Homemade French Fries are so delicious and addicting. Once you learn how easy it is to make them, they just might be on the weekly menu at home.
This recipe is very flexible. Make as many or as few fries as you like. If you like crispy potatoes, we have a few tips for you.
Plan on one large potato’s worth of fries per person if serving as a side dish.
Table of contents
It takes Minutes to Make These French Fries
You will need a large frying pan or a kettle that can hold a few inches of oil and approximately two servings of French fries at a time.
This recipe is flexible. You can make batch after batch for a large crowd or make just enough for yourself. It just takes minutes to prepare the potato and heat the oil. Drain on a paper towel and you are all set.
Two Tips for Making Crispy French Fries.
To get them crispy, soak them in water to remove the starch. It helps with crisping and helps prevent the potato sticks from sticking together while frying. Let the potatoes soak in the water for 2 to 3 hours or in the refrigerator overnight.
Pat dry with paper towel before frying.
Double Fry for Crispy Fries. Then the best fries are double-fried. First fry at a lower temperature to cook them through. Drain on paper towel, then fry again in hotter oil to crisp them up to golden perfection.
Prepare the Potatoes for Frying
I like to use russet potatoes for French fries; however, I have used reds, Yukon gold. Really any potato will work well.
If your potato has a thicker skin, you might want to peel the skin off before slicing. A thin-skinned potato is great for just washing and drying and slicing. Peeling is totally optional.
I cut each potato into ¼-inch to 1/2 -inch thick slices. Stack a few of the slices on top of each other and make another ¼-inch to ½-inch thick cut. You will end up with a French fry. If you prefer a fatter fry, that is okay, it will just take longer to cook in the oil.
Once all the potatoes are prepped and sliced, I like to place them in a towel and fold the towel over the potato slices.
This does three things:
- It helps dry out the slices for less splattering when you add them to the hot oil.
- It helps them get crispier when cooking.
- The potatoes can start to turn color when sliced and left out to the elements. Therefore, if you cover the slices with the towel, they stay nice and fresh looking.
Fry the Potatoes
In a large heavy skillet or frying pan, heat at least 2 inches of oil to 325 F. Once the oil is hot, add approximately one to two servings of the potatoes carefully – a few at a time. Fry for approximately 8-10 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove the fries with a slotted spoon, spider, or tongs. Drain on a tray lined with a paper towel.
We enjoy our fries right away. They are crispy, cooked through and hot.
Extra Crispy French Fries
However, if you prefer even crispier fries.
Once they are drained on the paper towel and cooled, go ahead, and fry them again. This second fry gives them an extra crispy crunch.
Making French Fries for a Crowd
They can have their first fry and be refrigerated overnight in a container. This is especially nice if you are making fries for a crowd. When ready to make, just head the oil, add the fries in batches and cook until crispy – just a few minutes.
If you will be making a lot of batches of French fries, I put the plate of cooked French fries in the oven with the oven on warm. This keeps them simply perfect while you are cooking the rest of the fries.
Drain and serve with your favorite sauce.
How to Make Homemade French Fries
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Kitchen Essentials
Ingredients
- 6 large Potatoes Russet or large Red, or Yukon Gold
- 4 Cups Vegetable Oil for frying
Instructions
- If the potatoes are new (or recently harvested) they can be washed in cold water and scrubbed a bit. You can leave the skins on. However, if you do not like the skins on or the potatoes are not new, peel the potatoes removing the outer skin6 large Potatoes Russet
- Wash the potato by running under water a few seconds. Add the oil to a kettle or large pan…use what you have. Start heating the oil so it is hot by the time that the potatoes are ready. I have a gas stove and I use the right front burner as it is the hottest burner on the stove, and I use medium-high for the heat range.
- I use a chef knife and my cutting board to cut lengthwise slices about 1/4 inch thick. Then I lay each slice flat and make another lengthwise slice about 1/4 inch thick. This will give you a nice size fry.
- I like to take a clean kitchen towel and put the sliced potatoes on the towel. This keeps them from turning brown before cooking and it also dries them off so there is less oil splashing when the potatoes are added to the hot oil.
- Once the potatoes are sliced, the oil is generally hot enough. Gently slide in one sliced potato. If it sizzles, the oil is ready. (I know…normally it is recommended to use a thermometer to make sure that the oil is 350 degrees. You can do that or check the oil with the potato…both methods work wonderfully). If the potato sizzles and the oil is ready, go ahead and add a couple of handfuls of sliced potatoes.4 Cups Vegetable Oil for frying
- Keep cooking until the potatoes are golden brown. I like to move the potato slices around a few times in the pan during cooking. This ensures that the potatoes do not stick together. When the French fries are done, remove them with a slotted spoon. This will help the excess oil drain off of the French fries prior to eating.
- Place the cooked, crispy French fries on paper towel on a plate or pan. This will soak up any remaining oil left over from cooking. If you will be making a lot of batches of French fries, I put the plate of cooked French fries in the oven with the oven on warm. This keeps them simply perfect while you are cooking the rest of the fries.
Your Own Private Notes
Notes
Two Tips for Crispy Fries
To get them crispy, soak them in water to remove the starch. It helps with crisping and helps prevent the potato sticks from sticking together while frying. Let the potatoes soak in the water for 2 to 3 hours or in the refrigerator overnight. Pat dry before frying. Double Fry for Crispy Fries Then the best fries are double-fried. First fry at a lower temperature to cook them through. Drain on paper towel, then fry again in hotter oil to crisp them up to golden perfection.Nutrition
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