French Fry Science.

[worth1]

Folks I've watched more videos on how to make the so called perfect French fry than the Sahara has sand.
One set of must be millions of videos are about how to make McDonald's fries at home.
I honestly couldn't care less because I think McDonald's fries suck.
Another oddity is the mention of putting the potatoes in water to wash off the starch so they won't get brown too fast.
Totally wrong.
You put the potatoes in water with a little vinegar to help get rid of the sugar in some way.
Sugar is what causes the potatoes to brown faster not starch.
Others say boiling them first helps in water with vinegar in it.
Can't argue with that.
Oil temperature is all over the place.
Then there is the debate what kind of potatoes.
Starchy russets or the less starchy potatoes like in Belgium.
Personally I think McDonald's uses the russet because it is the cheapest as well as others to make more profits.
Then there is the twice fry fad going on that I agree with.
The perfect size.
That one alone will determine the size of the potato you intend on frying.
The bigger the fry the cooler the oil should be.
Are you putting them in frozen or at room temperature?
Don't use an oil temperature recommended for frozen pre fried potatoes for ones you hand cut and have soaked in water for a few hours but not frozen.
One guy says put sugar in the water.
Not a good idea.
They brown too fast.
With oil down below 300F you can put fries in and they will cook crispy all the way through without burning on the outside.
That's how they make shoestring potatoes.
It is also how to make homemade potato chips.
It gives the potatoes a chance to get crispy without being overly browned.
Plus they use the freshest potatoes because older potatoes have converted starch to sugar.
Starch will not turn brown in hot oil without the addition of flour or sugar.
Not unless it is way beyond normal cooking temperatures.

What I have done today for entertainment is to cut up a pile of russet potatoes and just experimented to get the best results for the perfect French in my opinion.

One is i have taken the wet potato out of the water and rolled it in corn starch.
At around 320f or so, it takes forever to even think about getting golden brown.
So that disproves that myth about getting the starch out of the potatoes by soaking in water.
It's the sugar you are removing but the starch comes with it.
The starch coating simply doesn't do well as the potatoes won't get golden brown.
Maybe a 50/50 starch flour mixture would work.

Another trick is to poke holes in the potato before the second fry.
It works but who on earth has time for that?
What are you frying them in?
Cast iron or some other thin metal like stainless?
It makes a huge difference.
Cast iron does not conduct energy well, be it heat or electricity.
It retains heat very well.
What this means is when you put the fries in a cast iron kettle it won't lose its heat as fast as an aluminum or thin stainless container will.
This is why I think my Magnalite skillets do a better job cooking eggs on my glass top stove.
It conducts the heat more evenly across the bottom.

I'll come back later with more observations on how to cook the perfect French fry.

I love French fries and they are one of the foods I first learned to cook as a wee child.
I'm constantly trying to get get to perfection with these darn things by experimenting.

[karstopography]

Chasing the perfect French fry, Yep, that does sound like a worthy project. I can’t remember when I last made homemade french fries. I still think about some fries I had when I was 8 years old on a camp out. They were done in cast iron and had this marvelous crunch and delicious creamy center. They might have been done with the cold oil method, It was a long time ago.

What about the cold oil method? The fries get put in a heavy pot with room temperature oil and the heat builds and comes up over time.

Any favorite oils or fats? I keep reading about fries fried in duck fat.

I heard Kennebec potatoes are a good frying potato. Doesn’t Frito Lay have their own breeds for potato chips? I think the English often use Maris Piper. Everyone says use high starch, low moisture potatoes,

Good luck with your french fry science.

[Tormato]

Folks I've watched more videos on how to make the so called perfect French fry than the Sahara has sand.
One set of must be millions of videos are about how to make McDonald's fries at home.
I honestly couldn't care less because I think McDonald's fries suck.
Another oddity is the mention of putting the potatoes in water to wash off the starch so they won't get brown too fast.
Totally wrong.
You put the potatoes in water with a little vinegar to help get rid of the sugar in some way.
Sugar is what causes the potatoes to brown faster not starch.
Others say boiling them first helps in water with vinegar in it.
Can't argue with that.
Oil temperature is all over the place.
Then there is the debate what kind of potatoes.
Starchy russets or the less starchy potatoes like in Belgium.
Personally I think McDonald's uses the russet because it is the cheapest as well as others to make more profits.
Then there is the twice fry fad going on that I agree with.
The perfect size.
That one alone will determine the size of the potato you intend on frying.
The bigger the fry the cooler the oil should be.
Are you putting them in frozen or at room temperature?
Don't use an oil temperature recommended for frozen pre fried potatoes for ones you hand cut and have soaked in water for a few hours but not frozen.
One guy says put sugar in the water.
Not a good idea.
They brown too fast.
With oil down below 300F you can put fries in and they will cook crispy all the way through without burning on the outside.
That's how they make shoestring potatoes.
It is also how to make homemade potato chips.
It gives the potatoes a chance to get crispy without being overly browned.
Plus they use the freshest potatoes because older potatoes have converted starch to sugar.
Starch will not turn brown in hot oil without the addition of flour or sugar.
Not unless it is way beyond normal cooking temperatures.

What I have done today for entertainment is to cut up a pile of russet potatoes and just experimented to get the best results for the perfect French in my opinion.

One is i have taken the wet potato out of the water and rolled it in corn starch.
At around 320f or so, it takes forever to even think about getting golden brown.
So that disproves that myth about getting the starch out of the potatoes by soaking in water.
It's the sugar you are removing but the starch comes with it.
The starch coating simply doesn't do well as the potatoes won't get golden brown.
Maybe a 50/50 starch flour mixture would work.

Another trick is to poke holes in the potato before the second fry.
It works but who on earth has time for that?
What are you frying them in?
Cast iron or some other thin metal like stainless?
It makes a huge difference.
Cast iron does not conduct energy well, be it heat or electricity.
It retains heat very well.
What this means is when you put the fries in a cast iron kettle it won't lose its heat as fast as an aluminum or thin stainless container will.
This is why I think my Magnalite skillets do a better job cooking eggs on my glass top stove.
It conducts the heat more evenly across the bottom.

I'll come back later with more observations on how to cook the perfect French fry.

I love French fries and they are one of the foods I first learned to cook as a wee child.
I'm constantly trying to get get to perfection with these darn things by experimenting.

Wanna know what's weird? I didn't see your post at all, and had a dream last night about J.R. Simplot.

[GoDawgs]

One time long ago, by accident I made something close to a perfect French fry but have never been able to recreate them. I was frying them and got a phone call so scooped them out of the oil, set them aside on paper towels and turned the burner off until the call was done. Normally I would have ignored the phone but it was one of those "how are you" calls from the parents so.....

When I reheated the oil and dropped in the fries to finish them, they got beautifully browned, crispy and perfectly done inside. I do remember they were not soaked in water prior to frying. I don't know what kind of potatoes they were (probably a bag of russets from the store) or how hot the oil was because I didn't have a thermometer back then. All I have is that great memory of those fries!

[worth1]

One time long ago, by accident I made something close to a perfect French fry but have never been able to recreate them. I was frying them and got a phone call so scooped them out of the oil, set them aside on paper towels and turned the burner off until the call was done. Normally I would have ignored the phone but it was one of those "how are you" calls from the parents so.....

When I reheated the oil and dropped in the fries to finish them, they got beautifully browned, crispy and perfectly done inside. I do remember they were not soaked in water prior to frying. I don't know what kind of potatoes they were (probably a bag of russets from the store) or how hot the oil was because I didn't have a thermometer back then. All I have is that great memory of those fries!

That's normally about what I do.
I have some pre fried potatoes waiting at home for today when I get home.
They just aren't fried all the way.

[worth1]

I came home and cut up two large russet potatoes to soak for 24 hours.
I got it done and went to put them in the refrigerator.
To my surprise I had already done it the day before.
Well now I have a big bowl of ice cold potatoes that I par boiled ready to fry.
They are fully cooked but don't fall apart due to the use of the vinegar.

[worth1]

That was the trick.
I drained the potatoes a few days ago and put them back in the refrigerator covered.
No darkening of the potatoes.
First fry at around 300F but no browning yet.
Pulled out and put in freezer to cool off.
Second fry at 365 to 375F until golden brown not dark brown.
Potato chip crunchy outside soft fluffy inside.
Third fry will allow them to remain crunchy after cooling but not as fluffy inside.

[Tormato]

I've been searching for over a decade for a great french fry, with no luck. The best that I ever had was from a very busy fish and chips place, that went out of business when the economic climate in that city turned south.

I watched the guy make them. Fresh russet potatoes, skins on, quickly sliced on a machine to about 1/2" square, tossed into a large wire basket, lowered into the large reservoir of hot oil, single fry. Pulled them out when timed just right, lightly salted. I visited the place about once a month in spring, summer, and fall. I secretly timed him with a stop watch once, but long ago lost my notes. These fries were golden brown on the outside, skins will be blistered, and the inside is baked potato fluffy. The only thing that could have been better was if every fry had skin. One of the keys is oil that has been used on many batches of fries, as the oil keeps gathering more and more potato flavor with each batch.

[Texgal]

I havent thought about shoestring potatoes in decades. We ate those all the time.

[Uncle_Feist]

I've tried a lot of different varieties of taters over the years for frying, and in my honest opinion a Kennebec can't be beat for fries or hash browns. No russet I have tried even comes close to the crispy exterior, and creamy melting interior.

[karstopography]

I just planted a few Kennebec seed potatoes, along with Red Pontiac and La Soda. I planted the Kennebec specifically because I had read someplace they are the ultimate french fry potato.

[worth1]

I just planted a few Kennebec seed potatoes, along with Red Pontiac and La Soda. I planted the Kennebec specifically because I had read someplace they are the ultimate french fry potato.

Could I assume the white potatoes sold in the store might be a viable replacement?
Or should I just give it a try?

[Uncle_Feist]

Try everything in the store until you find a frying tater. You'll know when you find it. Don't even bother with a red skin if you're looking for the perfect french fry.

I grow Pontiac's every year for the purpose of tater salad, and mashed. No better spud out there than Pontiac for those purposes IMHO.

[Uncle_Feist]

Whilst I'm back here, I have to vent a little about hash browns. A few years ago I stumbled on to a YouTube video on making hash browns. I got a kick out of the BS on how to make one. Then I watched the video under that one and so on. What misinformation. It was like this tuber watched that tuber and so on.

The washing of the tater shreds is what got me. It was wash, and wash again to get every bit of starch out. Seemed starch was the enemy of hash browns. Then dry the shreds, then dry again, to get every single drop of water out. Craziness! If I went through that kind of trouble, and made that kind of mess for a hash brown, my wife would kill me! I even saw a couple of people go through the trouble of rigorosly removing the starch, only to add cornstarch back to the shreds!

Perfectly, crispy hash browns require no washing at all, just common sense. Starch in the tater is your friend. It actually binds the shreds, and slows the browning process a little, yielding perfect results. Gotta use the right tater for best results, though, and most of the russets work really well.

[karstopography]

https://www.potatogoodness.com/potato-types/
@worth1 looks like white potatoes are recommended for frying, along with Russets.

[worth1]

I too have noticed the playing off each other on YouTube.
They even contradict themselves by saying you need a starchy potato
Then proceed to remove the starch.

[Tormato]

I believe Kennebecs with the roughest skin would do it for me, for a great french fry.

[worth1]

After treating the potatoes i cut up last week and storing them in the refrigerator.
I fried up the last of them last night with some fish.
They were just as white as they were last week.
If anything it's a fantastic way to prep cook potatoes for later use.
This treatment consisted of soaking in weak vinegar water and fruit fresh and boiling.
Then letting air dry.
After that frying in several different ways produced good results.
One of which is the long slow fry for crispy all the way through.
Without being overly browned.

[worth1]

Never liked McDonald's fries anyway.

[karstopography]

That was great! If we really think about how many people with the regular and frequent consumption of this corporate food has sickened or killed, we’d likely look at these establishments in a much different light.

The actual threat the regular consumption of this food represents to the public health and to overall damage to the society with skyrocketing health care costs and other burdens far exceeds level of danger and destruction the threats many other things present to public health, in relation many of these are comparatively minor things that people totally go bonkers, protest, and demand legislative relief and change over. Yet, many of the same people never say much more than a peep about the massive dangers of this food served up by these corporations. It’s interesting.
.