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Outdoing The Double Down

I guess the race to outdo KFC's Double Down is on. Via the diet and exercise site That's Fit:

We all know that the bun is easily the most boring part of a burger. So why not swap a stale old bun for something rich and flavorful like, say, a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches? Oh, wait. That's already been done. It's called Friendly's Grilled Cheese Burger Melt and it is, quite frankly, a heart attack waiting to happen. "We place a thick and juicy 100 percent Black Angus Big Beef Burger between two whole grilled cheese sandwiches, complete with lettuce, tomato and mayo," said the restaurant chain has to say about their latest creation. "You'll have to taste it to believe it." Um, I think I'll pass. One BurgerMelt has 1,500 calories, 79 grams of fat, 2090mg of sodium and 101 gram of carbs. That's nearly triple the amount of the Double Down.

Nate Silver Crunches Fast Food

Stats guru Nate Silver takes a look at KFC's infamous Double Down versus other fast food fare. On his chart above, the Double Down is the benchmark by which other items are compared.

I've created an index based on the amount of fat, sodium and cholesterol that the Double Down and a variety of comparable sandwiches contain as a portion of the USDA daily allowance. (In the fat category, saturated fats are counted double and trans-fats are counted triple.) The index is scaled such that the Original Recipe version of the sandwich receives a score of 1.00, a measure of gluttony that will hereafter be known as The Double Down (DD).**

By this measure, the Double Down is indeed quite unhealthy, but some other sandwiches are just as bad. The Burger King Chicken Tendercrisp (1.00 DDs), which has less cholesterol but more fat and sodium, is comparably unhealthy to the Double Down on balance. The chicken ranch sandwiches from Sonic (0.94 DDs) and Jack-in-the-Box (0.98 DDs) are close. And surprisingly, some sandwiches from "fast casual" restaurants that have a reputation for healthy food do even worse. Panera's Chipotle Chicken checks in at 1.49 DD's -- it has almost 50 percent more bad stuff than the Double Down -- and Boston Market's Chicken Carver at 1.14. So do some products that stretch the definition of "sandwich". A chicken burrito from Chipotle with rice, black beans, cheese and corn salsa will cost you 1.16 Double Downs: load it up with sour cream, guacamole, and picante salsa as well and you're up to 1.69. A pack of five McDonald's Chicken Selects with a side of ranch sauce is worth 1.23 Double Downs.

Silver concludes that since the Double Down isn't as filling as other items near it on the chart, one might actually want a second serving, making it "the closest thing to pure junk food of any 'sandwich' being marketed today.

KFC Will Kill Us All

Consumerist reports that KFC's mythical Double Down is no longer mythical.

For those coming late to the story, it's bacon and cheese sandwiched between two pieces of fried chicken. And now, many months later, I'll finally be able to get my hands on one. KFC announced the decision to go live with the Double Down yesterday, but we weren't sure they weren't playing a April Fools gag. But no, they truly are going nationwide with the delicacy on April 12. The sandwich will be available in two forms. The Original Recipe sandwich will set you back about 540 calories, 32g of fat and 1380mg of sodium. The not-as-bad-for-you Grilled Double Down totals 460 calories, 23g of fat and 1430mg of sodium.

I promise I'll only have ONE. Just so I can say I did.