When Making French Fries At Home, Should I Cut The Strips Into Water With Salt Added? Is That Correct? (2024)

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When Making French Fries At Home, Should I Cut The Strips Into Water With Salt Added? Is That Correct? ›

Covering in water helps the potato from turning a dark color. Adding salt to the water to form a brine mixture may seem helpful and can impart a flavor to the potato strips, however, salt is a major contributor to the fry oil breaking down prematurely, so I don't recommend it.

Fill a large bowl with cold water and stir in 2 tablespoons of salt. Place the sliced potatoes in the salt water and let them soak for 15 to 30 minutes. This will help them bake up crispier. When the potatoes are done soaking, drain them, and dry very well with a towel.

The main reasons to cut the potatoes and pre-soak in water are: To allow the excess starches and sugars to be removed from the outer surface of the fry strips AND to keep the potatoes from browning prematurely from exposure to air. Covering in water helps the potato from turning a dark color.

The soaking, Mr. Nasr said, is the secret to the crisp texture of the fries. It draws out the starch, making them more rigid and less likely to stick together. The cooks fry them twice, first blanching them until slightly limp in peanut oil heated to 325 degrees, and again in 375-degree oil to crisp and brown them.

How long can peeled and cut potatoes sit in water before cooking, before they begin taking on too much water? A: We usually recommend no more than 24 hours. You can keep the potatoes from absorbing the water by making sure the water is not salted, and is chilled (you can even add ice to the water).

Soak potatoes in water mixture for 15 minutes. Remove potatoes from water and dry thoroughly on paper towels. Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Cook potatoes in hot oil until golden, 5 to 6 minutes.

Soak, rinse, and pat.

Soaking them right after cutting minimizes oxygen contact and keeps the fries looking fresh and appetizing. After slicing all the potatoes, rinse them with cold water multiple times until the water runs clear. This process helps remove excess starch and sugars from the potato surfaces.

Soaking your fries in cold water helps remove excess starch, which allows for crispy, golden fries! The cold water bath also helps the french fries retain their shape and contributes to a fluffy inside.

If you're pressed for time, the slightly sticky, cut potatoes should be soaked for a minimum of 15 minutes. However, a longer soak time may allow more starch to be removed. So, if you can prep the fries ahead of time, a few hours of soaking can help make them even crispier.

I wouldn't bother doing potatoes from the raw state, without soaking. It will take about a half an hour and the texture won't be nearly as rewarding. They just don't get very crispy without that cold soak.

What is the best oil for french fries? ›

Refined peanut oil is the best oil to use for making french fries. You can also use canola or safflower oil. Additionally, restaurant fries are so crispy because, among other things, they use old oil continuously.

Allow them to soak, 2 to 3 hours. (You can also stick them in the fridge and let them soak overnight.) When you're ready to make the fries, drain off the water and lay the potatoes on 2 baking sheets lined with paper towels. Blot with paper towels to dry them.

Blanching also works to reduce the moisture content of the French fry, helping them crisp up much more easily when fried. When the potatoes are transferred to the cold water after the hot liquid dip, the cells of the potato shrink, ensuring the fry will not absorb as much oil when it is later fried.

Unless a battered fry, they are not adding in salt during the process. I recommend not salting the fries till they come out of the fryer and even then, waiting for an order before salting as the fries can turn limp prematurely if salted too soon.

Shower them with salt.

Dense potatoes don't absorb seasonings easily, so you'll need to salt the water liberally so that the water the potatoes do drink up also carries in seasoning. And because potatoes are so timid in flavor, they need that salt to bring them out of their shells.