Soaking Is Key For Perfect Homemade French Fries

@HoneyLagin:
I have to disagree. Paper towels *are* the way to go.
On a single plate I put down 2 towels, fries, then another towel.
gently wrestle the fries around with the top towel to pull out grease. Salt, then ground pepper, shake with the bottom towel and release the fries to the plate.
Perfect!

BTW, blanching? Don't doubt it! Have your deep frier cranked way up if you are using frozen fries though, their temp cools the oil.
When you pull them up it will give the frier time to recover. (I just hedge the basket on the side of the frier.)

I'm looking forward to 'upgrading' to 3.5, but I'm definitely holding off until updates to Tab Mix Plus, autoHideStatusbar, and Stop-or-Reload Button become available (dragdropupload and Google Notebook I'm not so fussed about -- especially since Google discontinued Notebook).

onion salt and thyme are delicious on home made fries!

OrazioAntenor

@HoneyLagin: Exactly. Get a cooling rack for a couple bucks and use newspaper on a sheetpan below it. MUCH cheaper and healthier than using paper towels.

@HoneyLagin: Personally, I like my fries "soggy" -- just like you get at your local fairgrounds!

MadManMoon

You can always oven fry them using the soaking method. I always

1. peel and cut
2. soak in cold water
3. remove and dry in a towel for at least 15 minutes and then pat dry any remaining moisture with a paper towel
4. toss in about a tablespoon of oil (as needed to coat all fries)
5. toss in salt (salt after the oil, never before)

Preheat the oven to about 375 degrees with your cookie sheet (ungreased) in the oven. When the preheat is complete, remove the hot cookie sheet, dump the potatoes on it and bake for about 30-40 minutes until they are brown.

They're no deep fried french fry, but they're healthier and very good.

just happened to come across a recipe for baked garlic fries while i was perusing the latest cookbook from America's Test Kitchen at the bookstore yesterday. i don't fully remember the recipe but here goes:

1. preheat oven to 475

2. combine 6 tbsp of oil with 4 minced garlic cloves in a large bowl

3. cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 1 minute

4. coat baking pan with 5 tbsp of the garlic oil (leave garlic in bowl)

5. toss potato strips/wedges in bowl with the remaining oil (don't remember how many potatoes were used in the recipe)

6. cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 3-6 minutes until edges of potatoes begin to look translucent

7. toss fries with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and any additional seasoning you like

8. layout fries on baking pan and bake for 30-40 minutes turning once in between

I haven't tried the recipe myself yet, but it sounds easy enough. Now does anyone have a good dip to go with this?

chuckdaddy

I've been trying to make good baked fries for a while. I've never pre-boiled them but I've tried microwaving them for 5-10 min (dry, not in water) before cooking and they still turn out kind of limp. Have to try the water, sounds like I need to get the starch off. Also, the egg wash sounds perfect! Thanks guys!

agroom

For starters, there's nothing French about French Fries, secundo there's nothing 'French Fry' about the monstrosities pictured above. The slices are way to bulgy to ever be considered a real 'French Fry'. Actually fries are belgian, Belgium has a whole 'fry culture' where baking the perfect Belgian fry is actually an art. My eyes started bleeding when I read things like 'dont double fry', 'don't dip with paper towel', 'throw them in cold oil and boil', ... seriously... It's one thing to change things to one's own liking. But calling this massacre 'Perfect homemade french fries' is about as wrong as wrong goes. check http://www.belgianfries.com/bfblog/ to learn how to make real French erm Belgian Fries. For people who still don't get it... this recipe is like taking a can of tomatoes, some ground meat, throw in some hotsauce and calling it Spaghetti Bolognese. Any real Italian will have an instant fit. Proud Belgian

MerrillDandradeine

It's about time you guys called them what they really are - chips! Fish and chips are the British staple, I would just like to point out that these are far too fat and have much too much potato to ever be considered a "French fry". A French fry is generally a very thin, almost potato-less crispy sort of chip.

Tom Pritchard

@ZaredErmmph: Give newspaper or a paper grocery bag a try. Much more effecient.

ospreyguy

@EinhornIsAMan!: I don't think it's to cater to vegans but to those with religious restrictions on eating beef.

My mum makes the best chips in the world - she cuts them in the morning, leaves them soaking in cold water for most of the day, then deep fries them in hot sunflower oil till they brown at the corners.
Mmmmm... can't wait till October when I next visit!

@Lula Mae Broadway: You just fry them at a lower temp so they cook through, but don't brown.

Nowell

@ptkdude: Ohhh, ok. That's where I'm going wrong. I keep using urine. Thanks!

Nowell

@HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.: Appeal to vegans? Vegans have no business eating at McDonald's! WHY CATER TO VEGANS?

Duh.

Major-General

@anastasia beaverhousen: LIES!!! Lawry's does not have MSG. It says so right on the front of the container. In fact, I'm looking at it now -- Contains No MSG. Yes, I keep some at my desk. ;)

On topic, when I do homefries or similar taters, I use a combo of Lawry's and McCormick's Steakhouse Seasoning, not too heavy though.

[www.mccormickgourmet.com]

bodar

@RobinSure: See, I've always taken "chip" to mean a flat, thin piece of something, which those most definitely are. Meanwhile, we have french fries, because they are french cut, then fried.

HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.

@Adam Beutler: There is absolutely no need to soak sweet potatoes. They aren't starchy like regular potatoes.

Other than that, you can follow the same steps.

HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.

@broz42: Hot Doug's in Chicago makes duck fat fries (two days a week). They're the best I've ever had.

ogradybt

@deanes:

I was about to say the exact same thing. Peanut oil is over $10 a gallon, and lard is less than a $1 a pound, imparts no taste and lasts twice as long for me.

TxShitKicker

@Vhalkyrie: he probably meant toast or bake btw.

@SloYerRoll:
yeah wlil try that out..looking to get it healthier you could just bake it instead of frying it but then you'd still need the oil.

@CheyenneKodie: This is just what I was looking for. Thanks!

I should try this. Ohh yeah.., that would require taking a pan out. Nope

@HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.:
Note that McDonald's also STEAMS their fries as the soaking/blanching step to make them fluffy.

tinyhands

Mark this post as bad ass.

Thanks LH.

Forget that nonsense. Here's my way of doing them at home:

1) Chop the potatoes as desired.

2) Boil in unsalted water for about five minutes to soften.

3) Lightly roll the chips in olive oil or other light oil. Add seasoning if desired.

4) Bake in an oven at 200C/400F for 20 minutes.

They taste as good as deep fried, but with nowhere near the amount of fat. For those who thick wedges rather than shoestrings which go cold in two minutes, it's a much better option.

P_Smith

@Meetloaf13: I do the same but with a few switches: Lawry's has MSG in it, so use S&P, while you are pre-heating your oven, throw the tray you will use for your taters in as the oven heats up : nothing sticks to a hot sheet pan; toss your fresh cut, rinsed spuds in eggwhite for a crisp exterior. Bake @ 425 for 30-45mins for best results.

At the pub where I used to work, we did the pre-soak and frying at 325F then 375F, but we did not incude the pat dry or cooling between steps. We had two fryers and we just pulled them out of the one and dunked them in the other. The result was, as my former boss would say, a potato chip outside and a baked potato inside. Much as I hated cutting 20 tubs of them each morning, they were pretty damn good.

Todd Janes

@SloYerRoll:

I do a simpler version of that with sweet potatoes tossed in garlic salt, pepper and olive oil. Baked for 24 mins. yummers.

@HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.: Bollocks. They're crisps. Cause they're entirely crisp. Unlike chips, which are chips (i.e. relatively large pieces) of potato.

RobinSure

is there something wrong with having a deep fryer or two in your kitchen? Obvious cholestrohol risks aside.

@Nogard13: I've used this method for years. It works very, very well. I'll give the vinegar soak a try. Sounds like a good idea.

Counterglow

@broz42:
mmm animal fat...
[www.duckfat.com]

cc82

@Velifer:
I also will vouch for this method. Way easier than other fry techniques I've tried, you basically par cook them as the oil is coming up to temperature, and then they get the nice crust once the oil heats up. Having a nice big enameled dutch oven helps. Also they recommend yukon golds, as other starchier potatoes formed too thick of a crust. The recipe called for peanut oil but I only had vegetable, which worked fine.

cc82

@infmom: We do that too. Just opened up the new ventilated pan also. Sweet (um, salty).

Want crispy without unhealthy? Coat your fries in egg-white wash, salt & pepper as you prefer, bake on greased cookie sheet till brown and crispy. Saw it on Emeril Green once, tried it a couple times, and it's damn tasty but still compatible with being on a diet (which I am).

Andy Hunt

One reason peanut oil is ideal for deep fry is that it doesn't hold the flavor of foods previously fried in it. Also, if you're a frequent frier (pun intended) The Peanut oil will last MUCH longer than other oils. I have one of those DeLonghi countertop deep fryers and it's the best $90 I ever spent on a cooking appliance. It's paid for itself twice over in just the past six months I've been making chicken wings at home.

MrEvil

@Gaucho85: I'm with you there buddy. I love steak fries. I always end up making a batch of those with the wings of the buffalo. My friends can't ever get enough of them. Just fry in peanut oil and sprinkle with Seasoned salt.

MrEvil

Another trick to good fries is to add a little sugar if you're adding salt at the end. It adds a bit of sweetness, and is what a lot of restaurants do to keep you eating more. Play with the ratio you like, but I usually do 3/4 salt 1/4 sugar.

FourInchHeels

@ ventilated pan for baking frozen fries--they get nice and crisp on both sides without you having to stir them around and turn them over during the baking period.

Since frozen fries are already partially cooked and usually have a coating of oil on them, using the pan gives you fries that are pretty close to the version you'd get if you fried them.

@coffinmouth: Exactly!

You don't have to soak the potatoes, just fry them twice, once at 325 and then again at 375.

The first time, for blanching, let the fries cook through, but do not let them brown. Then take them out, drain them well, and re-fry at 375 for about a minute or two, until they are GBD!

Sprinkle some vinegar on them and enjoy!

If you ARE going to soak them, I suggest adding about a tablespoon of vinegar per half gallon of water you are soaking the taters in. It will make them that much better, trust me!

Nogard13

I don't deep fry my potatoes, I pan cook them on the grill.

Take a potato, peel it. Cut it long ways in half. then cut those pieces into fry shaped wedges. Maybe cut them long ways again if the potato is a fat one.

Put those in a bowl of water (potatoes should fill the bowl, just add water to fill in the gaps). Add pepper and garlic (dried and fresh ground if you can) No salt yet.

Microwave for 5 minutes. They should be steamy hot by then.

Heat the grill, get it hot enough to brush clean.

Get out a non teflon/coated cake pan (13x9 with 2/3 inch lip variety) One that you buy at Walmart for $3. Add oil to the pan, cover the bottom of it, not any more. (I use Healthy Balance with Omega3) Heat the pan on the grill.

Pour water out of bowl of fries, and take to the grill. Pour potatoes into the pan. I use tongs to hold the pan and a spatula to turn the fries every few minutes.

Start those ~5 minutes before starting your meat, and you will have some good fries when your meat is done. Grill temps usually hover ~the 450 degree mark on my thermometer built into the grill while cooking.

operator207

@broz42:

I feel my arteries clogging already. Mmmmm tasty.

ckthecerealkiller

@SloYerRoll: Thanks!! I'm going to try this out!

atomicrabbit

Lard, use any of these methods, but fry in lard. So good you can't sit still when you eat them...

deanes

@broz42: Ooo - I found a French person admitting French fries are really Belgian. I'm sending a screen shot of this to the Belgian embassy! ;)

Seriously, the way I was taught growing up in Belgium involved rinsing the cut fries in water, drying in a dish towel, then deep-frying at 300F, cooling to room temp and frying again at 350F.

Definitely in beef fat if at all possible, though we switched to solid vegetable shortening at some point as beef fat became harder to find.

These days I do blanch the fries (learned that from Heston Blumenthal's show while I live in the UK) before my two frying sessions, letting the fries cool between each stage. Makes for very fluffy, crunchy fries.

As for the health factor: growing up we had French fries maybe once every two or three weeks. They took a lot of work to make and made the house smell, so they were a special treat. I still consider them that and have them (maybe) once a month, so when I make them I want the full artery-clogging experience.

Areia

Maybe its just me and my subconscious need to die at 35 but I don't like "crispy" fries. If I'm gonna eat something that's that bad for me, I want it to be soggy and greasy Just like the baby Jesus intended. Steak fries FTW!

@dix-huit:

HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.

@broz42: I'll agree with the animal fat to a point. McDonald's used to use a mix of beef fat and peanut oil to fry their fries, and they used to be the best ever. Then they switched to pure peanut oil to appease the vegans, and they've never been the same.

HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.

@black_rob: Actually, most frozen fries are par-fried. That's why you can just toss them in the fryer and go.

If you want to make your own frozen fries, and this is just my assumption here, I'd assume that you'd follow this recipe up to step 3 (the first fry), then shock them in cold water to stop them cooking, then blot them dry. Once they're thoroughly dry, lay them out on a cookie sheet and freeze them for an hour or so, then bag them and toss them back in the freezer. At least, that's my method for individually freezing damn near anything.

HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.

@Gonzie: Nope. Palmolive.

@HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.: And it turns out, that's the recipe on the page, pretty much. Go figure. Yay me.

HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.

@HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.: Oh, almost forgot: After you pull them out of the second fry, spread them out on a cookie sheet and salt IMMEDIATELY.

HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.

My method:

* Soak them in cold water for about 10-15 minutes. I use a bowl full of water, with a colander full of the fries inside, for this purpose. Heat oil to 325 while you do this.
* Lift the colander out, allow to drain thoroughly.
* Pour out onto paper towels. Blot dry.
* Fry at 325 until they're golden.
* Pull out of fryer, allow to sit for a few minutes while you heat oil to 375.
* Fry at 375 until crispy and delicious.

I agree that peanut oil is the absolute best oil for this, but canola or soybean oil are a lot cheaper and do the job almost as well. The fries won't be quite as flavorful as with the peanut oil, but they'll still be good.

HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.

The cook's illustrated tip is good, I'll have to try that, but what I really want to know is how to make perfect frozen fries, where when you're ready for a quick side you just heat up the oil and pop them in. That way I could make several batches worth all at once on the side while I'm cooking something else, then just save them for later.

My personal (non-frozen) method is putting the cut potatoes in a microwaveable container, filling with water, then nuking it until the water is almost boiling. Then rinse them off, let them sit for a few minutes and their internal heat will dry their exteriors, then drop them in the hot oil to crisp up. It effectively blanches them, but is slightly easier.

I gave up on double frying a long time ago, too messy and time consuming. You can bet the pre-cooked, frozen fries that most restaurants use aren't fried first at the factory.

black_rob

Mmmmm...I love making potato wedges.

We slice up the taters and spread olive oil on the wedges and sprinkle some Lawry's seasoning salt (or your favorite spices) and you've got a delicious treat. Cook them on a cookie sheet in the oven; time varies by thickness (~30-45 min, just check them periodically).

Next time we do them, I think I will soak them first, I likes 'em crispy!

Thanks LH =]

Meetloaf13

I'm French so I'll admit I know a bit about French fries - although they're definitely a Belgian specialty, really.

Mainly,
- choice of potato seems correctly described - the best variety is know here as "Bintje" but I don't know if it registers in the US
- double frying is mandatory
- not only soaking, but rincing a few times

Now, peanut oil ? You must be joking.

Actually, what makes Belgian fries the best in the world is that they're fried in animal fat - namely, beef fat, horse fat, or a mixture of both. It's likely to be unhealthy, but if you want health, don't eat fries.

broz42

For those who love fries but want a bit healthier alternative, here is the recipe: Parboil sliced potatoes for 5-6 mins, drain water. Add salt, few cloves of garlic (if you like) and olive oil. Stir a bit so all potatoes are coated in oil. Put potatoes in a really hot tray and roast in oven for about 20 mins, 220 с (430 F)

CheyenneKodie

Chips.

dix-huit

@Adam Beutler:

Sweet potato fries are an entirely different animal. Check out Ming Tsai's method. It's a lot of work, but the only way to get a good crispy texture with sweet potatoes.

[www.ming.com]

unknownsoldierx

@SloYerRoll: Nice recipe, doesn't sound that hard to do either. I'll try it sometime before too long. Thanks!

farcedude

If you want really crispy fries (the good kind of crispy, not the "who replaced my french fries with a brick" type). Maybe try twice frying.

How do you blanch in oil? That sounds really messy...

Lula Mae Broadway

IMHO, laying the fries out on paper towel keeps the fries crispy which is equally as important.

ZaredErmmph

@tonalanswer: You're saved. Schdav came in below with a much better link.

Velifer

A bit off topic. But I was a chef for almost 10 years after graduating from the CIA and I HATED Bobby Flay. I thought he was a pompous a-hole.
Then I saw his bio on the food channel and I have an immense amount of respect for him how he rose up through the culinary ranks. I'd probably be just like him if I went through what he did.

On topic:
This in no way is a comparison to deep fried fries. But a really HEALTHY tasty recipe is:

2 large peeled sweet potatoes cut to fry strips. *Make sure to rinse cut potatoes.
1 tsp Chili powder.
1 tsp S&P.
1 tbsp fresh ground ginger (2 tbsp is from a spice jar).
1 tbsp chopped Garlic.
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Toss everything in a gallon Ziploc bag and let marinate in fridge overnight. Flipping the bag every now and then doesn't hurt.

Preheat over to 400F. *preheat is important here.
Lay out potatoes on baking sheet making sure each one is flat on surface.

Bake for 8 minutes. Flip over all potatoes. *yes the flipping one by one is a PITA but the payoff is well worth it.

Bake an additional 10 minutes or until the flavor of those taters totally invade the house and make everyone salivate.

Plate up on paper towels. Serve!

*If you use a dark baking pan (Teflon etc) baking times may be reduced.

**The following is my opinion only**
Healthy alternatives are good. Most of us are already tipping scales and don't need more deep fat fry recipes. Even the skinny ones don't need the artery cloggers like this recipie.

SloYerRoll

I want to try this with sweet potatoes, I love sweet potato fries and I just hope some version of this will get the same effect at home. Anyone have any tips on this?

Adam Beutler

@Velifer: I'll have to wait for December, I get the annual hardback version. I like how they explain the common mistakes that could happen and how it affects the outcome.

tonalanswer

we are talking about soaking them in water right?

@[www.cooksillustrated.com]

But ya gotta have an account...

Velifer

@coffinmouth: I was just going to mention blanching. Blanching in the oil is also key in the process of making crispy fries.

jonny6pak

i used to make fresh-cut fries in a food stand at various county fairs in MN. We experimented a lot with different strategies and ultimately ended up doing a pretty lazy blanch at 250F, cool, then fry at 350F method. It worked pretty well, although much better results are easily achieved when you have access to a more complete kitchen than we had in the trailer.

My personal favorite method, which is kind of tricky to get perfected, is to actually blanch the fries in gently boiling water first until they almost are falling apart, then bring them back to room temperature (or even freeze them) and then fry them. The result is a very fluffy interior and a great crunchy shell.

To get a good french fry you basically want to dehydrate them almost completely, which is why you want a lot of the moisture taken out before you do the final fry (otherwise the outside will burn before the interior has given up enough moisture, and you get soggy, limp fries). Rinsing or soaking fries after they are cut will remove quite a bit of starch from the exterior so they don't get too dark too fast, but boiling them instead of just soaking or even blanching in oil does a much better job.

Cook's Illustrated's latest issue had a big writeup on fries starting in cold oil ([cooksillustrated.com]) which I have yet to try but it reportedly achieves similar results with about 1/3 less oil ending up in the fries, which is always a good thing.

schdav

Cooks Illustrated did a bit on french fries recently (this month's magazine?)

Put fries in oil. Heat until done. Sprinkle on salt, if you want to be fancy and work that hard.

Yeah, don't double-fry, don't bother with soaking, just use the right potatoes, toss them into cold oil, and cook until finished to perfection. I tried it. It worked.

Velifer

"and a whole roll of paper towels for your French frying experiment..." I generally wouldn't recommend putting french fry on paper tower since the paper towel would only soak up the oil and make the fries soggy. Should be better to use a rack over the paper towel. I've seen people make this mistakes so many times and the food could've been so much better.

HoneyLagin

We go one step further and blanch them, but I'll give this a try. I'd believe anything Bobby says about food.

coffinmouth