So you wanna know how to make perfect French Fries, do you? So did I. For about the past 20 years. The trick is in the triple cooked chip. Not double. Triple.
I will tell you now, that I have tried every method, potato and oil temperature known to humankind in my quest to create the perfect french fry. I've come close many times. In all that time I had never succeeded in creating the perfect chip at home.
Until I discovered the triple cook method developed by by The Fat Duck's Heston Blumenthal.
If you're interested in other "Perfect" stuff, try my perfect pizza recipe done in a cast iron pan. I know bloggers tend to lean towards exaggeration with their stuff. Like "the BEST", "the only!" "the PERFECT"! But I really only call something perfect if it is.
I lean more towards truth as in "The Almost Award Winning Maple Bourbon BBQ Sauce." Which is actually quite delicious.
This is not a post on how to make easy french fries. It is a post on how to make perfect french fries. Remember that when you start compulsively rolling your eyes at me throughout this post.
Table of Contents
Important French Fry Factors
- Variety of potato
- Temperature of oil
- Type of oil
- Length of fry
Most people (sanely I might add) make french fries at home either with a bag of frozen french fries baking them in the oven or if they're a bit more serious about their fries in a home deep fryer.
The really adventurous make chips from potatoes and deep fry them. But they do it wrong and end up with soggy or partly cooked on the inside, burned on the outside fries.
I am on the opposite end of the scale. I grow my own potatoes for making french fries. I'll get to which varieties I grow specifically for making fries in a bit.
French Fry Making Mistakes
- The first way people make homemade fries is to grab whatever potato they have in their cupboard, cut it up, turn the deep fryer onto "HOT AS HELL", and throw them in.
This will not create the perfect french fry. - The second way people try to make fries is by getting fancy and twice cooking the french fries. First cooking them in oil, taking them out to cool. And then cooking them again at a higher temperature. It's a good start but ...
This will not create the perfect french fry.
So how do you do it? How do you create the ideal french fry at home?
The Method
If you want to make french fries that are golden and crispy on the outside and hot and fluffy on the inside, you need to:
- Use the right potato - Russet Burbank (baking potato) is ideal and its cousin the Kennebec (white potato) is even better. Both the Russet Burbank and the Kennebec are bred for making commercial french fries. I grow both of these varieties for making fries.
McDonalds uses Russet Burbank to create their famous fries. In-N-Out uses Kennebecs.
- Peel the potatoes. Perfect fries don't have skin, because the skin won't get crispy the way we need it to. So off with the skin.
Aren't all the vitamins in the potato skin?
Actually, no. That's a myth that we've all heard from someone so we just accept it as fact. 🤷♀️ In truth, potato skins contain 40-50% of the fibre that a potato has to offer. As far as the major vitamins and nutrients, they're all right there in the potato flesh.
- Boil them first. This is the key. It creates a slightly rough texture on the potato which is what helps make them crispy when you fry them. It also partially cooks them.
- Add some animal fat to your oil. You can use vegetable, grapeseed, peanut oil or any other oil with a medium to high smoke point. It should also be neutral tasting. And then add a big blog of lard or tallow to it.
- Fry them at a low temperature. Then let them cool.
- Fry them at a high temperature to finish them.
What You Need
- Potatoes
- Deep fryer
- Heavily salted pot of water
This is all very scientific, so I figured I'd better have a control group to show you the difference between an O.K. fry and THE PERFECT FRY.
I'm even wearing rubber gloves and a lab coat. And a stethoscope.
TEST fries
I created a control group of fries by doing what everyone does when they cook fries; I cut up a potato, turning my deep fryer onto HOT AS POSSIBLE and dropped them in.
This method produced overly dark, slightly undercooked fries. So they looked overcook and tasted raw.
They were limp. And unappealing. As limp things often are.
Perfect Homemade French Fries
Make perfect homemade french fries. The triple cooked chips an invention of chef Heston Blumenthal.
Ingredients
- 4 large baking potatoes - Burbank Russet or Kennebec
- salt
Instructions
- Cut baking potatoes (note 1) into medium sized fries.
- Place in pot of cold, heavily salted water. Bring to boil. Once you see the first big bubble of a boil, remove fries. They will be cooked, but not falling apart. Drain and run under cool water.
- Dry and cool fries in fridge, convection oven or with hairdryer until leathery.
- Fry (note 2) at 300°f until a crust forms but no colour. About 5 minutes. (Technically Heston's fry temp is 266 F but that's hard to do with a regular, crappy home deep fryer)
- Shake out oil and cool in refrigerator or freezer. Fries should seem leathery.
- Fry again at 355°f until golden and crispy. About 7 minutes.
- Salt immediately.
Notes
- The best readily available potatoes to use are Burbank Russet (baking potatoes) or Kennebecs. Heston Blumenthal who invented this technique uses Maris Piper potatoes.
- Use a neutral tasting oil with a medium - high smoke point like peanut, grapeseed or vegetable oil. Then add a blob of animal fat. Lard or tallow if you can find it.
If you want something similar to a McDonalds french fry, cut your fries to ¼". Technically McDonalds fries are blanched in low temperature water for a long time instead of boiled quickly. But if you want my honest truth, as long as you cut a fry to ¼" inch, double fry it and douse it in salt it's going to taste McDonaldey.
Step-by-step instructions
1. Plop your fries into a pot of cold, heavily salted water.
Bring the pot to a boil. Once it shows signs of boiling, remove the fries.
The easiest way to cook them to the right degree is to immediately remove the fries once the water shows its first big bubble. If you get to a rolling boil your fries will be overcooked and falling apart.
You should be able to pick up one of the fries without it breaking in half. But you should feel very nervous about it. THAT'S a perfectly pre-cooked fry.
2. Spread your fries on a cookie rack to dry.
You can dry them in the fridge, convection oven, or with a hairdryer.
The surface should be dry and leathery. Refrigerate until cool.
3. Once the fries are dry and cold, fry at 300°f* until a crust forms. About 5 minutes.
*(if your fryer works as low as 266 that's the ideal/recommended temp but sometimes home fryers don't behave this way)
You don't want the fry to colour the potato. It just has to form a crust.
4. Return your fries to the cookie rack and refrigerate or freeze until cool.
I do see you rolling your eyes in exasperation, so just know that.
5. Fry again in hot oil of 355°f until golden brown and crispy. 5-7 minutes.
These fries are crispy good with no "limping" even after sitting out for several minutes.
The outer shell is crispy and crunchy, while the inside of the fry is hot, fluffy and salty thanks to boiling them in salt water first.
That's O.K., just make sure you buy baking potatoes for fries. Any baking potato. They are usually larger and more elongated than a white or yellow potato with a tougher skin. A baking potato has the right amount of starch and moisture to make good fries.
You cannot under any circumstances create perfect french fries in the oven. Cannot. You can create slightly healthier fries in the oven but they won't be considered, referred to or hailed as perfect. So no.
Using a french fry cutter, or by hand, cut your fries so they're ¼" thick. Almost shoestring size. Blanch at 170 f for 15 minutes. Then fry once at a low temperature (300) for 5 minutes and let them cool. Then fry again at 400 until golden and crisp. Salt, salt, salt.
See here for how to make Guaranteed Crispy Sweet Potato Fries. I haven't given the esteem of perfect because a lot of people have trouble with the method. If you don't follow it perfectly you end up with very unperfect sweet potato fries.
And if you want something truly awful I can hook you up with some brussels sprouts which are always gross, but this recipe I got from Shelter restaurant on Tofino, British Columbia is edible if you hate brussels sprouts. Mainly cause they're fried and covered in a delicious dressing.
O.K. get your eyes straight in your head again and either go out and make some french fries or call your sister to tell her how insane people on the Internet are.
→Follow me on Instagram where I often make a fool of myself←
Danielle m.
Dang. Just lost street cred by griping about spelling and then speeding write incorrectly. Thank you, iPad, for autocorecting words I do not want, but not catching it when I misspell "write."
Karen
Hah! Spellcheck. Everyone's vbest freendd. ~ karen
Danielle M.
Oh my GOSH! It got worse and worse. Look at that! That's it. No more commenting from the iPad. You know, so I won't mis-speed words. HA! :)
Danielle m.
Wow. I had to stop reading the comments because I was getting truly annoyed. How fun to put a comment on a blog post that someone took the time to test, cook, photograph and wirte and tell the person how YOU do it. Isn't that just so precious? Awesome.
I think Tina should get a medal for her offer. And also that people should learn to spell.
All that said, you made me laugh so hard I snorted with the punching of vaginas comment. And I believe this is the perfect fry. Not even because I value my vag. Just because no one would go to the effort if it was not worth the result.
Amy in StL
My favorite fries are ones I don't have to cook myself. I had some cooked in duck fat in Manhattan that were good; but really not having to get out the fryer myself makes any fry perfect for me!
Laura McG.
I could have told you all this if you had only asked! This is how my mother made her fries, except she cut them with an old wooden-handled crinkle cutter. Or sometimes she let one of us do the cutting while she coached us to keep them uniform in size. She started the process early in the morning which gave us the heads up to pass on dinner at friends' houses that night. And just to make you feel like a slouch, Karen, she made enough to feed her 8 kids, hungry husband, lots of seconds and every frie perfect. Bless her soul.
Karen
I would have liked your ma. :) She obviously knew perfect. ~ karen
Lin N
So what's the count on punched out vagina's and spleens? Toooo funny. The french fries look awesome. As much as I'd go out and buy a deep fryer, my partner would murder me which is much worse than the punch. Can you mail me some french fries next time you make em?
Nancy
Potatoes partially baked in the oven or microwave, scrubbed with skins left on, and then deep fried are our favorite crispy fries.
Thera
Hubby is the fry maker, he is going to want to kick your butt, because now I will make him worker harder lmao!
Traci L.
I've got to tell ya, I make OVEN fries with the skins ON and LOVE them. I know everything you said not to do. I hand cut them, put little pats of butter on the fries (I know, not so healthy) and bake them at 400 temp for about 45 minutes. Salt them when they come out. You can also add dried rosemary before cooking. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I don't own a deep fryer and not sure I ever will.
Karen
Traci L. - I'm sure they're good. But they're not perfect french fries. They're a distant, gussied up relative. ~ karen
Haydee Skeet
Yup, city vs country fries
Jacqueline
Not wanting to sound like a smart ass or anything ('cause I'm fond of both my spleen and my vagina, and not necessarily in that order) but what about the ketchup? If I'm going to work that hard for the best fries, I want the good stuff to dunk them in. Do you have a recipe for homemade ketchup? 'Cause the bought stuff is just not good enough for these beauties.
Matthew
Hi Karen,
Thanks for this new (to me) technique. I'm always looking for a better at-home fry recipe. I'll definitely try it out soon. This has been my previous technique:
- Pour cold oil into a pot
- Drop the raw fresh sliced potatoes into the cold oil
- Heat the oil to maintain a medium-low boil.
- Cook fries to desired doneness, about 15 minutes total time from turning the heat on
- Eat
Matthew
Karen
Matthew - I'm familiar with that method. I think you'll like the results of the thrice cooked fries better. They'll be crispier, and stay crispier longer. ~ karen!
Patti
This post is GREAT!
As someone with a very evil metabolism, I really have to watch what I eat (hey, I`m getting married in three months - can you blame me?), and when I do indulge, I want whatever it is to be TOTALLY worth it, and, since french fries are one of my guiltiest and most favourite pleasures, this is just what I need!
There's nothing worse than deciding to blow a bunch of calories on a special meal, to find yourself eating a soggy, sad mess of inferior food! I can't wait to try these! I'll do jumping jacks while they cool in the fridge. Then I won't even feel guilty!
Thanks Karen! You rock!
Kristen S
Karen,
I am curious to hear your preferred oil? The best french fries I have ever had came from Didier in Toronto. They were fried in DUCK fat. Fan-effing-tastic. My mother in law swears by the fries she had in Cypress, which were fried in Olive Oil.
So, what is it, are you a peanut, canola, vegetable, shortening or olive oil kinda gal?
Karen
Kristen S - I meant to put oil info in the post and completely forgot. Animal fat is the very best fat to cook french fries in. Hands down. However, I've recently been using Sunflower Oil. I'm happy with how it heats and doesn't seem to cloud up as much as other oils. Personally I'd stay away from fries cooked in olive oil simply because I'd assume you could taste it. With frying I don't want the taste of the oil, I want the taste of the food. But who knows ... ~ karen!
Kristen S
I haven't tried Sunflower. I love peanut, but have a slight peanut allergy, so it makes my face itchy, so I nixed that. I have been using crisco and been happy with the results. Will have to give Sunflower a try. :)
Jillian
LOVE Fries and I would take the time to make the perfect fry.
BUT I am taking much more time reading the post to see who will be punched in the vagina....Whaaaaa
Nancy Blue Moon
They are the most perfect fries I have ever seen..not hard to do at all..please don't hurt me..I'm way smarter than some people..in Belgium..you will feel much better if you punch her instead!!!
Tina
My husband's family is originally from Chicago, so if you be needin to take out a contract on your vag-hits, you know who to call. You warned 'em.
Karen
Tina - Thank you for your generous offer. I'll get back to you when the time is right. ~ karen
Keith
Karen,
Do you recommend a certain type of potato, or types that someone should definitely not use to make the perfect fry? Thanks for all of your experimentation!
Karen
Keith - Just stick to any kind of baking potato and you'll be fine. They're the driest. Other potatoes will be too waxy. ~ karen!
Mrsblocko
I find it appalling the lack of concern people have over the welfare of their vaginas and/or spleens.
The fries look and sound amazing.
Sally
I will never, ever, never call your posts stupid because, well, for one...you look strong and could probably kick my ass...and two, who else could tell me how to do all this amazing stuff but you? Everyone else I hang with doesn't know how to do crap. I learn from you, amaze them all with my expertise, and am elevated to demi-god status. It's a win-win kinda thing.
How is the front yard garden project going??? Can't wait for THAT post. I'm gonna blow their simple little minds ;)
Sally
Oh, and btw, I wasn't being sarcastic. I really do think you could kick my ass. And, I really do love all the great things I learn from you. Just in case you are dirty and sore and cranky from working in the new garden...just wanted you to know that I appreciate your blog :)
Karen
I believe you. You'll have to excuse me now while I teach my kung fu class. While lifting weights. And doing various other tough, strong things. ~ karen
Diane
Yum yum yum, delicious fries...that is all. I like my vagina intact, thank you! :)
Karen
Diane - Wise choice. ~ karen
Barbie
I guess I'm gonna have to go re-buy that deep fryer! I had one .....long time ago....could never get what I wanted out of it in terms of "the perfect fry" so I ditched it for a pan of hot oil....which of course made very soggy fries! Yours look awesome! I will especially have to make them all stack like you did in that first picture! If ONLY for that! LOVE the way they look! :)