French Fry Help


 
Originally posted by K Kruger:
Zipped over you earlier today, Bryan. On 78. Kind of warm-ish for mid-November.
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Yeah, 2nd week of Oct, we had the earliest snofall on record in mid and upper PA, with very cold temps. Mid Nov now, and been in the mid to upper 50's and 60;s for a few weeks now. Go figure. Must be that El nino thing.
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Originally posted by K Kruger:
Sure.

First, 375 is often too high. Depends on how you prepped.

Two options, but first cut and soak your fries. Cover with water, swish around a bit, then drain; repeat. Cover with water again then fridge for a few hours.

Before preliminary cooking drain and dry them.

Then:

Blanch in 300?-325? oil till they lose their raw look and take on a little bit of color, about 7 or 8 minutes. Drain well, then allow to cool.

For service: Up the fryer temp to 350? and finish the fries, about 4-5 minutes. Drain, salt and serve.

Or--

After draining the fries steam in a steamer over strong-simmering water for 9 minutes. Remove, gently dry, then blanch at 300? for 8 minutes. Drain and allow to cool. For service, fry at 350? for 4-5 minutes. Drain, salt, serve.
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Sorry to bump an old post but I was thinking about frying up some sweet potato fries this weekend and I was wondering if the procedure would be the same and can you use the same oil to fry sweet potato and regular fries.
 
Yes to both.

For sweets: Place in water for 30 min minimum. First fry at 325? for about 3-4 min. Drain well, as usual, cool a bit. The second fry should be higher than for white potatoes so go with 375?.
 
Good article.

I've done the salted water blanch several times and like it - but I don't go to cooked though, just almost. (I do not like the low-temp, longer time blanch for potatoes he mentions as a possible forst step.) PITA to dry them thoroughly - but worth it. I've also done the freezing thing, post first oil blanch, and also like that. The problem is that I rarely plan to make fries. It is more last minute for me. Still, when I do do them last minute I prep more than I need and freeze the remainder. They're often better.
 
I noticed that the author of that article is from the FCI. As far as I'm concerned, the Fry Cook Institute is the go-to source for info on all things fried.
 
I noticed that the author of that article is from the FCI. As far as I'm concerned, the Fry Cook Institute is the go-to source for info on all things fried.
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They're the same guys who broke down agave nectar. I HIGHLY recommend following their posts, its some of the most informative stuff I've read anywhere.
 
Originally posted by j biesinger:
coincidence? this thread pokes it head and I find this today:

http://www.cookingissues.com/2...ry-supremacy-part-1/

just when I thought I understood fries, I read that.
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Perfection!

The salt water par boil provides perfect seasoning. The fries have a crisp exterior and creamy inside. I did not perform either of the optional steps.

Unfortunately, I'm cooking a T-Rex sirloin on the egg and the fries will be gone before the meat is cooked.
 
their second post is up and its even more intense than the last one!
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Truly terrifying...
As a kid, I had the spectacular fries at the old Palisades Amusement Park in Fort Lee, NJ (the place came down in '69 or so. I was a wee lad at the time). Years later I happened to meet the son of the French fry concession owner; he had helped his dad fry the fries during the summers at the Park. He said people were always asking him how they made the fries so great. His answer: the cut potatoes were cold water soaked, then partially fried, then refried at high heat for the great crunch. Why is it my earliest childhood memories all have to do with food?
 
their second post is up and its even more intense than the last one!

The Quest for French Fry Supremacy 2: Blanching Armageddon
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I followed their protocol as close as I could and have to say we produced some awesome fries. The problem was we ran into a few snags and they resulted in failure. It seems its a fine line that you need to follow.

here's what we did:

1) blanched fries in salted water 180*-200* in two batches. The first batch we stirred around a lot and cooked for the full 14.5 min. When we pulled them out they were pretty crumbly, so the second batch went around 10 min with no stirring.

2) initial fry @ 340*

3) final fry @ 375*. It was tough to get my propane burner up to the required temp and it nose dived fast. The second batch didn't get as crisp when the oil wasn't as hot.

errors:

I salted the water randomly, the recipe called for 3%. I doubt I was anywhere near 3% and the finished fry had no noticeable internal seasoning

I think the 14.5 minutes needs to be followed. you just need great care to keep the fries intact.

I did two blanches in the same water. the fries from the second blanch browned much easier than the first ones. This can be a problem because they are deceptive to cook as the brown before they crisp.

The final fry need to be at 375*. if you are there you'll have perfect fries in a min or two.

The good news was that I got some perfect fries. the bad news is that there are no shortcuts.
 
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