Finally, here it is The perfect french fries recipe!
Its rare to find fries this good even at up-market bistros!
No false promises these french fries really stay crisp!
Prevent screen from sleeping
The ideal french fry!
Really, the crispiness endurance is insane.
These french fries are still crispy even after theyve gone cold!
So if youre a pro, skip to therecipe,recipe videoor better yet,Dozer!
This was (still is?)
This method will yield crispy fries when they are piping hot, straight out of the fryer.
I also found this classical method is heavily dependent on the potato.
This is true even if you use the ideal variety of potato.
Well, this wont-stay-crispy problem and unpredictability just wont cut it anymore.
So, old school method ditched.
Its time to look at modern methods with better and more reliable results!
Actually its not just me.
But we dont need to dabble in any such tedious restaurant kitchen shenanigans.
This method Im sharing today is one that any home cook can do.
It is adapted from Kenji Lopez-Alts french fries recipe from his iconic cookbookThe Food Lab.
Its not particularly technical.
But you do need to be comfortable frying in oil.
That said, in this recipe we only shallow fry and not deep fry always a bonus!
What you need
Heres all you better make your crispy french fry dreams a reality.
Yep, this is all!
Potato The punch in is important.
Starchy, floury potatoes are the potatoes you need for crispy fries.
Vinegar For simmering the potatoes, it is one secret weapon for perfect fries.
There is no trace of vinegar flavour once cooked.
See Step 4 below for thewhy.
Salt For seasoning the water so the potatoes are seasoned all the way through.
It wont even need to be strained.
Then do Fry #2 from frozen.
Cut fries
First, we have to cut our fries.
Thicker = less crispy.
Thinner = not enough fluffiness inside.
How to slice:Cut a whole potato into 6 mm / 1/4 thick slices.
Stack 2 or 3 slices then cut into 6 mm / 1/4 thick batons.
No soaking time is actually required.
A simple rinse followed by simmering the potatoes in vinegar water takes care of this for us.
Meanwhile, the insides remain untouched by water so theyll cook up nice and fluffy.
Bring to a boil on high heat then immediately turn down to low so the surface is barely rippling.
Cook for 10 minutes.See below for the why for this step!
What is the purpose of cooking in vinegar water?
Starch, when fried, is what creates that crispy surface we want!
Then carefully spread the potatoes out on two tea towel-lined trays to steam dry for 5 minutes.
No need to pat them dry, the residual heat will do the job for us.
Its barely deep-frying, its more like shallow-frying!
THIS IS IMPORTANT!Oil overflow is a real risk if you do not do this.
Its scary and dangerous, as I found out first hand!
Learn from my mistakes.
Oil temperature Preheat the oil to 205C/400F.
Use a thermometer to monitor the temperature.
I use a Thermapen, see myEssential Kitchenwarespost for more details.
Cook the fries in 3 batches Separate the cooked potatoes into 3 even piles (batches).
We will be doing Fry #1 in three batches in a 24 cm / 10 pot.
Repeat Wait 10 seconds, then add the final 1/3 of Batch #1.
They will be pale and not yet crispy.
Carry out Fry #1 for the remaining two batches using the same staggered approach (ie.
1/3 + 1/3 + 1/3) within each batch.
Ensure the oil is back at 205C/400F before starting each batch.
Then cool all the fries for 30 minutes on some paper towel-lined trays.
Fry #2 crisp them up!
After cooling the fries, heat the oil to 205C/400F again.
Remove with a slotted spoon into a large paper towel-lined bowl then repeat with the remaining fries.
This way you’ve got the option to serve upallthe fries piping hot!
Tip:Remember these French fries are also pre-salted inside because we blanched them in salted water.
So dont go too crazy with the seasoning salt.
Seasoning options:
Salt table salt or sea salt flakes.
Larger-grained cooking or kosher salt doesnt stick as well.
Rosemary salt(recipe) made with fresh rosemary.
Fries seasoning(recipe) a savoury fries seasoning blend.
Nori seasoning(coming soon) made with finely ground nori (dried seaweed).
I know thats a lot of information to digest for just some bits of fried potato .
Remember, these chips areshallow-fried not deep-fried!
Hand on heart, they are worth the effort!
Maccas fries (McDonalds, to you non-Aussies!)
are incomparable theyre dry and tasteless compared to homemade.
Believe me my memory is still fresh from when I ate them side by side as a test yesterday!
Prevent screen from sleeping
