How to Fry a French Fry/Frites
Learning to make frites (French fries) is essential for any home cook. This method is my favorite because it consistently delivers the crispiest texture imaginable. The key lies in partially frying the potatoes, which enhances their crunch and allows you to finish cooking them right before serving. The result? Perfectly golden, crispy fries that are hot and fresh every time you serve them. Plus, this recipe has many opportunities to prep and plan ahead of time.
The Choice of Potato
Choose a starch-dense potato like Idaho or Russets. All-purpose potatoes like Kennebec and Yukon Golds are also good choices. Avoid low-starch potatoes; they will lose water during cooking and create a hollow interior during frying.
The Cooking Oil
Whenever frying, make sure whatever oil you use has a smoke point higher than the temperature you’re cooking, as listed in the recipe. With this recipe, you can use extra-virgin olive oil, rice, peanut, grapeseed oil, canola, ghee, duck fat, tallow, schmaltz, etc., because their smoke points are above 350F[180C].
The Role of Starch
When potatoes are cut, their starch granules are released to the surface. This natural starch is typically rinsed off during the soaking step to prevent the fries from sticking together during cooking. The second starch in play here is cornstarch. After rinsing, soaking, and thoroughly drying the fries, I toss them in cornstarch. This creates a thin white coating that dries quickly and transforms into a crispy, fried crust.
Why not just use the natural potato starch as opposed to cornstarch? The answer lies in gelatinization temperature. Potato and tapioca starches have lower gelatinization temperatures than cornstarch. I tried a batch of fries coated in tapioca starch to test this. At the first frying stage (300F[150C]), the tapioca starch turned into a sticky gel, causing the fries to clump together. When I tried to separate them, they broke. During the second frying stage (350F[180C]), the tapioca-coated fries did crisp up but either stayed in clumps or shattered. The resulting crust was observably thinner compared to the cornstarch-coated fries.
Gelatinzation Temperatures
Potato Starch 133 F to 151 F[56 C to 66C]
Tapioca Starch 140F to 158F [60C to 70C]
Cornstarch 144F to 162F [62C to 72C]
Here’s what’s happening: starches with lower gelatinization temperatures, like tapioca starch, absorb water quickly and gelatinize faster. This rapid gelatinization can create stickiness and thin crusts. In contrast, with its higher gelatinization temperature, cornstarch absorbs water more slowly and forms a thicker, crunchier crust when fried.
In this recipe, cornstarch performs far superior to tapioca or potato starch, delivering fries with the ideal balance of crispiness and crunch.
The Role of Soaking in Water
Soaking the cut potatoes in cold water in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 16 hours helps the starch granules hydrate and protect them from browning due to the polyphenol oxidase enzyme. Sixteen hours gives you the advantage of prepping the potatoes a day before you fry them. I performed one separate experiment where I left the potatoes in water for 24 hours; the potatoes started to overhydrate, bend, and curve out as their cells expanded. It didn’t affect taste or texture but changed the shape of the fries when cooking. Leaving the potatoes in water for that long also risks them going bad.
The Low and High Frying Temperatures
This recipe uses two cooking temperatures.
Stage 1 300F[150C]
Stage 2 350F[180C]
In the first stage, the lower temperature helps the layer of cornstarch become crisp, while the interior of the fries becomes tender.
The potatoes can then rest for 30 minutes to a few hours, which provides an additional point to preplan and cook the fries just before serving so they’re hot and crisp. This “rest” period helps the partially cooked starch absorb water and turn soft and fluffy. Some of the water inside the potatoes also escapes as steam, which will eventually make the potatoes crispier,
The second stage is completed by the use of a higher temperature. The potatoes turn golden brown at this stage due to the caramelization and Maillard reactions. The outer crust becomes extra crispy, and the insides become softer and creamier.
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How to Make French Fries or Frites
Master the Art of Crispy French Fries: My Go-To Method for Perfect Frites
Learning how to make frites (French fries) is an essential skill for any home cook. This method is my favorite because it consistently delivers the crispiest texture imaginable. The key lies in partially frying the potatoes, which not only enhances their crunch but also allows you to finish cooking them right before serving. The result? Perfectly golden, crispy fries that are hot and fresh every time you serve them.
- Yield: 4 to 6
Ingredients
4 large [total weight 1.1 kg] russet potatoes, peeled and cut in half lengthwise and then into ¼ in [6 mm] thick batons
3 Tbsp cornstarch
3 ½ to 4 cups [830 to 945 ml] neutral oil such as grapeseed with a high smoke point for frying
Instructions
- Add the potatoes to a large bowl filled with enough cold water to cover them completely. Let sit covered in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, up to 16 hours.
- Drain the potatoes and lay them out on clean, dry, lint-free kitchen towels and pat dry.
- Transfer the potatoes to a large mixing bowl, sprinkle the cornstarch, and toss to coat well. The cornstarch coating is essential for a crisp exterior, so do this properly. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with a wire rack and let sit for 30 minutes. You might need to use two baking sheets to prevent the frites from sticking. The cornstarch will dry and form a thin white coat on the potatoes.
- While the potatoes dry, heat the oil in a Dutch oven to 300F [150 C] over medium heat. Cook the frites in batches. Add the potatoes and leave them in the oil for 4 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon or spider and transfer them to the baking sheet lined with the wire rack. They will be cooked from the inside but not golden brown and crisp. When ready to serve the steak and frites, heat the oil in the Dutch oven to 350F [180C], and fry the potatoes until light golden brown and crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle salt on the hot fries. Toss to coat well and serve immediately.
Notes
- Use potatoes with a high starch content like Idaho or russet potatoes or an all-purpose potato like Yukon Gold or Kennebec. These are dense and will hold their shape during cooking and won’t hollow out like the low-starch varieties.
- I’ve tested this recipe with other starches like tapioca starch; avoid them. Use cornstarch as listed in the recipe; it will give you the best crispy texture and prevent the potatoes from sticking together (after the first round of frying).
