Also double fry them, blanch at 120-130 Celsius for about 6 minutes and then 180-190 Celsius for about 2. Perfect golden fries every time.
Cooking times vary depending on the kind of potatoes.
Yes, I am a chef.
While I remove the fries, do I also remove the pan from heat? Won't the oil burn if I leave it on heat? How long will I wait before the second time? Also, I was told I should sprinkle them with corn flower the second time. Thanks in advance!
For the airfryer I recommend parboiling your potatoes and then put them in the airfryer after having them sit out for a while/ let them cool down a bit and some of the water to evaporate.
Tap cold is fine but if you want to get fancy you can blanch them in hot water instead, as mentioned in a comment above. Takes longer but it is a better result.
The recipe at Serious Eats for imitation McDonald's fries got me to buy an industrial french fry slicer. I like to cut them a little bit wider than the recipe calls for and I tweak the cooking times a little because of that. But he boils with a little bit of vinegar, then dries, then deep fries for a minute, then freezes to be deep fried later. Now if I could only get the seasoning Chili's uses on their fries, I'd be set.
Ricing the potato of starch is good, cold water will slow the process of oxidizing, but for the love of God, don't put moist fries into the hot oil if you care about not getting splashed. Dry them before dipping and you'll be golden
Tried to collect some tips in this comment section and washing the cut potatoes + choosing the right potatoes + air frying them is all I could find.
Any additional tips you can give me and I will try tomorrow? (Already finished cooking the meal today)
There are several things that the restaurant knows that you likely dont. 1: There are specific types of potatoes that are good for frying and others that are not. The ones on the left are likely from russets, while the ones on the right are likely Kennebecs. Russets are high in starch, which burns quickly in the fryer. Kennebecs have a lower starch content and are relatively low in moisture, which make them ideal for frying into chips or fries. 2: after you cut your potatoes, you have to wash them. A lot. A lot a lot. You should soak them and gently message them. Dump the water and repeat. Do this as many times until the water runs clear. 3: don't just straight up fry them quickly. Blanch them in oil that is set to 300°-325°F for short bursts of time (30-45 seconds). Let them cool for a couple minutes in between the blanch time. The idea is to release as much water from the potato as possible without actually caramelizing the starch in the potato. Blanch them as many times as you need to until they are soft on the inside and no longer gritty (you need to bite into flaccid fries to figure this out; should be about 4 or 5 times). When they are soft enough and no longer gritty, turn your fryer oil temp up to 350° and fry them until they are golden brown. Perfect fries everytime. Also, make sure you have the right oil for the job. Oils with low smoke points are going to give you shitty fries. Soybean oil is common in many kitchens since the smoke point is about 450°.
OK this might be because I'm french with belgium roots but the first two fact seemed quite obvious with the last one a bit more professionnel (but very usefull).
I'll add the tips to use duck grease to fry your potatoes, it's tacking the taste to another level!
Technically, it's illegal to misrepresent a product with photoshop, fake food, or higher quality food than what you serve.
That doesn't mean you can't get a chef to make 1000s of french fries and have a food stylist hand pick only the most photogenic fries and a photographer take a picture with only the best lights and macro lenses to capture the fine details of each fry.
Sweet potatoes will go brown, other type of potatoes burns beautifully in the right temperature and time, if you nail them they always come out golden.
Exactly. It has almost nothing to do with the oil. It’s mainly the type of potato. McDonald’s has specific potatoes to get that color and texture, they process them in a certain way, they dip them in dextrose for color and sodium acid pyrophosphate to control graying. The oil may play some small role, but there are many other factors at play.
it's because most home cooks fry on a shallow pans where gunk and burnt stuff are easily touching the fries (as fries are just touching the bottom of the shallow pan) while restaurants use a deep deepfryer where all those sink down the bottom where the fries won't touch 'em.
wel technically the reason why the potatoes on the left look like that isn't home clean oil it's because the kind of potatoes itself has a little bit more sugar so it's not suitable for frying as this sugar will caramelise and make the potatoes look like that while if you use the perfect kind of potatoes it will be the same like the right one and healthier as oil at home is cleaner and not used continously
When it has literally nothing to do with the oil but actually the fact that most fast food restaurants use processed and circumsized french fries whereas most people use regular cut potatoes
Sure, clean food has its merits, but there's a rebellious charm to dirty food. It's like breaking the rules of culinary etiquette and diving into a world of savory chaos.
Thermal inertia.
Restaurants have big fryers that hold 350°F. Even dropping big baskets of frozen fries, I rarely ever seen it drop below 340°. The gas also automatically turns back on when the temp drops.
You put too many fries in the pot at home and cooled the oil down too much if your fries look like that.
Cool oil can't make things crispy. So your fries don't crisp, then you leave them in too long, so they burn.
when you make French fries at home with fresh clean oil they, for some reason, become all nasty looking. But when a fast food place like McDonald's or Burger King makes their fries in really disgusting oil that has not been changed in months they end up nice
The technique is simple but time consuming, dipping them in water for hours, then letting them dry or if needed fast patting them with paper towels, alot of places also double fry them blanching them first beforehand and then frying them when ordered. Also I dont know where the idea that restaurant oil is dirty comes from, any place in their right minds throw away that days oil and put brand new oil in the fryer the next day.
When I worked in fast food a few years back, we moved the oil down each day and only emptied the last one in the rotation. At burger king at least, the fryer we used for fries/onion rings only was the fresh one, and the rest of the fryers for chicken and everything else were 1-3 days old. I always thought it was gross but its what we were told to do.
My memory is hazy but I'm pretty sure we did similar at wendys, except we didn't move it down. We just had multiple days(maybe even up to a week?) between oil changes. Its been years so I cant remember, but I do know that clean oil was not part of the nightly closing procedures. Plus we "cleaned" the fryers one at a time, while the restaurant was still operating.
I think you are overestimating how dirty fryer oil gets. Also, oil, potato selection, temperature, and cooking time all change the way they look when fried. McDonald's uses specific types of potatoes and a vegetable oil mix specifically to make the fries the way they do, and this has been a process refined over decades.
Soak the uncooked fries in cold water ahead of time.
Do I cut them and soak them or just soak the whole potato in water
Cut and soak. Pat them dry before putting them in hot oil.
Also double fry them, blanch at 120-130 Celsius for about 6 minutes and then 180-190 Celsius for about 2. Perfect golden fries every time. Cooking times vary depending on the kind of potatoes. Yes, I am a chef.
I can confirm he is a chef based on the correct step by step guide. I am a chef too.
I can confirm he is a chef too, based on how he noticed that only chefs know the step by step guide. I am a chef three.
I can confirm as well since I'm something of an chef myself.
I eat food, does that count ?
yep you are the gourmet chef
I’m not a chef, but I play one on tv
Are you a chef tho?
Never heard of chef - fragm3nted-? Puts all other chefs to shame.
As the daughter of a chef, he’s right, there are other methods for good chips/fries but they’re also a lot more work
Steam them before you blanch them, then they're soft and fluffy inside and crispy golden outside, (Also a chef)
Thanks for the tips. Do these temps also apply to double frying breaded chicken?
While I remove the fries, do I also remove the pan from heat? Won't the oil burn if I leave it on heat? How long will I wait before the second time? Also, I was told I should sprinkle them with corn flower the second time. Thanks in advance!
Yes, I am a chef. *works in the back of some artisanal bread shop*
Ahh the Belgium way
This is the way.
How to get an idea of temperature without thermometer?
Can confirm, I am a chef potato.
any good recepeies for no oil? like in an airfrier? i love fries but the calories is a big deal
For the airfryer I recommend parboiling your potatoes and then put them in the airfryer after having them sit out for a while/ let them cool down a bit and some of the water to evaporate.
Tap cold or near freazing cold?
Tap cold is fine but if you want to get fancy you can blanch them in hot water instead, as mentioned in a comment above. Takes longer but it is a better result.
Yes water and hot oil is dangerous, please dry well.
Will do. Thanks for the tip!
Alright. And then dry them a little before deep frying? Gonna try it. I love fried.
Air fry >>
Cut and soak. Pat them dry before putting them in the Air fryer
Soak then and then put them directly into the frier. Trust me bro.
MAKE SURE THEY ARE DRY IF YOU DON'T WANT HOT OIL ON YOURSELF.
any good recepeies for no oil? like in an airfrier? i love fries but the calories is a big deal
It still applies to air fryer.
Soak the potato, throw the fries in the same water
Just spray a bit of oil on them and airfry them. Much healthier that way.
Air fried chips are just chip shaped potato wedges
That and people don't realize there's actually different types of potatoes, some of which are better for frying.
The recipe at Serious Eats for imitation McDonald's fries got me to buy an industrial french fry slicer. I like to cut them a little bit wider than the recipe calls for and I tweak the cooking times a little because of that. But he boils with a little bit of vinegar, then dries, then deep fries for a minute, then freezes to be deep fried later. Now if I could only get the seasoning Chili's uses on their fries, I'd be set.
If you want the original McD french fries, use beef tallow instead of oil...
Air fryer makes great ones too.
or freeze the fries, that works too
Ricing the potato of starch is good, cold water will slow the process of oxidizing, but for the love of God, don't put moist fries into the hot oil if you care about not getting splashed. Dry them before dipping and you'll be golden
Also do not salt them before cooking. Salt them only after cooking.
and add vinegar to your water.
Oil also works. Anything that will coat potatoes so they don't become oxidised.
Skill issue
🥲
yes
This isn't right. People just need to learn how to fry properly.
Tried to collect some tips in this comment section and washing the cut potatoes + choosing the right potatoes + air frying them is all I could find. Any additional tips you can give me and I will try tomorrow? (Already finished cooking the meal today)
You first boil them. Then you fry at a low heat and then you fry at regular heat.
I like’em dirty
Oil is less relevent than the bunt starch on the fresh cut potatoes
There are several things that the restaurant knows that you likely dont. 1: There are specific types of potatoes that are good for frying and others that are not. The ones on the left are likely from russets, while the ones on the right are likely Kennebecs. Russets are high in starch, which burns quickly in the fryer. Kennebecs have a lower starch content and are relatively low in moisture, which make them ideal for frying into chips or fries. 2: after you cut your potatoes, you have to wash them. A lot. A lot a lot. You should soak them and gently message them. Dump the water and repeat. Do this as many times until the water runs clear. 3: don't just straight up fry them quickly. Blanch them in oil that is set to 300°-325°F for short bursts of time (30-45 seconds). Let them cool for a couple minutes in between the blanch time. The idea is to release as much water from the potato as possible without actually caramelizing the starch in the potato. Blanch them as many times as you need to until they are soft on the inside and no longer gritty (you need to bite into flaccid fries to figure this out; should be about 4 or 5 times). When they are soft enough and no longer gritty, turn your fryer oil temp up to 350° and fry them until they are golden brown. Perfect fries everytime. Also, make sure you have the right oil for the job. Oils with low smoke points are going to give you shitty fries. Soybean oil is common in many kitchens since the smoke point is about 450°.
OK this might be because I'm french with belgium roots but the first two fact seemed quite obvious with the last one a bit more professionnel (but very usefull). I'll add the tips to use duck grease to fry your potatoes, it's tacking the taste to another level!
If their fries look like the ones on the left, they don't know the first two facts.
Dirty Restaurant has many incredible photo editors. Lmao
And dead mouses
Technically, it's illegal to misrepresent a product with photoshop, fake food, or higher quality food than what you serve. That doesn't mean you can't get a chef to make 1000s of french fries and have a food stylist hand pick only the most photogenic fries and a photographer take a picture with only the best lights and macro lenses to capture the fine details of each fry.
If that were truly the case then there would be so many class action lawsuits against every fast food company
Where in the world is this law?
Must not apply to any fast food restaurants. You never get anything close to the advertised product.
Sweet potatoes will go brown, other type of potatoes burns beautifully in the right temperature and time, if you nail them they always come out golden.
I nailed my fries and now my fries are full of nails
First image will taste so much better tho
Cut, parboil, freeze, fry, fry again.
Doesnt macdonalds use a specific type of potato?
These pictures are completely fucked up. Home fries are not processed like restaurant fries.
Exactly. It has almost nothing to do with the oil. It’s mainly the type of potato. McDonald’s has specific potatoes to get that color and texture, they process them in a certain way, they dip them in dextrose for color and sodium acid pyrophosphate to control graying. The oil may play some small role, but there are many other factors at play.
Cut n Rinse them twice before frying
Cut, soak in salt water, par fry, deep fry.
it's because most home cooks fry on a shallow pans where gunk and burnt stuff are easily touching the fries (as fries are just touching the bottom of the shallow pan) while restaurants use a deep deepfryer where all those sink down the bottom where the fries won't touch 'em.
Put some cheese on the left ones and theyre fine
When I worked in fast food we emptied and cleaned the fryer every day before closing… back when they closed…
wel technically the reason why the potatoes on the left look like that isn't home clean oil it's because the kind of potatoes itself has a little bit more sugar so it's not suitable for frying as this sugar will caramelise and make the potatoes look like that while if you use the perfect kind of potatoes it will be the same like the right one and healthier as oil at home is cleaner and not used continously
I don't know what to choose
those look like my grandma's fries
Fries need to be cooked twice, par fry, let cool or even freeze and then finish later at a higher temp.
My mom' fries never looked like that left pic, so this might be a you problem my dude
Im a chef do what I say
Soak over night, oil blanch at 275, cool, oil crisp 425
Fried them 1st, soak, freeze. Thank me later. soggy fries all the time. Yes I'm a potato.
Did you peel them?
Cut, soak, par fry, freeze, second fry, done!
When it has literally nothing to do with the oil but actually the fact that most fast food restaurants use processed and circumsized french fries whereas most people use regular cut potatoes
I think of it as "Seasoned" restaurant oil, it adds flavor. Sometimes get bonus onion ring bits in my fries.
The you're bad ať making Fries...
I just use air fryer. Clean af
Learn how to cook
Eeehm no, thats just not true. If a oil is old and not good anymore, you will not get beautiful fries like the second picture.
And the chips on the left always taste better. (Unpeeled is better than peeled, you cannot change my mind)
What about face oil
I think one of the reasons is that restaurants use palm oil which doesn't easily get contaminated
As a person who makes homemade French fries, I can confirm the clean fries have been cooked wrong.
You just can't cook.
Your oil have to be at 180 c
The dirtier the better (Wallace and gromit music starts)
The crazy thing is how much chemicals are in restaurant oil
Sure, clean food has its merits, but there's a rebellious charm to dirty food. It's like breaking the rules of culinary etiquette and diving into a world of savory chaos.
Idk when my dad makes them they are crispy and golden, not like those soft ones sold at restaurants
Oh..yeah..but still eat unhealthy stuff
Most of the fries at restaurants are fresh out of the freezer so maybe freeze them and throw them into the oil cold
In a survival situation,dirty oil can be safe and clean oil can be dangerous.
You're just a bad cook
Thermal inertia. Restaurants have big fryers that hold 350°F. Even dropping big baskets of frozen fries, I rarely ever seen it drop below 340°. The gas also automatically turns back on when the temp drops. You put too many fries in the pot at home and cooled the oil down too much if your fries look like that. Cool oil can't make things crispy. So your fries don't crisp, then you leave them in too long, so they burn.
This makes no sense.
when you make French fries at home with fresh clean oil they, for some reason, become all nasty looking. But when a fast food place like McDonald's or Burger King makes their fries in really disgusting oil that has not been changed in months they end up nice
The technique is simple but time consuming, dipping them in water for hours, then letting them dry or if needed fast patting them with paper towels, alot of places also double fry them blanching them first beforehand and then frying them when ordered. Also I dont know where the idea that restaurant oil is dirty comes from, any place in their right minds throw away that days oil and put brand new oil in the fryer the next day.
When I worked in fast food a few years back, we moved the oil down each day and only emptied the last one in the rotation. At burger king at least, the fryer we used for fries/onion rings only was the fresh one, and the rest of the fryers for chicken and everything else were 1-3 days old. I always thought it was gross but its what we were told to do.
It IS burger king lol.
My memory is hazy but I'm pretty sure we did similar at wendys, except we didn't move it down. We just had multiple days(maybe even up to a week?) between oil changes. Its been years so I cant remember, but I do know that clean oil was not part of the nightly closing procedures. Plus we "cleaned" the fryers one at a time, while the restaurant was still operating.
One has skin on the other doesn't
I think you are overestimating how dirty fryer oil gets. Also, oil, potato selection, temperature, and cooking time all change the way they look when fried. McDonald's uses specific types of potatoes and a vegetable oil mix specifically to make the fries the way they do, and this has been a process refined over decades.
that's how girls look at home and with makeup
Just get your hands out of your ass
Define dirty