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.
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I purchased the T-fal Acti-fry and my fries are so good. First we cut them then they are in water then I dry them then one tablespon of good oil and 42 minutes later good fries
I wanted to make fries last night and went in search of a recipe when I found your post. Your tutorial is nicely written, I especially enjoyed your personal comments and the way you explained a few things like the 'first big bubble'. Cute! And effective.
So last night we had fries with our fish fry. They came out perfect on my first try. My sweetheart said they were the best he ever had. Plus I have a gallon sized zippie full of fries in the freezer.
I just wanted you to know that your time to create the tutorial was appreciated. Thank you so much for giving me the confidence to try making freezer fries. I cant wait to try them with my home grown taters!
Blessings and happiness in the upcoming holidays.
Aw, thanks Jinnie! I'm glad they worked for you and that you even went the step further to make frozen french fries. I think you'll be amazed at how well they turn out even if you just throw them in the oven as opposed to the deep fryer. Welcome to my site, and I hope you come back. ~ karen!
Tried this method on a stove top frier and even though the frying stages took a bit longer, they were, without a doubt the best fries I ever made. Going to try and make a larger batch and freeze them to quench late night urges. BTW they go great with a nice homemade garlic mayo!
Thank you very much Karen.
I'm sure they do, LOL. You're very welcome, and I'm glad to meet another french fry fanatic. ~ karen!
We precook via oil being 110 degrees then fry at 170degrees
I used to do that Shonelle. But try this way. Honestly! Even if you only do it on special french fry occasions, LOL. They turn out perfect! Plus you can freeze them! ~ karen
I tried this recipe to make my own freezer french fries and they turned out fantastic! I want to only use organic potatoes and the frozen organics are sooo expensive. I followed the directions up to the first fry with a leathery coat. then i put the fries on a wire rack on a big cookie sheet and cooled in fridge. Then put them in freezer zip bags. When I wanted to have french fries I actually baked them in in 350 oven till browned. So tasty!
I'm glad you like them Denise. I have a few baggies of them in the freezer myself! ~ karen
I enjoyed reading this feed! it cracked me up and made me laugh out loud... now going to the kitchen to deep fry my fries... jk
At what point did you freeze the fries?? I have a bunch of people coming over next week and would like to make them some of your homemade fries...but won't have time to do them from scratch to serve them fresh the day of my supper - any suggestions on how to do them the day before and how to prepare them (quickly) right before I serve the other foods?? Thanks so much!!
Hi A. Do the first two steps. (boil and then first fry) Then the fries can either be kept in the fridge or freezer. You can either cook them for the third time in the oven or deep fryer. Here's my frozen french fry post ... https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/make-homemade-frozen-french-fries/ ~ karen
Hi Karne,
This is the funniest blog ever!! Thanks for sharing. I laughed so hard my hubby had to turn the tv off to see what was so funny! I don't have a deep fryer because they scare the shit out of me, but I am considering getting one just so I can try this recipe. I LOVE potatoes!! Thanks for your 20 years of trial and error! :)
Thanks Rhonda! I just made these the other night. Made extra and frozen em. Yep. Yep I did. Welcome to my site. ~ karen!
Son all of y'all is just some fancy ass fool. To make the perfect frenchified fried potato proceed in this manner:
1) Get y'all some fresh firm russet potatoes from Prince Edward Island, Canada; the cooler red soil combined with a light sea salt breeze forms the worlds perfect potato.
2) Store these perfect spuds in a brown paper bag, not the paper bag they were shipped in. Make sure the storage area is cool and dark and does not have a humidity level above 35.
3)When you remove the spuds from their dark storage area make sure your kitchen shades are drawn so that there will be minimal light shed upon the spuds naked, firm flesh as you peel away their outer sheathe.
4)Do not under any circumstances gaze in a desirous manner upon their nakedness.
5)This is the cruelest part of the process,( you may want to ask your children to step outside)choose the largest, sharpest knife you possess and proceed to carve the spuds into the shapes we all desire.
6)Refrigerate the cut up spuds for no less than 4 hours.
7)Heat Canola Oil in a large stainless steel pot until it reaches the smoking point, put 2 serving portions in the oil and blanch fry them until a slight brown crust forms on their outer edges, immediately remove them from the oil and place them in a paper lined crystal bowl, (Irish crystal is best). Repeat this step of the process until all the cut up spuds have been blanched. Do not over crowd the crystal bowls with blanched fries else they will stick together. Use 3 or more bowls in this step.
8)Allow the blanched beauties to cool to room temperature, no cooler nor any warmer.
9)Bring the Canola Oil back to the smoking point and fry the beauties until they have a reddish brown tone.
Voila, the Perfect Fried Potato chips.
William - They sound good. Not *perfect* ... but good. ~ karen the fancy ass perfect french fry making fool.
Are you for real? punch in the vagina? Lame attempt at humour. Revise your style!
Hi Penny! Thanks for your input. You're absolutely right. I'll revise my style immediately. So you'll be happy. Of course the half a million people that read this blog might be upset ... but so long as you're happy. ~ karen
Penny, I guess you hate all modern Hollywood movies, where each movie MUST contain a scene of a man getting kicked or grabbed in the testicles, often by a woman, very often by Angelina Jolie (guess Brad must be into S&M oops I meant M - Angelina is S).
Lighten up. One vagina punch for 317 testicle kicks is what the sexual equality women have been striving for!!!!!
Karen, what about Tenderflake? I'm trying various types. Peanut Oil is good but does impart a taste (depending on my mood, time of the month (and I'm a guy), I like or don't like it. Olive Oil I didn't like. Sunflower Oil I haven't tried Cristco Oil I don't like the taste. I found SAE 30 Oil was good and able to withstand high temperatures I switch to SAE 30W in the winter. And as every one knows, USED oil is best, so I get the SAE 30 oil from my car during its regular oil change.
I've heard that the reason deep fat fryers for HOME use can't go to 425 (I've heard it mentioned that for the final fry this is best) is because some oils can't take that temperature, and bad results have occurred (and when I say bad results, I'm not talking about the Fries being soggy..........hint - Fire Department).
Comments?
And thanks for the effort you've taken and sharing it with people more lazy than you Karen
I'm happy you've decided to keep Penny happy. That shows you care The rest of us will miss you Karen.
Well Bob. Clearly Penny is very important to me. I'd probably go with the car oil, if you use the really low end stuff. Anything higher grade will just end up tasting like you're trying too hard. Ya know? They're fries. No sense fancying them up. If worse comes to worse I'd go with lard believe it or not. Actually a combo of lard and vegetable oil would probably be the holy grail of frying. But that's my opinion. Which probably isn't to be trusted. ~ karen!
WOW! They taste really good! Just hope the electricity bill remains steady because i have a whole bag of potatoes that will be PERFECTLY french fried. Thank you for the yummy tip. :)
hie, im from malawi, africa. I really admire how the fries look firm. I wish you had pictures of cutting the potatoes though. I cant seem to shape them right with a knife. :(
Tapiwa - I shaped them special for the pictures. I don't always shape them that perfectly because it takes a long time and you waste quite a bit of potato. To do it you need to cut the potatoes into bit squares so there aren't any round edges on them basically. Then cut them into strips. That way the fries end up being perfectly straight on all ends and sides. If there are any rounded corners they won't look right. Good luck! ~ karen
Karen.
Your method works. I have recently tried it and created the best chips I've ever cooked. Crispy and golden brown.
I just used ordinary tatties in veg oil. Keep up your excellent tips.
Excellent. I'm glad you enjoyed them. ~ karen!
Acctually, I've run into much more complicated, time consuming recipes in my lifetime (I'm only 12!)but this one is great! Thankyou!
Well then, you should give my homemade tortellini en brodo if you're up for a challenge then! Congratulations on your cooking aptitute. And attitude. :) ~ karen
Just made them, just ate them. Best ever. I don't have a fryer, just used my wok. Thank you :)
Good job Maxine. Way to commit to a french fry! :) ~ karen
In the middle of making the perfect fries I found they are delicious at every stage. We just took them out of boiling water placed in strainer basket and bit the end of one to try. I could eat them all now. No salt or ketchup required. On to the drying rack.!
Just made these and it really is the best homemade fries I've ever had!
I would rather punch myself in the vagina than make these.
This worked like a charm. My fries are now perfect. Oh buh sometimes u Don't need to fry them twice if they're fried for a longer time at minimal heat. It works well too.
YES! I have discovered a recipe for the "Perfect" french fries! the amount of work is no problem for me, even though I only have a deep pan and a will to make these fries.
Josh - Just be careful using the deep pan. Use a VERY deep pan. A few splashes and your house is up in flames. That might be a bit alarmist, but ... just be careful. ~ karen!