Deep Fried French Fries Recipes

THE BEST DEEP FRIED FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• Using a sharp knife or French fry cutter, cut the potatoes into 1/4 square strips. Place them in a bowl of ice water. Place in the refrigerator and allow to chill for at least 2 hours, up to 12 hours.
• Set up deep fryer according to manufacture's instructions and fill with peanut oil. Preheat the deep fryer to 325.
• Drain the water from the potatoes and pat them as dry as possible. They will be very cold, maybe even frozen. Place the potatoes in the basket. It's okay if they are crowded for the first fry. Submerge into the oil and deep fry for about 5-7 minutes until they are softened and slightly darker, but still pale. Place on paper-towel-lined baking sheet to drain.
• Increase heat in deep fryer to 375. Fry the French fries a second time, this time in smaller batches so that they float freely in the oil. Fry for only 2-4 minutes, or until they have reached the desired level of brownness and crispness. Drain on paper-towel-lined baking sheets, and salt immediately. Serve as soon as possible

HOW TO MAKE FRENCH FRIES USING A DEEP FRYER

Steps:

• Wash your potatoes with cool, clean water. Place your potatoes in a colander or wire strainer and give them a good dousing, or hold them under the faucet and rinse them off one-by-one. Use the pads of your fingers or a stiff-bristled brush to scrub away clinging dirt and debris. When you're done, shake off the excess water. If you're a stickler for food safety, you can also soak your potatoes for 2-5 minutes in your own all-natural vegetable wash made from water, white vinegar, and lemon juice. Remember, potatoes grow in the ground, so it's always a good idea to make sure they're nice and clean before cooking with them.
• Cut the potatoes in half down the middle. Lay out your potatoes on a cutting board or scratch-resistant surface and run a sharp knife through the center of each. Be sure to cut them lengthwise rather than widthwise to ensure that your fries don't come out short and stubby. There's no need to peel your potatoes unless they're particularly dirty, or you prefer them without the skins. If you do decide to peel them, use a veggie peeler with a wide blade to save time. Longer potatoes tend to make for better French fries.
• Cut the halves into 1⁄2 in (1.3 cm) slices. Rest each bisected potato against your cutting board flat-side-down and slice it longways 3-4 times. Doing so will reduce it to more manageable sections that you can then easily cut into individual fries of your preferred thickness. For especially large potatoes, you may need to make 1 or 2 extra cuts to simplify the task of slicing.
• Slice the sections into 1⁄4-1⁄2 in (0.64-1.27 cm) strips. Work your way down the line turning each piece into 6-8 fries. Try to keep your cuts as consistent as you can. Once you've sliced your last potato, gather up the fries and transfer them to an empty, spacious serving or mixing bowl. You can also cut your fries smaller, if you like. This will require making finer, more precise cuts, though, so watch your fingers. It's okay if not all of your fries are exactly the same thickness. Just make sure there's not such a size difference that they cook unevenly.Tip: Investing in a vegetable slicer with interchangeable blades will allow you to make your own fun and tasty shoestring, curly, or waffle fries.
• Soak your sliced potatoes in cold water for 30 minutes to an hour. Fill the bowl with fresh water until the potatoes are completely immersed. Keep an eye on the clock as they soak. Once they've sat for half an hour or so, it will be time to drain them and get cooking. Alternatively, you can soak your potatoes for 2-3 hours or even overnight the day before you fry them, though this isn't a necessity. Giving your potatoes a good soak is optional, but it will reduce the amount of starch in the potatoes, preventing them from browning prematurely in the deep fryer.

DOUBLE-FRIED FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• Peel potatoes on the sides, leaving the ends with the skin on. Cut the potatoes into 1/3-inch slices and then slice into 1/3-inch sticks.
• Fill a large bowl with water and soak potatoes, submerged, for at least 30 minutes up to 24 hours. This will help remove the excess starch from the potatoes and keep them from oxidizing.
• Heat a heavy stock pot fitted with a deep-fry thermometer with oil to 325 degrees F.
• Remove potatoes from the water, and pat dry to remove excess water. Add 2 handfuls of potatoes to hot oil. There should be at least 1-inch of oil above the potatoes. Par cook until potatoes are light brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove potatoes, gently shaking off excess oil and let drain on rack. Repeat until all of the potatoes are par cooked.
• Raise heat of oil to 350 degrees F.
• Cook potatoes again, 2 handfuls at a time, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from oil, shake off excess oil, and season lightly in a bowl with salt and pepper. Repeat until all potatoes are cooked.

FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• Peel potatoes, and cut into desired size and shape. To make thick French fries, slice potatoes lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices, and cut again into 1/4-inch strips. For shoestring potatoes, use a mandoline fitted with the fine julienne blade. Make basket-weave-style fries by fitting the mandoline with the fluted cutting blade; rotate the potato 90 degrees between each pass over the blade. Place sliced potatoes in a large nonreactive bowl, and cover with water.
• Drain potatoes, and dry thoroughly with a towel. Heat 3 to 4 inches oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Use a thermometer to ensure the temperature is correct: 325 degrees for French fries, 375 degrees for shoestring and basket-weave fries.
• Carefully add potatoes to oil in small batches so as not to lower the temperature of the oil. Cook shoestring and basket-weave potatoes for 2 to 3 minutes, turning occasionally. French fries need to cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally. They will not take on much color at this point.
• Transfer to a flattened brown paper bag that has been lined with paper towels, and let cool for a few minutes or until just before ready to serve. French fries need to be fried a second time: Raise oil temperature to 375 degrees. and fry for until crisp and golden, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from oil, and drain again on the paper bag. Sprinkle with salt, and serve.

BATTERED FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• 1. Slice potatoes into french fries, and place into cold water so they won't turn brown while you prepare the oil.
• 2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. While the oil is heating, sift the flour, garlic salt, onion salt and paprika into a large bowl. Gradually stir in enough water so that the mixture can be drizzled from a spoon.
• 3. Dip potato slices into the batter one at a time, and place in the hot oil so they are not touching at first. The fries must be placed into the skillet one at a time, or they will clump together. Fry until golden brown and crispy. Remove and drain on paper towels.

FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• Peel the potatoes and cut into 1cm-thick batons. Put into a bowl of cold water and leave to soak for at least 2 hrs to remove the starch from the potatoes - this will help them crisp while frying.
• Drain the potatoes well and pat dry with kitchen paper. Fill a deep pan no more than a third full with oil and heat to 140C, or until a cube of bread dropped in browns in 60 seconds. Fry the French fries in batches for 6 mins per batch until golden straw-coloured, cooked through and lightly crisp. Drain well on kitchen paper.
• Turn the heat up until the oil reaches 180C, or a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Fry the French fries again for 2-3 mins per batch until lightly golden and really crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and immediately season with sea salt.

MCDONALD'S FRENCH FRIES - COPYCAT RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine the brine ingredients and set aside.
• Peel and rinse that potatoes.
• Slice them into strings just under ½ inch. (A french fry potato cutter makes this easy.)
• Place them in the cold brine as you slice them. Ensure the potatoes are completely submerged. Add more cold water if needed.
• Cover and place the brine in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.
• Drain and rinse them twice with cold water. Pat them completely dry.
• Preheat oil to 300 degrees. (A dutch oven and oil thermometer is very helpful.)
• Fry the potatoes in batches for about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towels. They will be very soft. (This is a good thing.)
• Add the vegetable shortening and increase the heat to 400 degrees. Fry in batches again until golden brown. (It's hard to be patient during this part.)
• Remove and place on paper towels. Season with salt right away and serve!

DEEP FRIED FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• Bring large pot of salted water to boil.
• Cut a potatoe into 1/4 inch thick slices and lengthwise into 1/4 inch wide sticks.
• Cook in boiling water for 3 - 4 minutes.
• Use slotted spoon and carefully remove to sheet pan with rack to drain. Repeat with remaining potatoes.
• Leave potatoes to drain and dry. This step can be done up to 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
• Pour canola oil into heavy large pot or deep fryer to the depth of 4 inches.
• Working in batches fry potatoes until golden, about 6 minutes.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper before serving.
• Note: I put mine in an 300 oven to hold until the rest of dinner was ready and stayed crispy.

PERFECT FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• Peel and rinse the potatoes. Cut each potato lengthwise into 4 or 5 pieces, then cut each piece into sticks. The thinner these are, the crispier they will be. Place the fries in a large bowl. Cover with cold water, then allow them to soak 2 or 3 hours (or you can stick them in the fridge and let them soak overnight).
• When you're ready to make the fries, drain the water and lay the potatoes on 2 baking sheets lined with paper towels. Blot with paper towels to dry.
• Heat a few inches of vegetable oil to 300 degrees F in a heavy pot. In 3 or 4 batches, fry the potatoes about 4 to 5 minutes per batch, or until soft. They should not be brown at all at this point-you just want to start the cooking process. Remove each batch and drain them on new, dry paper towels.
• Once all the potatoes have been fried at 300 degrees F, turn up the heat until the oil temperature reaches 400 degrees F. When the oil is hot, start frying the potatoes in batches again, cooking until golden and crisp. Remove from the oil and drain on fresh paper towels. Sprinkle the fries with sea salt and dive in with the ketchup-mayo mixture.

CHEF JOHN'S FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• Soak potatoes in a large bowl of water for about 30 minutes. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Gently add the potatoes in the hot oil for about 5 minutes, stirring and flipping the potatoes occasionally. Remove potatoes from oil with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towel and to cool completely.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Fry the potatoes again until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Blot with a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt to serve.