The Perfect Homemade Fries

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Of all the delicious recipes we’ve published on this website, making The Perfect Homemade Fries has been the most tested. Simply put, making Homemade French Fries that are perfectly cooked and beautifully crispy is challenging! We can’t tell you how many Potatoes, Salt, and Oil we went through perfecting this recipe over the years! However, we can proudly announce that we’ve cracked the recipe to make the best Fries at home, and we’re sharing it with you all now!

Like any good recipe, there are several key criteria you must follow to get Crispy Fries every time

Some recipes you can wing it. Change the recipe a bit, change the cooking time. For Fries, however, you must follow this criteria. It’s our sure-fire technique which will guarantee you the best fries you’ve ever cooked. There are three key criteria that you absolutely must follow

1. Chose the right Potatoes that are high in Starch Content

Choosing the right or wrong Potato is a game changer when making your own Fries. There are really three types of Potatoes out there. The Waxy kind (which contain high levels of moisture), the Starchy kind (which contain low levels of moisture), and potatoes that kind of fall in the middle

To get a perfect Crispy Fry, you must use Potatoes that have a high starch content. The enemy of crispiness is moisture, so chose the Potatoes that have the lowest levels of moisture possible. Our best bet recommendation for Potatoes to make The Perfect Homemade Fries are Russet or Idaho Potatoes

If these Potatoes aren’t available in your local area, just do some research on ‘high starch Potatoes’ and buy whichever potatoes fit the bill

2. You must twice cook your Fries

Once you’ve got your potatoes up into the perfect size (it doesn’t matter if they’re thick cut or shoestring cut) the Fries will need to be parboiled before they eventually get fried in Oil. This step is to ensure that the insides of the Fries are almost cooked all the way through before they are Deep Fried

This will ensure that you won’t over cook the Fries in the Oil and leave them too dark, potentially burnt before they are cooked on the inside. The step of parboiling is very simple, just place your cut Fries in a large pot of cold water. Season the water generously with Salt and then bring them to a boil. Once the Fries are just starting to tenderize, take them out of the water and rinse them in cold water to stop the cooking process

Freeze your cooked Potatoes before you Deep Fry them

While the first two steps are critical, this one is hands down the most important step. A step that many people don’t do, but oh boy is it a critical one! Once you’ve parboiled those Potatoes, put them into a Ziploc bag and freeze them for a minimum of 3 hours. We’d recommend an overnight Freeze to get them as Frozen as possible

Once you’re ready to cook them, bring them out of the Freezer and straight into the hot oil. You’ll only need to fry them for about 5-6 minutes (less for thinner cut Fries) before they turn a beautiful crispy light-brown color. The Potatoes will be perfectly cooked on the inside, and crispy on the outside

The Freezing step was the one that eluded us for many years and many tests. I am not sure exactly why freezing them makes all the difference, but it truly does. One word of advice is, try to get as much moisture off the Potatoes after you’ve boiled them and before you freeze them. Pat them dry with some Paper towels before freezing

Safety first when it comes to deep frying

Deep Frying is a great way to cook food and shouldn’t be feared so long as you are taking the right steps and precautious before you begin. Remember you are dealing with extremely hot oil which will be heated to around 375F, so always respect the hot oil and never get close to having your skin in contact with the Oil

Always use a thermometer to gauge the temperature of the Oil. It is critical that the Oil is heated between 350F – 375F throughout the duration of the cook. If the Oil temperature drops too much, the Potatoes will begin to absorb the Oil, which will make them an unpleasant taste and texture. Using a Candy Thermometer will allow you to constantly monitor the temperature of your Oil as you cook

Adding the Frozen Potatoes to hot Oil will cause a violent reaction with the Oil

The Oil heat will drop once you add the Frozen Potatoes. This is a guarantee because you’re adding a cold element to something hot. Our recommendation is to add small portions of the Fries at once so that you can bring the Oil temperature back up to heat quickly

Also, be careful of the Oil spilling over once you add the Frozen Potatoes. There will be excess moisture in the Potatoes, which will cause the Oil to react violently. Do not worry about this, after a small amount of time the water will cook out. The reaction will be less violent the less Potatoes you add at once. Just ensure you do not overfill the Pot so there is no chance of the Oil spilling out

Use a Spider Strainer to remove the cooked Fries from the Oil

Spider Strainers allow you to scoop up a large quantity of the cooked Fries without taking any of the Oil with you. It’s important to strain the Fries well before you set them down to Season. A Spider Strainer will help you get as much excess Oil off the Fries as possible

Once you’ve strained the Fries, you want to season them immediately with Salt. The hot fries will capture that Salt and it will absorb into them before they cool. This is a critical step to ensure you’re fries taste their best. After all, we’re making The Perfect Homemade Fries here!

Is it worth making this recipe for The Perfect Homemade Fries myself? The answer is.. no not really

You may think this is a bizarre statement, given we’re writing a recipe on how to make the perfect homemade fries. The truth is, yes they taste amazing and if you want to challenge yourself to make great Fries then you should follow this recipe. However, the effort involved in making them is so great, that in our opinion, it far outweighs the result

You can honestly get some above-average Fries straight out of the frozen section of your supermarket. You simply throw them in the Oven or Air Fryer and in minutes you’ve got great, crispy Fries. Making the fries yourself is such a massive undertaking and one of the most challenging dishes you can make

 At the very least you’re looking at half a way of work to get these perfect Fries. For a fraction of that effort, get the frozen stuff. It’s almost as good and will save you a load of time!

Anyway, now that we’ve got that out of the way. Here’s our recipe to make the Perfect Homemade Fries at home for yourself!

The Perfect Homemade Fries Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 large starchy Potatoes (eg: Russet or Idaho Potatoes)
• 8 cups Frying Oil (eg: Vegetable or Canola Oil)
• Salt
  
  

Instructions

1. Wash the Potatoes and cut into even, long Fries. You can either cut them thin for Shoestring Fries, or thicker for large thick-cut Fries. Just try to cut them all at an even thickness
2. Place the cut Potatoes into a large pot filled with cold water and a lot of Salt (about 4 – 5 tbsp.) Place on high and bring to a boil until the Potatoes are just starting to turn tender (about 10 minutes all up)
3. Remove the Potatoes from the water and place in a colander under cold water to stop the cooking process. Pat Potatoes dry, then place in a Ziploc bag and freeze for a minimum of 3 hours, preferably overnight
4. When you are ready to cook the Fries, heat a large pot or Dutch Oven filled with Frying Oil. Ensure the Oil is deep enough for the Fries to be fully submerged. Heat the Oil to between 350F – 375F
5. Remove Potatoes from the freezer and remove any excess ice. Carefully place the Potatoes into the hot oil. Avoid overloading the Oil and try to maintain the Oil temperature. Cook Fries for 5 minutes until crispy
6. Remove Fries with a spider strainer and set aside on a wire rack. Immediately season generously with Salt. Repeat the process for the remaining Fries then serve
   
   

For all that hard work you’ll be rewarded with The Perfect Homemade Fries that taste just as good as your favorite fast-food place. They’re French Fries, so they go with about a million different dishes, but here are a few of our favorites we’d recommend pairing them with:

• Homemade Smash Burger
• Greek Lamb Wrap with Tzatziki
• Filet au Poivre
• Hanger Steak Frites
  
  

Happy Cooking!