There’s nothing worse than getting your McDonald’s order only to be dissatisfied with what you’ve been given. Either there’s something missing, the fries are cold or your burger is stale. Or if you don’t fancy your typical McDonald’s meal there are also secret menu items that are waiting to be ordered. Here are some hacks to follow when ordering McDonald’s to help ensure that you leave like the motto promises – lovin' it.

Ordering fries without salt will ensure you’ll get a fresh serving each time. Cooks will have to fry a new batch but before they do so they need to wipe down the area so it’s not contaminated with salt. The downside is they might not give you as many but the plus side is you have fresh hot fries.

Technically there’s no such thing as a brunch menu at McDonald’s but if you want the best of both worlds, there’s a way around getting items off the breakfast and lunch menus. If you go between the transition period between breakfast and lunch, generally between 10.30 and 11am, you can order hash browns as well as a Big Mac.

Not many people know this one and it is a little bit naughty. If you want a promotional hot drink which is more expensive than a regular hot chocolate, latte or white coffee, ask for the cheapest. Drink that and then ask for a refill of a more expensive promotional hot drink.

Employees will think you’re a secret shopper if you ask for a receipt. This means they will serve you the freshest food and quickly too. Their overall customer service should be good too because they will want to make a good impression.

Anyone can make a Big Mac out of less expensive burgers. In fact it’s a little-known fact that any burger on the menu can be ordered “like a Mac”. There’s even a button on the register in some locations that selects this option. This means you can order a lower-priced McDouble, hold the ketchup and mustard, and add lettuce and Big Mac sauce.

When buying hash browns at breakfast you can be charged less if you know what to ask. Staff members have the option on their till to press a button called ‘Uplift Hash Brown’ that charges customers less to add a hash brown to their order when they’ve bought a meal. But staff members are told to charge the full price of a hash brown unless the customer asks otherwise.

As part of the secret brunch menu at McDonald’s, you can bring together items like the McChicken and the McMuffin to create a Chicken Cordon Bleu McMuffin. By ordering this you’ll be chowing down on fried chicken, bacon, egg and cheese, between slices of an English Muffin.

You can have a real egg on any breakfast sandwich if you ask correctly. They usually come with liquid eggs but if you ask for a ‘round egg’ it will come with the same egg that’s on McMuffins.

To guarantee you get a fresh burger every time, ask them to make it without something. Like asking for a quarter pounder with no pickles. A staff member will relay this to the cooks and they will make it then and there. So you’ll get a fresh burger that hasn’t been sitting there on the warmer for who knows how long.

McDonald’s famous sweet toasted buns are always a hit but they now serve different buns with for different styles of burgers. Traditionally the Filet-O-Fish comes with a steamed bun that’s light and fluffy. You can in fact ask for this bun on any burger.

One of the simplest ordering hacks at breakfast is to combine two menu items together to make an epic meal. Two of the famous breakfast items are amazing on their own but are made even better when put together. For example, simply put a hash brown in the egg McMuffin and enjoy.

You can be treated like an employee with discounted meals if you’re in the right job. If you’re a police officer, work in a hospital or in the fire service you can ask for an employee meal which is almost half price.

If you’re starving and can’t decide whether to go for the Big Mac, Filet-O-Fish or McChicken burger then you can in fact have all in one gigantic burger. If you’re lucky the staff will assemble it for you or, if not, it will be a DIY job. Either way, you’ll be tasting an item from McDonald’s secret menu.

Besides serving actual eggs, McDonald’s offers four different style of eggs that can be added to any order. The only fresh egg is the round one where it’s cracked there and then from the shell. But there are also folded eggs, scrambled eggs and scrambled egg whites.

Fast becoming a popular menu item off the secret menu is the apple pie McFlurry. All you need is a standard McFlurry with your choice of toppings as well as an apple pie. Simply add the pie to the McFlurry and you’ve got a creamy dessert that’s sure to satisfy the sweetest of tastebuds.

You don’t have to be in America to try this burger. It’s a beef patty, ketchup, and pickles inside a hamburger bun. It may sound odd but yes, the All American doesn’t have cheese.

A burger without a bun. Instead of the bun the Big McChicken is sandwiched between two McChicken patties. So as well as the normal McChicken toppings and its regular patty, there’s an additional two chicken patties to get your mouth around.

Making a small change to a regular McDonald’s sundae can make a big difference, especially because it’s so cheap. Ordering a hot caramel sundae and adding crispy apple slices steps the dessert up a notch.

A Big Mac with eight patties has become known as the Monster Mac. It’s part of the secret menu and is a challenge to get your hands, and mouth, around. It should be stacked as bun, four patties, bun, four patties, bun.

Even at McDonald’s it seems the healthier options are more expensive. But there’s a way around it. You can get the chicken salad for less by ordering a Junior Chicken without the bun and extra lettuce. You then order a side salad and slice the chicken patty before combining it all together.

If you’re after a lighter or vegetarian burger option then the grilled cheese is the way to go. Obviously all you're getting is cheese in a hamburger bun that's then grilled. Don't forget to ask for it grilled though, it apparently makes all the difference.

Here's another secret menu item to try: a soda with vanilla soft serve ice cream. Try different-flavored sodas to try something new; the root beer float is particularly popular. By adding a side of fries you get the balance between sweet and salty.

Combining two of the best dollar menu items creates a burger that’s been given a rather questionable name. The McGangBang burger off the secret menu is a McDouble and a McChicken put together. The McChicken burger is placed inside of the McDouble, buns and all.

Most restaurant locations now have milkshake machines that can serve neapolitan shakes. You can ask the staff member to mix the vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream together in the one cup, or buy one of each flavored shake and mix it yourself.

By ordering a cinnamon melt from the all-day breakfast menu and topping it with a soft serve cone you get the perfect and inexpensive cinnamon melt a la mode. The cinnamon melts are soft, chewy and warm sweets on their own, but the creamy vanilla ice cream takes it to the next level.

If one cheeseburger in your meal is not enough, order a two cheeseburger meal and the staff member will know what you mean as it’s a very popular secret menu item. The extra cheeseburger is off the dollar menu so it’s inexpensive and more filling than the standard cheeseburger meal.

A measly hotcake can be transformed into a gourmet crepe when you order the pancake and the parfait together. All you do is place the parfait on the hotcake, fold it together and drizzle maple syrup and granola on top. The result is a sweet treat that doesn’t take anything you’ve had from McDonald’s.

The tasty little golden chicken gems are always a winner. Depending on how hungry you are it can be tricky to know just what serving size to order. You could order multiple boxes of four nuggets to save money. It’s better to order multiple small boxes than one Share Box. Don’t forget to add sauce though.

Depending on the location, sauces can vary but there is always more of a selection than you think. Most locations offer ketchup and barbecue sauce but they generally also have sweet and sour, honey mustard, chipotle barbecue, tangy barbecue, spicy buffalo, sweet chili, hot mustard, and creamy ranch on offer.

Speaking of sauces, you can even ask for the famous Big Mac sauce on the side. It goes perfectly with fries and is an extremely popular secret menu item.

Depending on which country you're in, you can get discounts and free stuff via the McDonald's app. It's also useful for finding the nearest Golden Arches.