Germany is a land of unlimited possibilities. At least on TV. Sebastian Lege wears his radio face on television. He promises “The truth about McDonald's & Co.” And many people will watch him again tonight in his series “BesserEsser” on ZDF. The quota will be correct. Although these truths about the lack of animal welfare and practiced profit maximization have already been said more than once. But the audience likes chef and product developer Lege. And what he says: “We all love fast food!”
“Terrible like the original!”
At McDonalds, Lege makes a milkshake. Creamy ice cream? Fresh milk? Creamy? Not so with the fast food giant. No cream. Cocktail without milk. Instead, 30 percent air is mixed in. Strawberries? “They are too expensive.” A little concentrate and beetroot powder. Aroma. Citric acid. Apple extract. “Mission accomplished,” says Lege happily, “it tastes an awful lot like the original.”
And Lege dances, very loose from the hips
“It's time for the chickens,” the cook yells into the camera – and of course he doesn't have a chicken in the chicken. It takes 22 ingredients except one: poultry. “I'm a little proud,” he praises himself, putting the matter in his mouth. So it's not just Burger King that makes animal-free products. And thus serve the anticipated growth market in a cost-effective manner. And KFC, Kentucky Fried Chicken? “Sebastian Lege will crack the code,” promises ZDF. The breading recipe is apparently locked in a safe in the US. And extremely open in Lege. Lots of salt. Lots of glutamate. Buttermilk powder. And then a high pressure fryer for just 15 minutes. “The code has already been cracked,” promises Lege. “I'm so excited,” she says happily, dancing her hips loosely as she pulls the chicken pieces out of the fat, “This is exactly how it's supposed to look!”
“I can cook too!” confirms Lege
We continue towards Subway. The most popular sandwich? “Chicken Teryaki”. Lege starts looking for a trick. “When you see how it's done, you feel completely different,” declares the chef. The remaining chicken is spun through the machine. Cornstarch to seal the surface. Phosphate added to retain water. Yeast extract to make the chicken taste a little like chicken. And Japanese teriyaki? Syrup plus lots and lots of sugar. Minus: Japan. Plus a drop of soy for color. “It's just a water chicken,” he says. “If you knew that, you could save yourself a drink.” Lots of sugar. Lots of salt. Long shelf life – what more could a provider want? “I was once a chef in a Japanese restaurant,” says the chef from the kitchen. And then shows how Teryak should actually be made. Lege assures me: “I can cook too!” Looks pretty good. At least it's nutritious at Subway. ZDF counts 770 kilocalories per sandwich. “If you want to eat healthy, avoid fast food,” advises the station very educationally at the very end. Now that's really the truth. But that's not surprising.