Here it is at last: the ideal recipe for french fries! These hot chips are so crispy that they maintain their crispness even after they have cooled down, thanks to a revolutionary technique from the renowned Kenji López-The Alt’s Food Lab. Even at upscale bistros, you seldom find fries this good!
rosemary-salted freshly made French fries in a bowl
These fries really do stay crisp; no empty promises!
Nothing is more discouraging than putting forth the effort to make homemade French fries from scratch only to discover they begin to lose crispness before they are even served. Which is what happens if you prepare homemade fries the traditional way, which involves soaking in water and then cooking twice.
I’ve been trying for years, but withChef JB and I have finally nailed down the recipe for the ideal homemade french fries with the aid of the impressively thorough french fry research described in Kenji López-The Alt’s Food Lab. The fries are fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside, and they continue to be crispy long after you’ve finished the burger or fries, for example. A perfect french fry!
The crispiness endurance is absolutely insane. Even after getting cold, these fries are still crispy!
Be aware that this post is lengthy because I explain the “why” and want to give beginners who have never made French fries the confidence to try this recipe. Therefore, if you’re an expert, skip ahead to the recipe, recipe video, or even Dozer!
Picking tongsmake your own French fries
Review of the recipe for French fries
(Secret Crispiness Tip #1) Use a serrated knife to cut fries.
Don’t soak; just rinse
Gently simmer in vinegar water for 10 minutes (top-secret crispiness tip #2! You cannot taste vinegar, and no.
twice shallow-fry
Close-up of the recipe for homemade French fries
Jump to the Video | Dozer | Recipe
Context: Rethinking the french fry approach
The traditional method for preparing french fries entails soaking the raw potatoes in water first, followed by a double fry. This was (is it still?) the standard teaching method at cooking schools and is still employed by many bars and restaurants.
When the fries are still hot from the fryer, using this method will result in crispy fries. However, the initial issue isthat they lose their crispiness minutes before they even reach the table. I also discovered that the potato is very important in this traditional method. Because the starch and sugar content of potatoes varies throughout the year, you get varying degrees of crispiness depending on the potato quality and even the season. Even if you use the ideal potato variety, this is still true.
Well, this won’t stay crisp issue and unpredictability are no longer acceptable. So the outdated method was abandoned. It’s time to consider contemporary techniques that produce better, more dependable outcomes!
Truth be told, it’s not just me. The world has changed, and restaurants now employ a variety of techniques to produce the perfect crispy French fries. Some people overdo it.frying in only beef drippings, overnight resting, triple or quadruple frying, etc.
However, we don’t have to get involved in any of these boring restaurant kitchen pranks. Any home cook can use the technique I’m going to share with you today. It is an adaptation of Kenji Lopez-recipe Alt’s for french fries from the legendary cookbook The Food Lab. It’s not overly complicated. However, you must feel at ease frying in oil. In this recipe, however, we only shallow fry rather than deep fry, which is always a plus!
French fries are fried
To achieve the ideal crispiness, these fries only need to be shallow-fried, not deep-fried.
What you require
Here is everything you require to fulfil your fantasies of crispy french fries. Yes, that’s it.
components forfries that are crisp
Type of potato: It matters. You need starchy, floury potatoes to make crispy fries.
United States: Sebago (the common dirty brushed potatoes you see everywhere)
US: Russian (also known as Idaho potatoes)
UK: King Edward or Maris Piper.
One secret ingredient for the best fries is vinegar, which is used to simmer the potatoes. Once cooked, the vinegar flavour is completely gone. For the rationale, see Step 4 below.
Salt is used to season the water so that the potatoes are thoroughly seasoned.
Use oil when frying. I use neutral-flavored oils like vegetable or canola oil. Using the oil again: The oil can be reused up to four times. Not even straining will be necessary. simply let cool, pour into jars, andKeep in the pantry, and choose your next meal by browsing through this collection of recipes!
How to prepare French fries that stay crisp
Make the fries all the way through Fry #1, let them cool, then freeze them until you’re ready to cook if you want to prepare food in bulk. Do Fry #2 from frozen then. Handy!
Cut fries, first
How to cook French fries to a crisp
We must first cut our fries. Use a serrated knife to cut the potatoes for a simple yet effective way to get crispy fries you may not have seen before. Unnoticeable to the eye, it creates a rougher surface that has more surface area to crisp up, resulting in crispier fries.
Fries should be cut into batons measuring 6 mm or 1/4 inch.ideal size for the best level of crispiness and fluffy interior. Less crispy means thicker. Less internal fluff results in being thinner.
Slice a whole potato into 6 mm/quarter-inch thick pieces. Stack two or three slices, and then cut the stack into 6 mm/ 1/4″ thick batons.
- Maintain in water to avoid browning
As you continue cutting, keep the fries submerged in water to stop them from browning. Actually, no soaking time is necessary.
How to cook French fries to a crisp
- RINSE After all of the fries have been cut, place them in a colander and rinse them for 15 to 20 seconds under running water. The first step in removing too much sugar from the surface is this.(More on the “why” of this is below; in a nutshell, it helps with crispiness – of course! ) of the potatoes. The interiors aren’t exposed to water in the interim, so they’ll cook up fluffy.
- USE VINEGAR WATER WHEN COOKING FOR SUPERIOR CRISPINES
After rinsing the potatoes, put them in a pot with salt, vinegar, and cold tap water. High heat is used to bring to a boil, then the heat is immediately reduced to low, barely causing the surface to ripple. For 10 minutes, cook. The “why” for this action is explained below.
How to cook French fries to a crisp
What does cooking in vinegar water accomplish?
This is where it gets really clever; it’s a simple step that Kenji Lopez-Alt of Serious Eats discovered that makes all the difference. There’sThere is a lot of technical science underlying the why, but in essence:
The potato’s starches are also triggered by the water. When fried, starch produces the desired crispy surface.
(Example: When cooked, sweet red apples turn into baby food mush, but tart Granny Smith apples don’t.)
In case you were wondering, yes, I experimented with different methods, such as cooking without vinegar, cooking for shorter or longer periods of time, and boiling quickly as opposed to gently simmering. the acetic acid waterIt works to simmer for ten minutes. Don’t rush it or cut it short!
- DRY AND DRAIN
To remove the potatoes from the water and place them in a colander, use a spider or a large slotted spoon. We won’t need to pat them dry because the leftover heat will take care of that.
How to cook French fries to a crisp
- KITCHEN VEHICLE AND OIL
How to cook French fries to a crisp
cooking pot – Use a deep pot with a heavy base that is at least 10 cm (4 inches). We demand
Oil depth is 3 cm / 1.2 in., or 1 litre/quart, for the 24 cm / 10 in. pot shown. It’s more like shallow frying than deep frying!
Safety headroom – 7 cmSince the oil bubbles up quite a bit when we fry, there must be 2.8′′ of headroom above the oil’s surface for safety reasons. ⚠️ This is crucial! If you don’t do this, there’s a real risk of oil overflow. I personally discovered that it’s unsettling and hazardous. Learn from my errors.
Raise the oil’s temperature to 205°C/400°F. To keep an eye on the temperature, use a thermometer. For more information on the Thermapen I use, see my post on the Essential Kitchenwares.
- FRY #1 IMPORTANT: Please follow the instructions to wait 10 seconds between batches of additional potato additions to the oil for safety reasons! The oil bubbles up quite high and vigorously as soon as you add some potato, as you can see in the photos below. IfIt’s risky to add all of the potato at once because it will cause the oil to bubble up even higher and faster. Here, I’m speaking from personal experience!
How to cook French fries to a crisp
Adjust the number of batches according to the size of your pot so that each batch of fries can float in a single layer in the oil.
Add 1/3 of Batch #1 – Carefully pour 1/3 of the first batch into the oil using a spider or slotted spoon.
Wait ten seconds before adding a further third of batch 1. before pausingIt’s crucial to add more fries to prevent the oil from bubbling up too much. Take advantage of the opportunity to stock up on fries.
Repetition: Add the final third of Batch #1 after waiting 10 seconds.
Fry for 50 seconds, rotating the fries once or twice during that time. Once all the fries are in, set the timer.
COOL FOR 30 MINUTES.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the fries from the oil, and then spread them out in a single layer on a tray lined with paper towels. They won’t be crispy yet and will be pale.
Before beginning each, make sure the oil is back at 205°C/400°F.batch. Then let the fries cool completely on some trays lined with paper towels for 30 minutes.
How to cook French fries to a crisp
- CRISP THEM UP IN FRY #2!
Now cook the remaining fries for 4 minutes, or until they are beautifully golden and wonderfully crispy.
Repeat with the remaining fries after removing with a slotted spoon into a sizable bowl lined with paper towels.
How to cook French fries to a crisp
Why not use a tray to hold the fries instead of a bowl?The bowl as wellas you’ll see later, doubles as a suitable tossing vessel once sprinkled with your preferred seasoning!
How can I cook a lot of hot, fresh fries? To reheat cooked fries, flash fry them for an additional 30 to 60 seconds. This will allow you to serve all the fries hot!
a serving of recently made French fries
- SPRAYING!
Be careful not to overdo it.with the salt for seasoning. Use moderation when sprinkling, taste (I know, I hate to ask that of you), and then add more if you feel it requires it.
How to make French fries that are crisp Seasoning choices:
Table salt or flakes of sea salt. Kosher salt or cooking salt with larger grains doesn’t stick as well.
Recipe for rosemary salt that uses fresh rosemary. my preferred
Recipe for fries seasoning, a salty seasoning mix. Addictive!
Very trendy
Shaker fries seasoning for French fries, also known as fries seasoning
Seasoning for fries (Shaker Fries)
jar of salt with rosemary
French fries with rosemary salt and nori salt
Salted nori (coming soon)
Seasoning french fries with salt and pepper
Phew!
I understand that’s a lot of information for some people to process.fried potato pieces However, because we tested these fries a LOT!!! I thought some people might find the reasoning behind some of the steps in this recipe interesting. Additionally, I want to inspire everyone to give this a shot even if they have no prior experience frying in oil. You should try shallow frying because it is simpler, cleaner, safer, and uses fewer resources than deep frying.
Ready to eat cheeseburger and French fry recipe
a cheeseburger and homemade fries! Is there anything better than this?
I am aware that many people find frying to be uncomfortable, or at the very least causes them to pause and consider whether the effort is worthwhile.
such fries? HandThey are worth the effort, I promise! Even at really upscale bistros and restaurants, it is uncommon to find fries this good, let alone for the price you will pay. In comparison to homemade fries, Maccas fries (or McDonald’s, for you non-Aussies!) are incomparable; they’re dry and tasteless. I ate them side by side as a test yesterday, and I swear my memory of it is still vivid!
I sincerely hope you give them a try one day so you can enjoy the rare pleasure of absolutely amazing french fries, freshly prepared at home. And if you do, let us know what you think in the comments section. I especially want to hear from all of you seasoned fry experts!
How do you make french fries?
Step 1 Cut the potatoes into pieces
They should not be too thick or too thin and should be clean and sharp. The trick is to first slice the potato and then cut it in half lengthwise. You can also use a chip cutter for this long, even shape.
Step 2 Soak the potato slices in ice cold water for 10-15 minutes
Now wash the potatoes under running water until they are spot-free. Place them in a bowl of ice water for 10 to 15 minutes. Keep them submerged in water or they will turn black.
Step 3 Fry the fries
Now heat the oil in a deep pan. When smoke starts to appear, reduce the flame and let it come to a lower temperature. Now fry the potatoes in batches. Keep the heat low. This will make them crispy and also keep their color.
Step 4 Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve hot
Drain excess oil and place on absorbent paper. Let them cool. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stir well. Serve immediately with ketchup.
Tip
To prepare the perfect fries, soak your sliced potatoes in ice cold water for a good 20-30 minutes.
For crispy fries, dry the soaked potatoes 2-3 times in paper towels and then fry.
If you are making fries for a large gathering, cook them in half and set aside. When you serve them, quickly fry them a second time and you have perfect fries…