Do you love French fries, but every time you make them at home, you can never get them to be as crispy and flavorful as the ones at your favorite fast food restaurant? No panic! We have compiled for you the best tips for making crispy home fries. To try today!
Crispy French Fries – Source: spm
With its unique taste, French fries are appreciated all over the world. This is despite all the warnings emphasizing high amounts of calories and fat. It’s hard to resist the temptation to gobble down a serving every once in a while! Well, if it’s only occasional, it’s not bad. But precisely, whenever you do, at the time of preparation, it would be foolish to spoil your indulgence! To make your fries perfect, very tender on the inside and crunchy on the outside, the following trick will leave you speechless.
Golden Rule : First of all, know that the best French fries are those that are heat-treated twice. During the first phase, they should be fried at a low temperature (medium), then removed and placed on a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Once cooled, move on to the second cooking phase: dip the fries back into the very hot oil to make them crisp.
Also read: The Trick to Making Delicious, Crispy French Fries: One Overlooked Step Makes All the Difference
Here is the general preparation method:
- First, clean and wash the potatoes.
- Then, and this is an essential phase, you must cut them carefully. Best to use a mandoline or slicer for a perfect cut. If you don’t have one, use a sharp knife to cut medium slices no more than one centimeter thick. Then each slice is cut into sticks.
- Put the fries in a bowl of cold water. Leave them like this for 20 minutes to remove excess starch. Then, take them out and dry them with a clean towel.
- Then, generously pour a layer of oil into the pan. Heat and add the potato sticks.
- Leave them like this for about 5 minutes, until the potatoes are golden. Feel free to add a few cloves of garlic, it will give them an even tastier flavor!
- Remove them from the pan, put them on a paper towel, and let them cool slowly, before placing them back in the very hot oil. A few minutes will be enough. Look at them and visually you will notice the well-dosed browning (careful, don’t let them darken!). Once ready, take them out and put them back on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Your fries will be tender on the inside and crispy on the outside.
What oil to use for crispy fries?
Peanut oil or any other light vegetable oil will be ideal for making the best home fries. This will give you that crispy crust that you sometimes lack.
N.B: It is generally better to use peanut oil than olive oil due to its high smoke point.
Also read: What is the fourth side of the grater used for? A super useful unknown function
Why put a little vinegar on the fries?
Pour in white vinegar – Source: spm
How to get a plate of crispy fries without using the deep fryer? Then it will be essential to choose good quality ingredients. Keep in mind that the best varieties of potatoes to fry are those that tend to ripen later, such as apples. The important thing is to make sure they are low in water, starch, and sugar. Because otherwise they tend to brown and caramelize quickly. Also, excess starch softens them, because it absorbs a lot of oil. A solution to this problem? A secret ingredient: vinegar. Its acidity will delay the degradation of the pectin by preserving it during cooking. It is a soluble fiber that helps to fill you up, regulate the absorption of fats during digestion and maintain good intestinal transit.
These are the steps to follow to prepare your fries with vinegar:
- Peel the potatoes and wash them in very cold water.
- Cut the potatoes (as explained above). Remember that to obtain crispy fries, it is very important that the slices have a wavy shape when cut with a knife or mandolin.
- Put the sticks in a bowl with cold water and three tablespoons of white vinegar.
- Dry them and put them in a saucepan with boiling water for 1 minute. With this step you will remove excess starch from the potatoes and you will obtain a much smoother texture.
- Remove them from the boiling water, drain them under cold running water, and place them in a bowl of ice water. Before moving on to the next step, the potatoes must be dried with absorbent paper towels.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat and add the potatoes as you go, following the cooking method detailed above. For a crispier result, it is recommended to use peanut oil or sunflower oil.
Also read: This is why pasta cooking water should no longer be poured down the sink
