How to Make the World's Crispiest French Fries

A soggy fry is a sad fry. In fact, it probably shouldn't even be called a "fry." Make sure the next time you cook a batch they're crispy?really crispy. The pros at Stack Exchange tell you how.

Yesterday I tried making french fries, but they were not crispy. What's the best way to get them crispy?

See the original question.

Kevin Dickerson Answers:

If you want to make fries the way your favorite restaurant does, you need only a few things.

Stuff you need:

• A sauce pan or a fancy fryer, whatever
• Cold Idaho Russet Burbank No. 1 potatoes
• Peanut oil
• Kosher salt

Optional: Thermometer for measuring oil temperature

Cooking instructions:

1. Fry at a low temperature until the potatoes are cooked, about 250?F ? 275?F.
2. Set aside the potatoes on paper or whatever. (Fancy fryers have a wire basket sometimes for this purpose.)
3. Increase the temperature of the oil to about 375?F ? 425?F.
4. Fry at the higher temperature until golden brown.
5. Toss with salt in a bowl like you see on TV.

Notes:

• Potatoes must be cold in order to make amazing fries.
• If you want to presoak the potatoes to get rid of starch, sometimes it's fun to dump a ton of salt into ice water to make them extra salty.
• Fried fries hate water. Keep them in a paper bag after you cook them and they will stay crispier longer. (But only for a few minutes usually.)
• The more regular the volume of the potato cuts are, the more evenly they will cook.
• Unrefined peanut oil has a smoke point of 325?F. Refined is 450?F.
• A heavy sauce pan will have a more even temperature.
• The oil temperature will drop a bunch when you add the fries. A thermometer will help you to keep a consistent temperature.

Some notes from the idahopotato.com FAQ:

What is the difference between No. 1 and No. 2 Potatoes?
No. 1 potatoes are typically better shaped with less defects than No. 2's. No. 2 potatoes bake and taste the same but may have pointed ends, more bruising, etc. Restaurant operators use No. 2 potatoes when the final appearance does not have to be as attractive a potato shape, for example for mashed, hash browns or french fries.

How do I achieve the best results when frying Idaho Potatoes?
When frying, the high solids content of Idaho Potatoes decreases oil absorption, guaranteeing crispier potatoes. In addition, Idaho Potatoes shrink less when fried and retain their shape better than moister potatoes. Before frying potatoes, rinse them in cold water to remove starch, which can cause the potatoes to stick together during the frying process. For crispier potatoes, soak the potatoes in salt water for several minutes before cooking.

Be sure to always use clean oil, heated to the proper temperature?food dropped in improperly heated oil will absorb the fat and take longer to cook. Oil should be heated slowly. If a good thermometer isn't available, drop a potato strip into the oil, and observe. If it sinks and the surrounding oil doesn't react, the oil isn't hot enough. If the oil bubbles around the strip and the potato remains on top, the temperature is ideal.

Keep checking the cooking oil for acrid odors while cooking; strong odors indicate that the oil is beginning to burn. Be sure to never leave frying potatoes unattended.

user68999 Answers:

Without actually frying...

1. Batonnet the potatoes 1/4 inch.
2. Lightly boil the pieces until you can scrape the surface with your finger.
3. Carefully spread into a single layer on a baking pan and lightly spray with canola oil.
4. Season and bake at 350-400 degrees Fahrenheit until golden brown and delicious.

SAJ14SAJ Answers:

Not to take anything away from the answers already existing for this question, but I wannt to add one more reference: Kenji Alt's in depth opus on creating the McDonald's style fry at home.

In summary, his method is to:

1. Blanche the cut potatoes in water lightly acidified with vinegar, to allow them to cook through while the acid keeps the pectin from decomposing and causing the fries to fall apart.
2. Par-fry the potatoes (first fry).
3. Optionally (but preferably) freeze the fries at this point, which actually helps develop the crispiness. Of course this also lets you do almost all of the work in advance.
4. Finish-fry and serve.

You will note this is a variant on the traditional double-fry method outlined in Kevin Dickerson's answer.

See the linked article for all of the science, the details, and a linked recipe.

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Illustration by Stack Exchange.

Editor's note: The original question mentions cooking fries with Mobil oil. We're not sure if this is a bad joke or unfortunate autocorrect, but it's worth mentioning: Never, ever cook with motor oil. Ever.

Find more answers at the original post here. See more questions like this at Seasoned Advice, the cooking site at Stack Exchange. And of course, feel free to ask a question yourself.

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/Q8VYUcTKsRM/how-to-make-the-worlds-crispiest-french-fries

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