I Found The Perfect French Fries
Summary
TLDRIn this deep dive into the art of making the perfect French fries at home, the host explores and tests various well-known techniques to recreate restaurant-quality fries. The journey starts from the basic single fry method to more complex procedures like double frying, battering, par-cooking, and the renowned triple-cooked method. Each method is meticulously tested for crunch, fluffiness, and flavor to find the ultimate French fry recipe. The video culminates with a surprising winner, challenging traditional methods and proving that the perfect French fry might just be achievable at home.
Takeaways
- 😊 It is undisputed that french fries are a beloved food staple across the world
- 👨🍳 The author has long sought to recreate the perfect restaurant-style french fries at home
- 🔬 Several french fry cooking methods are analyzed in detail to determine the best technique
- 🥔 Single-fried potatoes lack crunch and fluffiness compared to other techniques
- 🔥 Double-frying improves texture but still falls short of restaurant quality
- 🎊 Batter-frying introduces great flavor but the interior potato remains dense
- 🥧 Parcooking then frying makes a tasty baked potato fry but lacks sufficient crunch
- 🏆 The triple-cooked method yields the crunchiest, fluffiest and tastiest fries yet
- 🧂 Brine-frying results in excellent flavor penetration and makes fries that rival triple-cooked
- 👍 The brined or triple-cooked fries are deemed the best homemade restaurant-quality options
Q & A
What is the main topic of the video?
-The main topic is testing different french fry cooking techniques to determine the best method for making restaurant-quality fries at home.
What is the baseline frying method used?
-The baseline is simply cutting potatoes into fries and frying them once.
What are the two main components that make up an ideal french fry?
-The two main ideal components are crunchiness and fluffiness inside.
What is the triple cooked method?
-The triple cooked method parboils the fries, then does a first fry, freezes them overnight, and does a second fry from frozen.
What is special about the brined fries?
-The brined fries have deeper flavor penetration due to the brining process before frying.
Which method produced the best tasting fries?
-The brined fries and the triple cooked fries were the top scoring methods.
Why is it important to season fries immediately after frying?
-Seasoning immediately helps the salt stick to the fries better while they are still hot.
What oil temperature is used for the first fry?
-The first fry is done at a lower temperature of 320°F to par-cook the potatoes.
What is the purpose of the overnight refrigeration step?
-The refrigeration helps develop crunchy starch on the exterior of the potatoes.
What recipe adjustments are suggested in the video?
-The batter can be customized with different spices based on personal taste preferences.
Outlines
😋 Making a basic single fried french fry
The first paragraph describes making a basic single fried french fry by cutting potatoes into fries, frying at 350F until golden brown, draining on paper towels, and seasoning with salt. The fries turn out very limp with no crunch or fluffiness. The taste is decent but not like a french fry. The single fry method scores a 7 out of 15.
😕 Testing a basic double fry method
The second paragraph tests a double fry method, par frying at a lower temp first to cook most of the way through, then frying at a higher temp to get color and crunch. The fries are slightly improved in crunch and flavor but still dense inside with no fluff. The double fry scores a 13.5 out of 15.
🤩 Perfect restaurant style french fries achieved with a brine
The third paragraph tests a brine method, brining the potatoes before frying twice. The brined fries have the best flavor, crunch, and fluffiness. They score a 25 out of 30 points compared to 24.5 for triple cooked fries, making brined fries the winner for best restaurant style french fries.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡french fries
💡crunch
💡fluffiness
💡parcook
💡brine
💡deep fry
💡batter
💡triple cooked
💡restaurant quality
💡russet potatoes
Highlights
French fries are a beloved food staple with over 52% of restaurants having them on the menu
Homemade french fries often don't match the crunch and flavor of restaurant fries, but this video aims to determine the best at-home frying method
Simply cutting and frying potatoes results in decent flavor but a limp, dense texture lacking the signature french fry crunch
Double frying improves texture and flavor compared to single frying, but still falls short of an ideal french fry
Batter frying introduces great flavor and exterior crunch, but the potato interior remains dense and limp
Par-cooking then frying potatoes mimics steak fries well but doesn't achieve the right balance of crispy exterior and fluffy interior
The triple cook method of par-boiling, par-frying, freezing, and frying makes McDonald's-style fries with great texture and flavor
Simple brine frying yields fries with the deepest flavor and great crunch, despite fewer steps
Brined fries match triple cooked fries for best results, with excellent crunch and robust seasoning penetration
Brined and triple cooked fries both score 8.5/10 for flavor and 25/30 overall, making them the top recipes
Battered fries take third place for their exterior crunch introducing interesting flavors, though limp interior
Single, double, and par-cooked fries don't achieve the right texture or flavor balance to match restaurant fries
Home cooks can choose between the brined or triple cooked methods to finally make restaurant-quality french fries
Brined fries have a deeper flavor, while triple cooked mimic the classic McDonald's fry profile
Adding ample salt is crucial to maximizing the flavor when making homemade french fries
Transcripts
it is Undisputed french fries are a food
staple of the world with over 52% of
restaurants having it on their menu now
listen I know I like to talk about how
everything that you make at home can
easily be better than anywhere you go
and get it but with french fries it's
different that is the one dish most
restaurants will do it better than
someone at home but why what are the
secrets that they're hiding from us what
goes into a restaurant quality french
fry the crunch the fluffiness the flavor
it's just this beautiful thing and I've
been chasing the perfect French fry
recipe for years but today is the day
that all changes I'll be testing all of
the most known french fry techniques and
determining the best one so that you can
finally make the perfect restaurant
quality french fries at home this is the
end all Beall guide let's begin we're
starting this off as simply as possible
a single fry french fry it's really just
cutting the potatoes and frying them
that's kind of it I don't expect it to
be great but it's part of the science so
hopefully it's decent but it will set
the Baseline so first you'll need to
peel some rusted potatoes I would start
with three if you're serving two to four
people cut your potatoes into 1/ qu in
planks then into 1/4 in sticks so little
French fry shape optionally you can wash
your cup potatoes in cold water Pat your
rinsed potatoes as dry as possible with
a paper towel then fry in a six4 dutch
oven or heavy bottom pot filled a little
over halfway up with vegetable oil
that's been heated to 350 F or 176 CI
once it's at temp add your potatoes in 2
to three batches and Fry until golden
brown stirring occasionally for about 4
to 5 minutes then use a spider to
transfer them to a paper towel Lin
baking tray and what do I always say and
for some reason people don't listen to
me season immediately to taste with salt
you don't season them while they're hot
the salt doesn't stick you go wh w w in
the comments and I go oh I Told You So
and you're like oh my now these fries
are a lot more Brown than the typical
french fry that you'd received it's
because we're frying them fresh there's
still a lot of sugar and starch on the
surface it hasn't had time to express
itself so it Browns more quickly than
you might wanted to which I don't love
as soon as I pop them on the plate they
were well flaccid and they stayed crispy
for what 5 seconds I mean look they went
softer than a uh you know what let's
taste that should not happen a three a
two and a two total score seven a low
start but not unexpected I'll still eat
this whole plate but there isn't much
crunch there isn't much fluff but the
flavor is definitely there yeah it's
just super limp but still has bite to it
which I don't understand but other than
that the flavor is still great I think a
one wouldn't be fair because they do
taste good but they don't taste like
french fries it tastes more like a
roasted potato there's a little bit of
sweetness still there somehow zero
crunch it's almost like negative crunch
this is like a boiled potato no fluff at
all it's super dense don't single fry
your fries better off baking them now
we're just basically going to double we
did last time by making a basic double
fry same exact concept except we're
going to do a low temperature par fry
first again large rust of potatoes
peeled cut into a/4 in sticks same as
before optionally you can wash your
potatoes Pat them dry with a paper towel
and this time when they go in the fryer
you're going to fry them at 320° F or
160 C for about 3 minutes they should be
pale in color dra on a paper towel try
to dab off that excess oil raise your
oil temperature to 350 F or 176 C once
it reaches temp immediately Ed your
fries back to the oil stirring
occasionally and cook until golden brown
another 30 to 45 seconds remove allow to
drain for a few seconds and then
transfer to a large mixing bowl using a
spider and season to Salt while tossing
frequently so the second fry they got
color still very quickly especially when
they went into the hotter oil which not
really enough time to get a little bit
of color I don't know why I did that I'm
sorry but I will say they do seem a
little crispier now let's find out how
much
more didn't really fix that problem a
five a 3 and 1/2 and a five a tasting
score of
13.5 I felt like these were right on the
precipice of being crunchy but there was
something about that first fry and the
second fry really drove up the flavor
this is the first one we've tried that
like is starting to taste like a fry
it's crunchier than if you did a single
fry but I really like the airiness of it
I think that is a good texture it's not
like what you look for in a traditional
fry but I thought that was pretty
interesting and then flavor-wise I think
it's a step above the last one the
exterior has like this thin thin thin
layer of crunch but it's still dense it
didn't get the fluffiness I wanted the
flavor slightly improved in the
direction of french fry but I I would
not be happy if I got these from a
restaurant I've gone the restaurants and
gotten fries like these and been pissed
about exactly but I would still eat them
but under that context would you call
them a five no way out of 10 I'd call
them a five yeah no way dude double fry
also double the score next up we have
battered fries you see these a lot at
bars maybe you know a little ice house
but if there's one thing I know brother
people love a good battered french fry
so we're going to start the same again
peel potatoes qu in sticks optionally
wash them and pat dry this time in a
large mixing bowl you're going to add
half a cup or 60 G of allpurpose flour 2
tbsp or 30 G of anro powder 2 tbsp or 30
G of smoked paprika 2 TPO or 8 G of
garlic powder half a teaspoon or 2 G of
cayenne powder 2 taspo or 8 G of salt
whis that together and then add 1 cup or
240 ML of water and whisk Andel combined
that is your batter now look you can
change the spices to whatever your heart
desires this is a Choose Your Own
Adventure sweetheart maybe try using the
spices I suggest first now potatoes into
the batter let the excess drip off and
fry in the same size pot at 350 F or 176
C for 3 to 4 minutes or until a deep
golden Brown these things will get a
little darker because of the spices and
that's totally fine pull them out with a
spider let them drain for a few seconds
and then transfer to a large mixing bowl
and again season it taste with salt
immediately by the way quick note
whenever you season french fries with
salt please add more salt than you think
you need now obviously you could apply
other techniques before battering and
frying these which would probably
improve the fry but really this is all
about the batter and how much better it
makes the fry which we're about to find
out a six a five and a six total score
17 these are obviously remarkably better
than any the previous fries I'm like
50/50 on how I feel about it because on
the exterior you have this beautiful
wispy crunch big fan of it but on the
inside you've got essentially a boiled
potato like it is flaccid and you know
it's flaccid so it didn't pick up any
actual crunch on the potato itself the
flavor is great but again the batter is
leveraging it so it's almost like a
science lab french fry rather than just
a potato it's like green screen french
fries like they're fake oh my God it's a
fry like the crunch on these is a
fallacy like you get through it and
you're like that's tight but then you
get get to the potato and you're like oh
this is just the single fried potato
again it's more wispy than crunchy and
it's still dense when you get into it
there's not really that fluffiness
you're still building off the past two
fries what we're good about that the
sweetness of that and then you get new
introduced flavors here with all the
spices you can put into that we're still
not there yet on the perfect fry but
definitely built we're getting the
crunch we need the fluff a clear leader
but are we surprised next up we're using
a steak fry as the example to show
something I called the parcook then fry
method you can boil parcook or you can
bake parcook we're going with the big
route so wrap as many rusted potatoes as
you'd like in aluminum foil place in an
oven at 350 F or 176 C and bake for 40
to 60 Minutes remove from the oven and
place in the fridge overnight the
refrigeration step is crucial okay the
cooked cooled starch is what makes the
crunch once the potato is cold cut it in
half then cut it in half again now you
have quarters then cut each of those
wedges in half once more and you should
have wedges then from here all you got
to do is pop those bad boys in 350° F or
176 C oil and deep fry for 3 to 4
minutes or into a beautiful crisp golden
brown stink fry emerges from the oil
glistening ready to be cracked open take
them out let them drain add to a bowl
and immediately season and toss with
salt they look good I'm going to be
honest with you I'm not a huge fan of
steak fries it is what it is but these
are some of the better ones that we've
made that being said I'm not so sure how
well they're going to rank let's find
out 3 and 1/2 four and uh seven wao
total tasting score 14.5 although this
is good and I would eat this and I would
be happy with it this is nowhere near
the perfect French fry okay the crunch
is there but there's way more baked
potato on the inside than there is on
the outside there's more soft to Crunch
flavors there so it's good but it's not
the perfect fry this looks a bit
psychotic but I kind of just ate the
outsides for that exact reason very
crisp on the edges and I really like
that but the inside is too much like a
baked potato this was crispier than the
single fry it was crispier than the
double fry it got somewhat close to the
batter but the density of the inside is
what really killed it it's just a really
good baked potato where does the seven
come from I think that this is a better
fry than the battered fries is that your
highest rating so far yes that's Bonkers
so far second place now we're entering
goat territory I don't mean like brazed
goat I mean like goat this is hands down
one of the most common and famous
techniques of all time it is the triple
cooked french fry so it should be the
winner at least I hope it is because I
have a method for it in my cookbook and
I do think it's one of the best ways but
this isn't the last recipe for today so
we have our potatoes that have been
peeled cut in a/4 inch match sticks
rinsed fried and this time you're going
to place your potatoes in a six cord
stock pot filled about halfway up with
water bring it to a boil over medium
high heat then add 1 tspo or 4 G of
baking soda 2 tbsp or 30 G of white
distilled vinegar and 1 and 1/4 tbsp or
18 G of kosher salt add your fries to
the boiling water solution and quickly
boil for 30 to 45 seconds you do not
want these cooked all the way through
it's a par parar cook they're still
going to be raw this is just helping
create a crust so remove dabbing dry
with more paper towels then you're going
to take your parboiled fries and Par fry
them in 320° F or 160° C oil this is
step two for the crust and you're going
to cook those for 2 to 3 3 minutes or
just until pale in color and matte they
should look like this creting a little
chemical reaction there brother with the
boiling water solution little par fry
and again your fries at this point
should be just about cooked through
remove drain on a paper towel and
transfer to a parchment line baking
sheet and place in the freezer overnight
until frozen solid that is a minimum of
3 to 4 hours but ideally overnight Josh
that's such a small amount of french
fries that's all I'm going to get listen
to reduce food waste we are only doing a
small amount for testing here obviously
you can make more now when it's fry time
you need to understand you are frying
these potatoes from Frozen Do not let
them come to room temperature they need
to be frozen solid when they go into
that oil so get your 6q Dutch oven with
fry oil in it crank that heat up to 350
F or 176 c lower in your frozen fries
and fry for 2 to 4 minutes or until a
stunning golden almost McDonald's
looking french fry announces itself from
the oil as you slowly lift up a
shimmering beautiful Obelisk of potato
transfer to a large mixing bowl season
it taste with salt and hopefully these
are the best french fries we have today
let's taste that's crazy notice that
this is the only fry that when we've
gone to grab them we grab more than one
a big eight another eight and an 8.5 a
total tasting score of 24.5 that's going
to be damn near impossible to beat but
we have one more Contender people will
be like oh it's like the best one there
and it's only an eight grow a backbone
you can't rate every good thing that
goes into your mouth a nine or a 10
because one day you'll realize there are
not many things that deserve a n or a 10
in life this french fry has the crunch
that I was looking for I know mentally
that probably could be a little
crunchier that's just me being really
anal but this is a good fry no one's
going to complain about this there's
nothing there as you can see flavor is
everything that I want out of it it just
tastes like a french fry and fluffiness
is exactly where we want it to be so it
gets an eight which is extremely high
for me crunch is a huge step up from the
last couple we've been having the
fluffiness was the big change here we
finally had one that wasn't so dense and
it's balanced on all ends the crunch the
fluffiness the flavor and that's why it
gets a solidate for me the flavor was
Unreal the bite to the the fries was on
the outside not the inside which is what
you want this is the best fry that we've
had today could be our winner but we
have one more left the brind fry this is
quite literally the most untraditional
version of french fries I think I have
ever seen we're not triple frying we're
not freezing we're not cooling them down
we're literally just going to fry them
twice back to back which is the exact
same method that we did earlier in this
video which was quite literally one of
the lowest rated recipes the only
difference is a simple brine so again
start with the same potatoes that we've
made every single time I'm not saying it
again you know what they are so you can
use any size jar you want we used a
quartz size but it's all dependent on
how many potatoes you do the more
potatoes the bigger the jar here's how
you calculate your brine it's going to
be a 2 to 5% brine five is very much on
the high end 2% is recommended so if you
want to be around in the middle
hypothetical scenario would be 30 to 35
G of salt and about 750 G of water
that's roughly 3 and 1/2 to 4% brine
stir together to dissolve add a clove of
crushed garlic 1/4 TPO or 1 G of mustard
seeds and 1/ teaspoon or 2 G of black
peppercorns add your potatoes to a jar
now make sure those are completely
submerged in the water if they're not
you may need to add a small layer of
plastic wrap or something to weigh them
down make sure you're not to weigh them
down with metal choose plastic or glass
then you're going to let those brine for
3 to 5 days then you'll pull them out
they're a little cloudy a little funky
make sure there's no mold on top ideally
there shouldn't be but if there is you
might need to restart Now drain your
fries dry with paper towels and now our
first fry which will be fried at 320 F
or 160 C until the fries are just about
cooked through pale and relatively matte
in color the first thing I noticed is
little air bubble here now drain on a
paper towel raise the oil to 350 F or
176 C and Fry once more until a lovely
deep golden and crispy something special
is going on here because I removed from
the oil allowed to drain tossed into a
bowl I heard something a little
different than I had heard before
seasoned generously to taste with salt
and already I feel like these fries are
the most different looking the most
different sounding something about these
are special even though it was less
steps so let's taste it's a lot less
complicated than the typical triple fry
and all the stuff you got to do to it
what I really liked about this is the
flavor is deeper than any other fry
we've had today the crunch was there the
one thing I didn't like these were kind
of chewy the flavor is there you can
tell due to the fact they've been brind
that the salt really penetrated the
entire potato the chewi is slightly
offputting now let's rank an eight an 8
and 1/2 bare minimum in order for this
to win it needs an 8 and 1/2 or higher
so it's up to cam coming in at at
exactly an 8.5 total score of 25 our
winner the brine fries triple cooked in
second place with 24 .5 only .5 off of
our first place winner and batter fries
in third but who cares about third we
made these in another video where we
tested viral Tik Tock food hacks and we
were blown away by it and it did it yet
again the first time we made them they
were remarkably better than this so the
fact that they still get an 8.5 is High
Praise it's a Choose Your Own Adventure
between these two you know what to do
and if you want to find the recipe the
link will be in the description it's
always in the description we have a
website full of recipes that are just
for you so click that link if you want
to make it yourself otherwise don't
forget to to like And subscribe if
you're not already I love you
goodbye
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