Finally, here it is – Perfect French fries recipe! Based on a revolutionary method from Kenji López-Alt's legendary food lab, these sizzling fries are so crispy that they retain their crispiness even when cooled. It's rare to find such good fries even in high end pubs!
No empty promises - these fries are still crunchy!
There's nothing more frustrating than trying to make your own fries from scratch, only to find that they start to lose their crispiness before they're even on the table. This is what happens if you use the standard home-cooking method of french fries - soak in water then fry twice.
Well, it took me years, but with the help of in-depth and impressive research on French fries documented in Kenji López-Alt's Food Lab, Chef JB and I finally made it. Find the recipe for the perfect homemade french fries. Soft on the inside, crispy on the outside - and stays crisp longer than fries and a succulent big cheeseburger. The ideal fries!
Really, the durability of brittle is insane. These fries stay crispy even after they've cooled down!
Be warned, this post is pretty long as I cover the "why" and also want to help those new to french fries with confidence make this recipe. So if you're a pro, move on to recipes, recipe videos, or better yet, Dozer!
Homemade french fries tongs
Cut fries with a serrated knife (crunchy secret #1)
Do not soak, only wash
Simmer in vinegar water for 10 minutes (crunchy secret #2! And no, you don't smell the vinegar)
fried twice
The usual way to make french fries is to first soak raw french fries in water, then fry them twice. This was (still is?) the way students were taught in culinary schools and is still the default method used by many restaurants and pubs.
This method will help crisp the fries while still hot, straight from the fryer. But the first problem was that within minutes, before they were on the table, they started to lose their crispiness. I also noticed that this classic method relies heavily on potatoes. You'll get varying degrees of crunch depending on the quality of the potato and even the season, as the amount of starch and sugar in potatoes varies year-round. This is true even if you use the ideal type of potato.
Well, this problem will no longer be difficult and unpredictable will no longer be enough. So the old school method was abandoned. It's time to test modern methods with better and more reliable results!
Actually, it's not just me. Times in general have changed and today restaurants around the world are using all sorts of methods to find the perfect crisps. Some come in extra-long lengths like triple or quadruple, leave overnight or fry in beef sauce.
But we don't have to engage in such tedious pranks in restaurant kitchens. The method I share today is one that any home cook can do. It was adapted from Kenji Lopez-Alt's French fries recipe from his iconic cookbook The Food Lab. It's not particularly technical. But you need to comfortably fry in oil. That said, in this recipe, we're only deep frying and not deep frying - always a bonus!
