The Secret to Make Perfect French Fries at Home

A plateful of perfectly made French fries -soft in the middle and crispy on the surface- is not as easy to make as it sounds. There is a lot that you need to take care of for the perfect plate of fries. Starting from the types of potatoes you use, the shape in which you cut them to the way you fry them, there is a lot that you need to keep in mind. So, if you too tried making French Fries at home but were not satisfied with the results, this blog is for you.

How To Make Homemade French Fries

There’s nothing quite like the mouth-watering taste of homemade french fries. To achieve the perfect golden crunch on the outside and fluffy potato goodness on the inside, the best fries are double-fried. The first fry cooks the fries through at a lower temperature, and the second fry in hotter oil crisps them up to perfection. This recipe is very flexible, so you can make as many or as few fries as you like. As a side dish, plan on one large potato’s worth of fries per person.

Homemade French fries are a classic accompaniment to hamburgers, grilled steak, or steamed mussels. To make them, you’ll need a large pot and enough vegetable oil, canola oil, or lard to fill the pot about 2 inches deep. You’ll also need a slotted spoon or spider, plenty of paper towels for draining, and a thermometer (not required but highly recommended). For best results, consider using a cooling rack positioned over a baking sheet as an initial draining spot before transferring the fries to paper towels. And, of course, don’t forget the salt for seasoning. With this recipe, you’ll be able to create perfect, restaurant-quality fries right in your own kitchen.

These are the method to make crispy fries:

1. Soak the Potatoes

The first step is to peel the potatoes and cut them into sticks. Take a large bowl and soak the potatoes in cold water. Make sure that you soak the potatoes for at least 2-3 hours. Soaking the sliced potatoes in cold water is one of the main steps to prepare perfect French Fries. The cold water removes the starch present outside the potatoes so that you get perfectly crispy fries. The minimum time to soak the potatoes is one hour; however, there is no harm in soaking the potatoes for a longer period.

2. Cut the Potatoes Perfectly

The shape of the potatoes also plays a vital role in getting the perfect crispiness and texture. You can get a French Fry cutter to ensure that you get a consistent size of the fries. However, if you don’t have a French Fries cutter, you can cut the peeled potatoes into four. Lay the potatoes on a flat surface and cut them into sticks.

3. Chill the Potatoes

To get the perfect color, add a tablespoon of lemon juice and a few cups of ice to the water in which you have soaked the potatoes. Refrigerate the mixture for approximately 30 minutes. Chilling the potatoes will ensure that the potatoes don’t turn brown too quickly. The process helps in keeping the inside of the potatoes cooking well before it turns brown.

4. Dry the Potatoes

After soaking the potatoes for sufficient time, drain the fries and spread them on paper towels. To remove excess moisture, bloat the top of the potatoes. Removing excess water is extremely important to make crispy fries.

Fry them Using an Air Fryer

If you are health conscious, you can use an Air Fryer to make the fries. This will ensure that you make the fries in less oil as compared to the traditional method. All you need to do is preheat the Air Fryer to 200 ºC. Arrange the slices of potatoes on the bottom of the air fryer basket. Keep the potato slices separately to make the fries crispy. Add ½ tablespoon of oil and cook the fries for 15 minutes. Use the spatula to remove crisp fries from the air fryer and serve with dipping sauce.