Do you love fries but every time you make them at home you never manage to make them as crispy and tasty as those from your favorite fast food restaurant? No panic ! We have put together the best tips for making crispy homemade fries for you. Try it today!
How to cook the perfect homemade fries?
crispy fries
With their unique taste, French fries are appreciated worldwide. This is despite all the warnings emphasizing high amounts of calories and fat. Hard to resist the temptation to devour a portion every now and then! Well, if it’s just occasional, it’s not bad. But especially as long as you do this at the time of preparation, it would be foolish to spoil the enjoyment! To make your fries perfect, very tender on the inside and crispy on the outside, the following trick will amaze you.
Rule of thumb: First of all, you should know that the best french fries are those that have been heat treated twice. In the first phase they must be fried at a low temperature (half cooked), then removed and placed on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Once cooled, move on to the second stage of cooking: dip your fries back into the very hot oil to crisp them up.
Also read: The trick for delicious and crispy fries: An overlooked step makes the difference
Here is the general preparation method:
First clean and wash the potatoes.
Then, and this is an essential phase, you have to cut them carefully. For a perfect cut, it is best to use a mandoline or a slicer. If you don’t have one, use a sharp knife to cut medium-sized slices no thicker than 1 centimeter. Each slice is then cut into sticks.
Place the fries in a bowl of cold water. Leave them like this for 20 minutes to remove excess starch. Then take them out and pat them dry with a clean towel.
Then generously pour a layer of oil into the pan. Heat and add the potato sticks.
Leave like this until the fries are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Don’t hesitate to add a few cloves of garlic, it will give them an even tastier taste!
Remove them from the pan, place them on a paper towel and let them cool slowly before putting them back in the very hot oil. A few minutes are enough. Observe them and you will immediately notice the well-dosed gilding (be careful not to let them darken!). When finished, take them out and place them back on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Your fries will be tender on the inside and crispy on the outside.
Which oil for crispy fries?
Peanut oil or any other light vegetable oil is ideal for making the best homemade fries. This gives you that crispy crust that you sometimes lack.
Note: Peanut oil is generally preferable to olive oil because of its high smoke point.
Also read: What is the 4th side of the grater used for? A super useful unknown feature
Why put vinegar on fries?
Pour white vinegar
How do I get a plate of crispy fries without using the deep fryer? Then it is important to choose high-quality ingredients. Note that the best types of fried potatoes are those that tend to ripen later, such as: E.g. apples. It is important that they contain little water, starch and sugar. Otherwise they tend to brown and caramelize quickly. Plus, the excess starch makes it soft because it absorbs a lot of oil. A solution to this problem? A secret ingredient: vinegar . Its acidity delays the breakdown of pectin by preserving it during cooking. It is a soluble fiber that helps fill you up, regulate fat absorption during digestion, and maintain good intestinal transit.
Here are the steps to follow to prepare your fries with the vinegar:
Peel the potatoes and wash them in very cold water.
Cut the potatoes (as explained above). Remember that for crispy fries it is very important that the slices have a wavy shape when cut with a knife or mandoline.
Place the sticks in a bowl with cold water and three tablespoons of white vinegar.
Dry them and place them in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute. This step removes the excess starch from the potatoes and leaves you with 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 proceeding to the next step, the potatoes must be dried using absorbent paper towels.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over high heat and gradually add the potatoes, following the cooking method described above. For a crispier result, we recommend using peanut oil or sunflower oil.
Also read: This is why pasta cooking water should no longer be poured down the sink