How to Make French Fries
Mar 29, 2012 11:01 am
10 easy steps to making restaurant-quality fries
By
Photo: Mark Shaw
If you learn to make your own French fries, you'll never need the delivery guy to run out at 3AM again.
Making your own fries is as important as making your own burgers. Everything tastes better homemade. Now unless you have a deep-fryer, these are going to be on the rustic side. I personally like them better that way — you get variation in the color and texture throughout each fry that makes it a much more intimate fry-consuming experience than eating those totally uniform ones.
Patience and dry potatoes are the keys here: if your potatoes aren't completely dry they'll sputter in the oil, making a mess out of your stovetop and creating uneven temperatures in the pot. Hence, the nifty trick with the dishtowel.
Here's what you'll need:
- A large, deep pot
- 2-3 potatoes per batch of fries
- One or two clean dishtowels
- A sturdy wooden spoon with a long handle
- Enough peanut oil to cover potatoes by 3 inches
- Coarse salt for sprinkling
Top and tail the potatoes
Cut the tops and bottoms off the potatoes so you can stand them up and slice them lengthwise.
Slice the potatoes
Slice the potatoes into the thickness you want your fries to be.
Cut the slices into fries
Cut the potato slices into fries.
Soak the fries in water
Fill a large pot or bowl with cold water and submerge the fries. This rinses off any excess starch and helps them crisp up to golden-brown without getting soggy.
Drain and place on a clean dishtowel
Drain the fries in a colander until water stops dripping, then transfer to a clean dishtowel.
Make a bundle
Gather up the edges of the dishtowel to make a bundle, twisting the top.
Insert spoon handle and twist
Insert the handle of your wooden spoon into the twisted top of the potato bundle and use it to squeeze the water out of the potatoes as tightly as you can. Repeat until potatoes are very dry, using another dry dishtowel if necessary.
Transfer fries to oil
Heat oil to 375 degrees. Gently lower the fries in using a skimmer or spider, then leave them be for about 10 minutes, no touching. Do this in batches so you don't overcrowd the pot, or the fries will never finish cooking.
Keep on frying
Continue to fry until bottoms of the fries begin to turn golden brown, then flip to cook the other side. Fry for another 10-15 minutes or until fries are finished, keeping a close eye on them so they don't burn.
Drain on paper towels
Remove fries from oil using a skimmer or spider and transfer to a plate lined with a thick layer of paper towels. Sprinkle with coarse salt and serve hot.
ADVERTISEMENT
May is
Food Republic's
Grilling Month
Throughout May we will be offering wall-to-wall grilling coverage including grilling tips, gear advice and interviews with immortal Grilling Gods.
Grilling Month Giveaway
All month we're giving away an amazing lineup of grilling-related items. Come back every few days to enter and win.
Enter the Contest »
Cut Food, an art project that's heavy on gelatin
Now if only we could translate the dang website
Alcohol, check. Chocolate, check. Life is good.
11 countries, one common and painful problem
Vietnamese noodle soup, it’s what’s for breakfast
Fun Guinness facts straight from the tap. Sláinte!
ADVERTISEMENT
