Deceptive Tactics Fast Food Companies Use To Make Us Buy Their Food

Ever bought a burger that looked smaller than it did on screen? Well, there’s a simple explanation for that. Because meat tends to shrink when cooked, stylists like Janine Kalesis, who explained the trick to CNBC, only grill patties until they’re brown on the surface. This means that most burgers shown in commercials are actually raw!

Since the majority of photographed meat is undercooked, advertisers employ little gimmicks to make this raw food look more palatable. Food artist Jack Sargeson, who revealed his secrets in the 2016 project Faking It, explained how he paints meat a darker shade. In particular, shoe polish really shines at giving food a recently cooked appearance.

In addition to undercooking their patties, burger artists also employ another tested trick to boost their subject’s size. As explained by Jennifer Eustock in the 1990 PSA Buy Me That, stylists often cut a V-shape in the back of the patty. This lets them easily spread the meat apart to give the snack extra volume.

Juicy foods make our tastebuds water, and advertisers aren’t blind to this fact. To give some meals that delicious glazed look, stylists will spray their food with a variety of oils. However, this often renders the products inedible. For example, stylist Kim Krejca admitted to coating food with the lubricant WD-40!

While black coffee seems easy to show on screen, the drink is actually the stuff of food stylists’ nightmares. Coffee is difficult to photograph because of its shiny surface, and so it requires a little work to tone down its texture. To this end, artists such as Charlotte Omnes and Michelle Rabin use anything from soy sauce to gelatin to imitate a cup of freshly brewed joe.

On the other hand, lattes can pose as much of a challenge as black coffee. Under the glare of studio lights, milk and foam evaporates, meaning that an alternative is usually required. And while speaking to The Guardian in 2016, artist Tamara Kaufman admitted to using soap to breathe life into her cup.

Like coffee foam, ice cream is notoriously difficult to keep frozen in stuffy studio conditions. So, stylists such as Sargeson turn to a savory substitute. Mashed potatoes mixed with lard and food coloring is almost indistinguishable from the chilly dessert — taste aside, of course.

Whipped cream can make any dessert look appealing on camera, but what you see in commercials is far from the real thing. Both Kaufman and Sargeson have admitted to using shaving foam as a replacement product in the past. Apparently, this is because whipped cream tends to melt quickly under hot studio lights.

Photographing fast food is a labor of love — emphasis on "labor". In addition to making a burger patty look as big as possible, stylists such as Eustock spend countless hours finding the perfect bun. And after rejecting many potential candidates, artists will improve their selection by painstakingly gluing extra sesame seeds on top.

Finding the right bun for a burger can be an arduous process, and a greasy burger can ruin that hard work instantly. To prevent the product from getting soggy, some food stylists separate the patty from its pad with a thin strip of cardboard. This approach can be applied to syrup-drenched pancakes as well.

It’s not only fast foods that get the studio stylist treatment! Plenty of healthy snacks get a makeover for the camera as well. In particular, stylists such as Sargeson use talcum powder in order to get that dusty straight-from-the-vineyard look on grapes.

While some of us pick the pickles out of a cheeseburger, most people enjoy a heap of healthy greens on their burger. In order to show a bountiful dose of veggies, artists such as Eustock will carefully arrange the condiments on a burger. They then use toothpicks or pins to keep everything from the lettuce to the dressing in place.

In a similar fashion, a gooey cheese topping can really sell a burger. Because most patties are snapped cold, though, getting the dairy product to melt of its own accord is often impossible. According to Reader’s Digest, cheese is therefore mixed with hot water in order to achieve that runny look we know so well.

Merely seeing a frosty glass of Coke can quench our thirst, so it’s only natural that advertisers want to see condensation on their products. But since fake ice is often used in shoots, stylists can’t get a naturally cool appearance. As a result, stylists such as Denise Stillman will instead coat glasses in hairspray and Scotchguard to achieve a similar look.

Undoubtedly, meat is at its best when it comes straight off the barbeque. But as most patties in food photoshoots are left undercooked, getting a fresh-from-the-grill look is impossible to achieve naturally. Instead, grill marks are placed on a piece of meat one by one using a heated skewer.

The piece de resistance in any food photo is the sauce on top, and a perfectly dripped dressing is beyond compare. Yet while real relishes are often used in the studio, they’re often pared with a less-than-palatable aid. Indeed, candle wax can help maximize a sauce’s consistency. It may smell great, but we wouldn't taste it if we were you.

A bowl of cereal doesn’t look the same without milk, but dairy will make the most appetizing breakfast treat go soggy in a matter of minutes. Though it may sound disgusting, glue or sunscreen will counteract this problem and maintain a consistency similar to the real McCoy. Just ask Kaufman or Krejca, who regularly use this technique.

Whenever we pass a McDonald’s, we can’t help indulging in some French fries. Part of the product’s appeal, though, lies in advertising and the way that each fry appears perfectly arranged in its package. To achieve this effect, artists such as Eustock neatly line up every single one of them and then pin them to a block of Styrofoam to maintain their shape.

In perhaps the least appetizing trick in the stylist’s book, maple syrup is often switched with motor oil when photographing pancakes. Apparently, the automobile aid is better suited for the camera, though it has a habit of turning the breakfast item soggy. Luckily, however, fabric protector can stop the oil soaking through. Yuck!

During a photo shoot, every effort is made to make a dish look as freshly cooked as possible. One surefire way to do this is to include steam. But because food is often shot cold, stylists such as Kaufman turn to a surprising tool — tampons. When placed in water and microwaved, these sanitary devices emit an incredible amount of vapor that blends well with a prepared meal.

Here's a secret: you can make your food at home look just as great as commercial food, and taste even better. You can start upping your cooking game by swapping out your Extra Virgin Olive Oil for regular olive oil. According to culinary students, frying with EVOO doesn't work well because of the high heat needed to get that sizzle.

Everyone loves a good pasta dish. After all, it's a quick meal to whip up. But do you know how to make your next Italian dinner even better? Don't pour out the water used to boil the pasta — that's the secret ingredient! Pour a dash of the starchy water into the sauce, making the pasta bind better to it.

A bit of heat might be your recipe's secret ingredient. Most casual chefs neglect hot sauce, but a few drops in a sauce or dish can add a pop of flavor that doesn't quite register on the heat scale. Make sure to add only a few drops at a time — going overboard on hot sauce could make dinner unpleasant.

Sometimes we want to cut calories wherever we can. That's not a bad idea! Just don't switch to margarine if you have the option. Any meal will be improved tenfold by using real butter over the substitute (and that's why restaurants use nearly a stick per meal, according to Anthony Bourdain)!

Do you want to find a good salt substitute? Find new, creative ways to flavor your favorite dishes? Just as a drop of hot sauce can elevate a dish, a splash of soy sauce offers a flavorful salt substitute.

Culinary students want to scream this out from the roof of their school: Don't purchase pre-marinated meats at the store! Chances are, there's a good reason that chicken breast got drenched in a seasoning-heavy, colorful sauce. It's likely old meat, and the marinade helps cover that up.

Garlic can quickly overpower a meal, so many amateur chefs toss just one clove of garlic into a dish. According to culinary students, however, to do this would be to do your meal a great disservice. There won't really be any garlic taste unless you use about two cloves per serving. Vampires beware!

Broccoli stems almost always go straight to the trash or compost bin, but the little green tree trunks can be used in a ton of other veggie dishes. Try chopping these stems up and tossing them in the pan next time you're making a stir fry or flavorful chicken.

You can absolutely season your food too late in the game. To achieve incredibly complex flavors, you need to start seasoning early. Don’t be afraid of drying things out; steak that’s been salted early, for example, will have a crispier exterior.

Melting isn’t the same as softening. For butter that’s perfect for baking, you’re better off leaving it at room temperature. Plan ahead by a few hours, and you will have a much flakier crust.

It won’t. Sometimes, when you can taste the vodka in your sauce, it means the alcohol is still in there. Studies found that cooking out is dependent on the amount of heat and length of time spent cooking. Maybe that’s why everyone loves your pasta!

Have you ever drizzled oil onto a cold pan, turned on the burner, and immediately added food? Well, any chef will tell you to make sure the oil's hot before any food touches the pan. Hot oil seals in all the flavors and juices of your food and gives the meal a great texture.

Mixing batter too much will make your food hard to chew. Fluffy pastries and baked goods require some lumps, so don’t be afraid of a little graininess. On the flip side, stirring too little can leave you with giant pockets of flour, so make sure you find a balance.

This only applies to fruits and veggies. When you rinse your meat before cooking chicken, what you’re actually doing is spreading residual bacteria all over the meat, your hands, and your sink. Water is particularly good at making food borne illness spread, so just start cooking!

You should toss baking soda after 6-12 months. When’s the last time you checked the baking soda in your fridge? It may not look moldy, but it’s likely that your old baking soda (or powder) has lost its potency. At just a few dollars per pack, it’s worth the yearly re-fresh.

If you make your own gravy, culinary experts will tell you not to make the mistake of using warm or hot water, as the final consistency won't be the same. Cold water perfectly mixes with flour and cornstarch, ensuring your gravy won't get lumpy.

Truth: You may have burnt your pancake there, bud. Waiting for bubbles to show up is a common myth when it comes to making the perfect pancake. Pancakes cook fast, so simply slide your spatula underneath to check for firmness.

Nothing speeds up meal prep quite like knowing exactly where everything is stored, from the cooking utensils and bowls to the meats and spices. Keep your spaces well-organized and stick to that layout so you can always find the right ingredients. Don't waste time digging through cabinets!

Cooking is an art form. When following a recipe, culinary students know to get creative in between the lines. This does not apply to baking — most of those recipes must be followed exactly as written.

Here's a simple but life-changing idea! Busy kitchens operate differently, but at home, chefs can agree: clean as you go. No one wants to finish a meal and then confront a stack of pots, pans, and mixing bowls. While water's boiling or food's cooling, clean what you can so you can relax post-meal.