically the same menu item taste-wise.

I'm a big fan of McDonald's McMuffin breakfast sandwiches but have less frequently tried their biscuit options.

I
McDonald's breakfast sandwich.      Erin McDowell/Insider

The sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit sandwich cost me $5.09, which was more expensive than the one from Burger King.

The biscuit was lighter in color than the Burger King one but looked more like a traditional biscuit.

The biscuit was lighter in color than the Burger King one but looked more like a traditional biscuit.
McDonald's breakfast sandwich.      Erin McDowell/Insider

However, when I bit in, I was surprisingly a little disappointed.

I thought the biscuit was dry and crumbly.

I thought the biscuit was dry and crumbly.
McDonald's breakfast sandwich.      Erin McDowell/Insider

It stuck to the roof of my mouth. The texture made it difficult to really taste the other ingredients — all I could taste was the biscuit.

I didn't have any urge to finish this sandwich.

I didn
McDonald's breakfast sandwich.      Erin McDowell/Insider

The eggs and sausage were both pretty moist, but not enough to overpower the dry biscuit. In my opinion, the biscuit could have used some of the butter I found the Burger King sandwich practically drenched in.

Overall, I enjoyed both meals and thought they were both good deals in terms of value.

Overall, I enjoyed both meals and thought they were both good deals in terms of value.
My breakfast meals from Burger King and McDonald's.      Erin McDowell/Insider

I then had to decide which meal I preferred based on each item.

Both of the breakfast sandwiches were around the same size and had the same ingredients, but I preferred the one from Burger King.

Both of the breakfast sandwiches were around the same size and had the same ingredients, but I preferred the one from Burger King.
Breakfast sandwiches from Burger King and McDonald's.      Erin McDowell/Insider

Even though it bordered on too buttery, I thought it had more flavor and the biscuit was a nice consistency to allow the other flavors to come through. The biscuit from McDonald's was simply too dry for my tastes and made the other ingredients fade into the background.

Taste-wise, the hash browns from each brand tasted almost exactly the same.

Taste-wise, the hash browns from each brand tasted almost exactly the same.
Hash browns from Burger King and McDonald's.      Erin McDowell/Insider

However, the Burger King order came with more and they were less expensive. In my mind, that gave the smaller chain an obvious win.

Overall, I preferred the breakfast from Burger King.

Overall, I preferred the breakfast from Burger King.
I preferred the breakfast from Burger King.      Erin McDowell/Insider

I thought the biscuit sandwich was flavorful and moist, and the hash browns were a great value for how much I received. In my own personal breakfast wars, this fast-food chain came out on top.

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