Even with glimmers of hope for the recovery, consumers are still cutting back, especially when it comes to dining out. But turning to some of fast food's biggest bargains in order to stretch your dollar in the recession may be one belt-tightening measure that could force you to loosen your buckle a couple of notches.

Going out for cheap eats is an obvious way for consumers to keep their spending in check. That's why fast-food restaurants are seen as a good investment in tough times. McDonald's and Yum Brands, which operates Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut (among others), both reported stellar fourth quarters as proof. Bucking that trend were Burger King and CKE Restaurants, the operator of Hardee's and Carl's Jr. Burger King reported that it had experienced "significant" traffic declines in March (it reported 1% same-store sales growth), and CKE's same-store sales were down 2.7%. Nevertheless, that slide is still modest when compared with the double-digit losses at higher-end restaurant chains such as Ruth's Hospitality Group and Benihana.

Bang for your buck continues to be one of the biggest selling points for fast food right now. But how much food are you really getting for your money?

SmartMoney.com sought to find out which menu items are the costliest and cheapest per calorie. The results may surprise you. Looking at the cost per 100 calories of some items underscores what nutritionists have been saying for years: The cheapest calories typically aren't the most healthful.

Here's a dish-by-dish look at some popular menu items and their total cost per 100 calories, from the most expensive to the cheapest.

Continued: Premium Southwest salad with grilled chicken

McDonald's

• Cost per 100 calories: $1.47
• Calories: 360
• Calories from fat: 29%

McDonald's answered the call of health-conscious consumers by adding salads to its menu in 2003. No one can deny that this salad is a more healthful option than, say, a Quarter Pounder, but it will cost you. Once we added some Newman's Own low-fat balsamic vinaigrette dressing (an additional 40 calories and 3 grams of fat) for a little extra taste, this salad became the costliest dish per calorie on our menu.

Continued: Mandarin chicken salad

Wendy's

• Cost per 100 calories: 96 cents
• Calories: 540
• Calories from fat: 43%

In the 1980s, Wendy's was asking, "Where's the beef?" These days, the chain is a lot less meat-focused. Wendy's now offers four varieties of salads and five varieties of chicken sandwiches (it also offers fish sandwiches during Lent). But hamburgers still reign supreme: There are 12 types of burgers on the menu.

Continued: Large popcorn chicken

KFC

• Cost per 100 calories: 94 cents
• Calories: 550
• Calories from fat: 58%

Typically, chicken is considered cheaper than beef. The average retail price for chicken is $1.75 a pound, 56% less than the average price of a pound of beef, according to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. But if you want KFC's bite-size popcorn chicken with the Colonel's 11 secret herbs and spices, be prepared to pay up. This is the most expensive item per calorie on our list that isn't a salad.

Continued: Steak Gordita Baja

Taco Bell

• Cost per 100 calories: 90 cents
• Calories: 320
• Calories from fat: 47%

Jack Russo, an analyst at financial-services firm Edward Jones, says Taco Bell is considered one of the industry's leaders when it comes to menu innovation. The Gordita -- a soft taco made with flatbread rather than a tortilla -- may be proof of that. Since it debuted in 1998, the Gordita has helped boost sales at the chain significantly, Russo says.

Continued: Low-fat footlong turkey sandwich

Subway

• Cost per 100 calories: 89 cents
• Calories: 560
• Calories from fat: 14%

Since the ads featuring Jared Fogle (who lost 245 pounds while eating a diet primarily of Subway sandwiches) first launched in 2000, Subway's sales have more than tripled to almost $13 billion. A Subway spokesman says that while several factors contributed to that growth, Fogle's weight-loss campaign played a significant role. The low-fat sandwich comes at a premium per-calorie price compared with our other menu items.

Continued: Croissan'wich

Burger King

• Cost per 100 calories: 75 cents
• Calories: 330
• Calories from fat: 44%

Breakfast has been driving the fast-food industry. "That's where all the growth has been," says Steve Solomon, the president of FSInsights, a menu development company. In February, Burger King's CEO said breakfast made up 15% of its sales. This rival to the Egg McMuffin made its debut in the 1980s.

Continued: Big Mac

McDonald's

• Cost per 100 calories: 74 cents
• Calories: 540
• Calories from fat: 48%

Since its debut in 1968, the Big Mac has been McDonald's flagship burger. More than 550 million are sold worldwide every year, according to the company. Compared with its chief rival, Burger King's Double Whopper, the Big Mac is pricier on a per-calorie basis.

Continued: Pepperoni personal pan pizza

Pizza Hut

• Cost per 100 calories: 68 cents
• Calories: 660
• Calories from fat: 42%

The 6-inch pepperoni personal pan pizza lands in the middle of our roundup, but you can actually save yourself 20% (per 100 calories) by ordering a large pepperoni pan pizza and eating a slice.

Continued: Toasted wrap with tender roast filet

KFC

• Cost per 100 calories: 64 cents
• Calories: 310
• Calories from fat: 42%

KFC was slow on the uptake when it came to catering to the health-conscious crowd. It started offering its grilled-chicken lineup just this year -- a move that probably should have been made about five years ago, says Jack Russo, an analyst at financial-services firm Edward Jones. "It's what the consumer clearly wants today," he says.

Continued: Medium order of french fries

McDonald's

• Cost per 100 calories: 58 cents
• Calories: 380
• Calories from fat: 45%

Before 1949, McDonald's didn't offer french fries; burgers came with a side of potato chips instead. In fact, it wasn't until the 1960s -- when potato farmer J.R. Simplot pioneered the first frozen french fry -- that these fast food staples started becoming the popular McDonald's side dish they are today.

Continued: Butterfinger Blizzard

Dairy Queen

• Cost per 100 calories: 49 cents
• Calories: 990
• Calories from fat: 31%

Surprisingly, the Butterfinger Blizzard -- a vanilla-flavored milkshake with bits of Butterfinger candy bars chopped up in it -- has one of the lowest percentages of calories from fat in the foods we looked at (that may be because it's not made with real milk). In fact, the percentage is impressively close to what nutritionists generally recommend for a healthful diet: 30% of one's daily calories can come from fat. But that doesn't mean you should be going on an all-Blizzard diet. One of these large-size concoctions is a full 990 calories, nearly half your recommended daily intake.

Continued: Double Whopper with cheese

Burger King

• Cost per 100 calories: 49 cents
• Calories: 1,010
• Calories from fat: 59%

The average person spends around $247 on beef a year, up from $48 in 2001. That amount of cash could buy you 49 Double Whoppers with cheese. And if you chose the Double Whopper over a Big Mac, you'd get a relatively good return on your investment. The Burger King creation’s cost per 100 calories is about two-thirds that of its McDonald’s rival.

Continued: Fiesta taco salad

Taco Bell

• Cost per 100 calories: 48 cents
• Calories: 840
• Calories from fat: 47%

The Fiesta taco salad is the only salad on Taco Bell's menu, but don't let that fool you into thinking it's the most healthful item. In fact, the salad has the most calories and highest fat content of any single item on the restaurant's menu. Its 840 calories and 45 grams of fat are equal to four Crunchy Taco Supremes, three MexiMelts or two spicy chicken burritos.

Continued: Cheeseburger Slyder

White Castle

• Cost per 100 calories: 41 cents
• Calories: 170
• Calories from fat: 47%

At 41 cents per 100 calories, White Castle's snack-size cheeseburger bested every other sandwich in our survey when it came to cost per calorie. In 1930, White Castle conducted a study (later dubbed the "Craveology" study) that monitored the health of a student who lived on nothing but the Slyders and water for 13 weeks. According to the company, the student maintained good health. Barbara Baron, a New York registered dietitian, says you shouldn't follow suit. "I wouldn't advise anyone to eat only one food item for 13 weeks," she says.

Continued: 32-ounce Coke

Subway

• Cost per 100 calories: 38 cents
• Calories: 330
• Calories from fat: 0

Here it is, the cheapest per calorie item in our survey of fast food land: the large Coca-Cola. It's beloved by many but eyed by some as a major contributor to the obesity problems in this country. Our bodies process calories from liquids differently than those from solid food, so we don't feel full and are more likely to overeat, says Karen Ansel, a spokeswoman for the New York State Dietetic Association.

Continued: What do you think?

The calorie cost of cheap and convenient eats may now be too big a price to pay. Let us know if your plans to eat fast food have changed. Take the poll above.

Now share with us the fast food guilty pleasure you can't live without. Jump over to the message boards and sound off.

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