The trick to getting the chips to taste like they are straight from the chip shop is to fry them twice in the hot oil. The first fry is at a lower temperature and softens the potato; the second turn in the hot oil is at a higher temp and achieves that signature crispy exterior.
Theory #1: "The first fry gets the outside to create a water tight barrier. That way, when you fry them the second time, they stay moist." Or, Theory #2: "The first fry cooks them through to the center—if you skipped that step, your fries would brown on the outside, but still be raw in the middle."
The Key to Crispy Homemade French Fries
Allow the potatoes to cool before frying them a second time. Let cook until golden brown, then blot with a paper towel and salt before serving. Double-frying guarantees a wonderful crunch that will keep you coming back for more.
They are cooked twice – deep-fried at a low temperature first to ensure the potato chip gets softly cooked through, then a second time at a very high temperature to give a crispy outer shell. This creates the perfect mix of soft, fluffy insides surrounded by crunchy, golden goodness.
When you're ready to order, the restaurants cook the fries for a third time, frying them in more oil.
Partial frying: This initial frying gives the fries a crisp outer shell. Freezing: The fries go through a "freezer tunnel" so they can be transported to the stores, where the frying process is completed.
Unfortunately, there are no concrete numbers for what moderation means for different people. For some, having a plate of fries once a week might be fine. For others, twice a month may be a better idea. “Everyone should limit their intake of fried foods, but there is not a one-size-fits-all answer,” Cox says.
Double frying helps with that evaporation process. By letting the chicken rest and cool between the dips in the oil, additional water evaporates from the skin. When you put it back in to finish frying, the rest of the water evaporates, which allows the skin to brown and crisp quickly before the meat overcooks.
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.
Soaking peeled, washed, and cut fries in cold water overnight removes excess potato starch, which prevents fries from sticking together and helps achieve maximum crispness.
Your potatoes need to take two separate dips in hot oil to reach restaurant quality. Oil-blanching is a two-part process that reduces the moisture and starch content in your fries, helping them crisp up.
Our recommendation: With breaded and battered foods, reuse oil three or four times. With cleaner-frying items such as potato chips, it's fine to reuse oil at least eight times—and likely far longer, especially if you're replenishing it with some fresh oil.
Improperly cooked french fries are limp, greasy, or soggy and often over-browned. These problems all arise from the improper handling of starch and sugar when exposed to high heat.
On McDonald's website, the chain says: "When our suppliers partially fry our cut potatoes, they use an oil blend that contains beef flavoring. This ensures the great-tasting and recognizable flavor we all love from our World Famous Fries."
“It's because McDonald's cooks [its] fries with beef flavouring mixed within their vegetable oil,” Jordan said. “So that's why the fries taste so good, but also so different from everybody else's.”
The hamburger giant has started phasing out its trademark Supersize fries and drinks in its U.S. restaurants as part of an effort to simplify its menu and give customers choices that support “a balanced lifestyle,” a company spokesman said Tuesday.
Why vinegar? The acidity of the vinegar holds the potatoes together so they don't get mushy and fall apart while boiling.
Before all that, though, the secret is to briefly poach them in boiling water (or "blanch" them) before they go into the hot oil. This ensures that the fries are cooked all the way through before getting crisped up in the fryer.
Why use salt water for soaking potatoes? There's moisture naturally found in potatoes, and moisture is drawn to higher concentrations of salt. (This is a process called osmosis.) So, if you put the potatoes in a salt water bath, that will help draw out some of their moisture, resulting in crispier fries.
If using a deep fryer, do not overcrowd the frying basket, which can cause undercooking, uneven cooking, and overflowing of the oil. To prevent splattering oil or burning yourself, do not touch the frying basket or add food while the basket is submerged in oil. It is important never to leave your fryer unattended.
The Methods of Deep Frying
Double Basket Method: This is used for food that tends to float. So that this food will cook evenly, you submerge the food in one basket and weigh it down by placing the other basket on top. Swimming Method: This is used for battered items or food that tends to stick together.
It is only when frying oil is used repeatedly that it becomes toxic for human consumption [14]. Repeated heating of the oil accelerates oxidative degradation of lipids, forming hazardous reactive oxygen species and depleting the natural antioxidant contents of the cooking oil.
Because chips are sliced so thin and fried so hot, they're even heavier in acrylamide than French fries (which, sadly, 7 out of 9 experts warn against).
You can reheat them, of course, but depending on how old they are, you may want to just toss them and make (or buy!) a new batch. French fries will only be good for a few days in the fridge; any longer than that, and they'll start to lose their texture and become crumbly.