In culinary school, I was taught that you need to fry twice: once at a temperature between 325° and 330° to dry them out, then again between 350° and 360° to get them golden and bistro-level crispy. The exact temperature doesn’t really matter so long as it’s hot and bubbling. Turns out you can put *unsoaked* potatoes in a big deep skillet (or Dutch oven), pour cold oil on top until they’re just covered, then bring the whole thing to a boil. The temperature of the oil must be just so. Recipes that require frying are often super specific. When fried, the buttery interior texture is a subtle contrast to the exterior crunch, but trust me, people will notice. Even though you can get french fries anywhere and everywhere, I only eat them when they’ve been made at home. NOT RUSSET! They’re less starchy and will crisp up without ever sitting in a bowl of water. The secret is to make double fried french fries cooked at two temperatures, which gives you perfect crispy edges and a fluffy interior. After the fries leave the blancher, they are dried and then its off to the fryer, which is filled with one hundred percent vegetable oil. Some recipes call for an overnight soak, while others want you to change out the water often. Soaking sliced potatoes in water helps remove excess starch, which lets the fries get crispier. You don’t need to soak the potatoes in water (for forever) first. It yields astonishingly crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside frites. Here’s how it's different (and better) than the traditional way of making fries.ġ. But I recently discovered a genius hack that changes EVERYTHING. Sprinkle french fry seasoning as evenly as you can over the fries and bake at 400☏ until warm and golden brown. Use a pastry brush to lightly coat the french fries with olive oil.

Most electric deep fryers will get to their target temperature. In addition to this, the potatoes get a pre-fry blanching step in hot water. If your machine has a lid, make sure its on and secure at this point to help lock in heat. (Anyone else hate cooking in batches?!) They also never turn out quite as crispy or good as McDonald's. The methods below apply to homemade or frozen french fries. Rather than a slow low temperature fry for the first round, the fries get dunked into very hot oil for only 50 seconds (the second fry is then carried out at the actual location). Remove the fries from the oil using a wire mesh skimmer (sometimes called a spider spoon) and transfer them to the paper-lined pans to drain. Cook the potatoes in the oil for 6 to 8 minutes, or until they're soft and a slightly golden color. Place about 1/3 of the potatoes in the pot, and cook until tender. Pour 3 inches of oil into a large, deep pot. Mostly because deep-frying anything is always messy, annoying, and time-consuming. Heat the oil over medium-low heat to 325 F. Place the potatoes on a layer of paper towels and pat thoroughly with additional towels until dry.

Homemade french fries deep fryer