Perfect Thin and Crispy French Fries Recipe - Serious Eats

2 pounds russet potatoes (900g; about 4 large potatoes), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch by 1/4-inch fries (keep raw potato sticks submerged in a bowl of water ... SeriousEats/VickyWasik Pin Share Email InThisRecipe Expand TheAnatomyofaPerfectFry Reverse-EngineeringMcDonald'sFries TheChemistryoftheCrispiestFrenchFries FreezingFriesforaFluffyInterior JUMPTORECIPE WhyItWorks Parboilingthefriesinavinegarsolutionbeforefryingslowsthebreakdownofpectininthepotatoestoyieldfrieswithtiny,bubbly,blisteredsurfacesthatstaycrispevenwhencool.Italsorinsesoffexcesssugarstopreventover-browning.Employingthedouble-frymethodgivesthefriesaperfectlycrispexterior.Freezingthefriesbeforethesecondfrygivesthemadistinctlyfluffyinterior. I'mgonnacomerightoutandsaysomethingthatI'msureyouwon'tallopenlyagreewith:McDonald'sfrenchfriesaregreat.Attheirbest,theyareeverythingafrenchfryshouldbe:salty,crisp,light,andnotgreasy.Granted,yougettheoccasionaloddfranchisethatlets'emsitundertheheatlampforacouplehourstoolong,butonthewhole,Ifinditremarkablethatthebigwigshavediscoveredawaytocreateafrozenfrythatcomesoutvirtuallyidentically,regardlessofwhoisworkingthatfrystation. Tobeabsolutelyhonest,I'veneverbeenabletomakefriesasgoodastheirs(shhhhh!).Sure,mythick-cutpub-stylefriesaresuper-potatoeyandfantastic,andwhenI'minthemoodforthem,myseasonedsteakfriescan'tbebeat,butforthin,super-crispfries(I'mtalkingthekindthatonlyappearinfastfoodrestaurantsandFrenchbistrosunderthenamefrites)?I'malwaysbetteroffrunningdowntothetake-outwindowthanbotheringtofrythemmyselfathome. Untilnow. I'vebeenliterallygiddywiththequalityofthefriesthathavebeencomingoutofmykitchenforthelasttwodays.Mywifewon'theartheendofit.Evenmypuppyiswonderingwhyhisownerkeepsexclaiming"Holys**tthat'sgood!"everyhalfhourfromthekitchen.I'vecookedover43batchesoffriesinthelastthreedays,andI'mhappytoreportthatI'vefinallyfoundawaytoconsistentlyreachcrisp,goldenNirvana. TheAnatomyofaPerfectFry Thereareafewfactorsthatgointomakingaperfectfry: PerfectFryFactor#1:Theexteriormustbeverycrisp,butnottough. Inordertoachievethiscrispness,thesurfacestructureofafrymustberiddledwithmicro-bubbles.It'sthesetinycrispbubblesthatincreasethesurfaceareaofthefry,makingitextracrunchy.Ideally,thislayershouldonlybeasthickasitneedstobetoaddcrispness.Anythicker,andyoustartrunningintoleatheryterritory. PerfectFryFactor#2:Theinteriormustbeintact,fluffy,andhaveastrongpotatoflavor. Frieswithapasty,mealy,orgummyinteriororevenworse,thedreadedstateknownas"hollow-fry"(whentheinteriorismissingentirely)areanautomaticfailinmyfrybook. PerfectFryFactor#3:Thefrymustbeaneven,lightgoldenblond SeriousEats/J.KenjiLopez-Alt Friesthataretoodarkorarespottyhaveanoffputtingburntflavorthatdistractsfromthepotato.LightgoldenbutperfectlycrispishowIwantmyfriestobe. PerfectFryFactor#4:Thefrymuststaycrispandtastyforatleastaslongasittakestoeatafullserving. Friesthatcomesstraightoutofthefryerarealmostalwaysperfectlycrisp.Thetruetestofagreatfryiswhetherornotitremainscrispandedibleafewminuteslaterafteritsbeensittingonyourplate.Thebendyfrypicturedabovefailsthattest. Sohowdoesonegoingaboutachievingthesegoals?Thetraditional doublefrymethod (onceatlowtemp,thenagainathightemp)works,butit'sfarfromfoolproof,andfailstomeetalloftherequirementsI'vesetforaperfectfry.Foronething,thefriesinevitablycomeouttoobrown—sometimesmassivelyso.Foranother,theylosetheircrunchwithinafewminutesaftercomingoutofthefryer.Clearlythemethodneedsanoverhaul.IsupposeIcoulddowhattheMcDonald'sCorporationdidandspendmillionsofdollarsresearchingexactlyhowtoaccomplishfryperfectiontimeaftertimeanywherearoundtheworld,butunfortunatelySeriousEatsdoesn'tpaymewellenoughtodothat.I'malsounderstaffed,tosaytheleast.SoIdecidedtogowiththenextbestalternative:stealtheirrecipe. That'smucheasiersaidthandone. Reverse-EngineeringMcDonald'sFries AnyonewithabuckcangetabatchoffullycookedMcDonald'sfries,butIwasaftersomethingmore.IwantedtogetfriesfromthestoreintheirfullyfrozenstatesothatIcouldexaminetheirsurfaceforcluesonhowtheywereparcooked,aswellasattempttofrythemmyselfathometodiscoverifthereisanysecretinthefryoilintheshops. IfiguredI'dbejustbeabletowalkintothestoreandorderthemstraightfromthecashier. "WelcometoMcDonald's,mayItakeyourorder?" "YesMa'am.I'dlikealargefriesplease,holdthecooking." "Excuseme?" Iknowshe'salreadysaidnoinherhead,butIpressonjustthesame:"Um...I'djustlikethefrozenfriesplease." "I'msorrysir,wejustdon'tdothat." Timeforsomeintimidationtactics:"Ok.CouldIspeaktothemanagerplease?" "Iamthemanager." Sh*t.Ibringoutthereallybigguns:"Listen,thethingis,mywifeispregnant—likereallypregnant—andshesentmeonaquestforMcDonald'sfrenchfries.Butsheonlylikesthemreallyfresh,likestraightoutofthefryerfresh,soIfiguredI'djustgetsomefrozen,andfrythemforherathome.Youknowhowitis.Women—noaccountingfor'em,right?" Sheremainsunimpressed,andneedlesstosay,Igohomefry-less,contemplatingwhetherattemptingtoleverageanunborn,un-conceivedsoninexchangeforacoupledozenfrozenpotatosticksisgroundsforeternaldamnation.ThankGodI'manatheist. Inalastditcheffort,IappealedtomyFacebookfansforsomeassistance,promisingcoldhardcashandfullcreditinthisstorytoanyonewhocouldgetmeastashoffrozenMcDonald'sfries.Within24hours,IhadreceivedthisemailfromaGrantHeld: "Kenji,youputforthanexcellentchallenge;Ienjoybothchallengesandyourfoodwritingimmensely,soIcameupwithanexcellentplanthatworkedthefirsttry. Gettingyourfrozenfrieswassimplyamatteroffindingtherightfraternityman;Onewhohadtheabilitytomakeupextemporaneousbullsh*tandtheallimportant'charmfactor."'Somewouldsaypossessingtheseattributescanhelpyougetlaidincollege,butIpleadTheFifth.... TheplaninvolvedmeprintingoutafakelistofitemsneededforaScavengerHuntsponsoredby'TheSimplotFoundation.'A'Mr.Simplot'hadendowedanannualprizeforthewinningteamofthescavengerhunt,whichwouldbeusedtofundthe'researchprojectsofthemembersofthewinningteameachyear."'(MembersalsohadtobelongtotheHaroldMcGeeSocietyandOrderofBrillat-Savarin). IwalkedintotheMcD'sonxxxxxxx.(Theexactlocationhasbeenremovedbecausewedon'twanttogetthemanagerfired) Ihadpre-printedalistofitemsforsaidmadeup'ScavengerHunt'(IbasicallyGoogled'ScavengerHuntLists'andadded'FrozenMcDonald'sfrenchfries.') Iwalkedin,askedforthemanagerandexplainedthescavengerhunt.IsaidIneeded25fries,whichIwaswillingtopayfor,buttheyhadtobefrozen.HerEnglishwasnotideal,soIspokeSpanish,andayoungassociatetookkindlyuponmeandexplainedwhatIneeded.Themanageragreed,butthoughtIwasaskingfor25FREEpackagesofcookedfries!!!Andshewaswillingtogivethemtome!!!(Shesaidmyaccentwasgreatbutmygrammarwasterrible...ohwell...) IsaidIneededFROZENfries,whichreallyperplexedher,butmyyoungMcD'sassociatefriendexplainedtheconceptofascavengerhuntandsoonenoughIwasinvitedintothekitchenandshegrabbedahandfuloffriesandplacedthemintheziplockbagIbroughtwithme." Grant,youareageniusamongstmen,andIamforeverinyourdebt. Thehandoffwasmadethenextday,andIfinallyhadabatchoffrozenMcDonald'sfriesonwhichtooperate. ThefirstthingInoticedwasthesurfacetextureofthefries.Theyseemedsmooth,butoncloserinspection,Inoticedthattheyweredottedwithtinytinybubbles,indicatingthattheyhaddefinitelybeenfriedatleastoncepriortoarrivingatthestore.Imeasuredthemwithcalipersandfoundthattheywereprecisely1/4ofaninchthick.Agoodsizeforoptimizingcrusttointeriorratio. SeriousEats/J.KenjiLopez-Alt McDonald'susedtofrytheirpotatoesinbeeftallow,givingthemextraflavorandmakingthemextracrisp,buttheystoppeddoingthatyearsago.Butperhapsthere'sstillsomethingmagicabouttheiroil?Totestthis,Ifriedupabatchofthefrozenfriesin375°Fpeanutoil,lettingthemcookforabout3minutesbeforedraining,seasoning,andtasting. SeriousEats/J.KenjiLopez-Alt Theywerejustasperfectasthefriesatthestore.Thatanswerstheoilfirstquestion:thereisnomagicintheoil.Somethingmustbedonetothosepotatoesduringthepre-processingthatmakesthemunique. Forthenextphase,IstarteddoingsomeresearchandcaughtaluckybreakbyfindinganarticlethatessentiallyrunsthroughthewholeprocessofwhatgoesoninaMcDonald'spotatoprocessingplantastoldbyLeAronPlackett,athirteen-year-longemployee.  "ThefriesarethenflumedoutoftheA.D.R.roomtothe'blancher.'Theblancherisalargevesselfilledwithonehundredandseventydegreewater.Thetripthroughtheblanchertakesaboutfifteenminutes...Afterthefriesleavetheblancher,theyaredriedandthenit'sofftothe'fryer,'whichisfilledwithonehundredpercentvegetableoil.Theoilisheatedtothreehundredandsixtyfivedegreesandthefriestakeafiftyseconddipbeforebeingconveyedtothe'de-oilershaker,'whereexcessoilis'shookoff.'" Bingo. SoMcDonald'sdoesindeeduseadoublefrymethod,butit'sfarfromthetraditionalone.Ratherthanaslowlowtemperaturefryforthefirstround,thefriesgetdunkedintoveryhotoilforonly50seconds(thesecondfryisthencarriedoutattheactuallocation).Inadditiontothis,thepotatoesgetapre-fryblanchingstepinhotwater.Whatcouldthepurposeofthisbe? Toanswerthatquestion,it'simportanttounderstandexactlywhathappenswhenafrenchfryiscooked. TheChemistryoftheCrispiestFrenchFries Likeallplantsandanimals,potatoesarecomposedofcells.Thesecellsareheldtogetherbypectin,aformofsugarthatactsasatypeofglue.Thesecellsalsocontainstarchgranules—tinysacsthatresemblewaterballoons,aswellassimplesugars.Whenthesestarchgranulesareexposedtowaterandheat,theybegintoswell,eventuallybursting,andreleasingashowerofswollenstarchmolecules.Nowtheproblemis,inordertogettheidealcrust,allthreeoftheseelementsmustbeintheproperbalance,andtheproperstate.Toomanysimplesugars,andyourpotatowillbrownlongbeforeitcrisps.Ifpectinhasbrokendowntoomuchbeforethestarchgranuleshavehadachancetoburstandreleasetheirstickyinnards,yourpotatoeswilleitherfailtoformacrust,willfallapartbeforeitgetsachanceto,orintheworstcasewillcookupcompletelyhollow,likethis: SeriousEats/J.KenjiLopez-Alt That'snotagoodthing. Pre-cookingthefriesinawaterbaththewayMcDonald'sdoesaccomplishestwogoals.First,itrinsesoffexcesssimplesugars,helpingthefriesattainalightgoldcolor,insteadofadeepdarkbrown.Secondly,itactivatesanenzymecalled pectinmethylesterase (PME).Accordingto anarticleinthe JournalofAgriculturalandFoodChemistry,PMEinducescalciumandmagnesiumtoactasasortofbuttressforpectin.Theystrengthenthepectin'sholdonthepotatocell'swalls,whichhelpsthepotatoesstayfirmerandmoreintactwhencookedtoahighertemperature. That's whythesurfaceofaMcDonald'sfrylooksthewayitdoes:ratherthanblisteringintolargebubbleslikeatraditionaldouble-friedfrenchfrydoes,thereinforcedwallsformthesuper-tinybubblesthatgivethemtheirextracrunch. Now,likemostenzymes,PMEisonlyactivewithinacertaintemperaturerange,actingfasterandfasterasthetemperaturegetshigheruntil,likeaswitch,itshutsoffcompletelyonceitreachesacertainlevel.170°F(77°C)isjustunderthatcutoffpoint. Myobjectivejustbecamemuchclearer:inordertogetmyfriesultracrisp,I'dneedtofindawaytostrengthentheirpectinbeforeallowingtheirstarchgranulestoburst. ThemostobviouswaytodothisisjusttocopyMcDonald'sexactly:cookthepotatoesinapreciselymaintained170°Fwaterbathfor15minutes.Itrieditusingmy Sous-VideSupreme,followedbyafryat360°Ffor50seconds,andasecondfryat375°Ffor31/2minutes.Itworkedlikeacharm.ThefriestastednearlyidenticaltothosethatcomefromMcDonald's.Ofcourse,nowtwonewquestionsenteredmyhead:Whataboutforthosepoorsoulswhodon'thaveatemperature-controlledwaterbath?Andmoreimportantly,nowthatI'vegotthefriesdown,couldImakethemevenbetter?Imean,theytastefantasticnow,butweallknowthatMcDonald'sfriesgetsoggyprettydarnfast.Ifthesefrieswerereallygoingtobe perfect,I'dhavetoaddressthatissue. Tosolvethefirstproblem,myinitialthoughwastostartthepotatoesincoldwater,andslowlybringituptoasimmer.Myhopewasthatbydoingthis,they'dspendenoughtimeunderthe170°Fcutoffpointtoimprovetheirstructureadequately.Nodice.Thepotatoeswerecertainlybetterthanonesdunkedstraightintothefryer,buttheydidn'tcomeclosetotheoriginals.NextItriedaddingameasuredamountofboilingwatertoapotcontainingthecutpotatoes.IcalculatedexactlyhowmuchwaterI'dneedinorderforittoequilibrateto170°F.Itworkedalittlebetter,butthewatertemperaturedroppedofftooquicklyforittobeeffective.WasIgonnahavetobreakoutthe beercooler forthisone?Therehadtobeanotherway. That'swhenIthought—perhapsthereisanotherwaytostrengthenpectinwithouthavingtorelyonsomefickleenzyme(I'veneverlikedenzymesanyway),anditstruckme:applepie. What'sthisgottodowithfrenchfries?Welleveryonewho'severbakedanapplepieknowsthatdifferentapplescookdifferently.Someretaintheirshape,whileothersturntomush.Thedifferencelargelyhastodowiththeiracidity.ThussupertartappleslikeGrannySmithwillstayfullyintact,whilesweeterappleslikeaMacounwillalmostcompletelydissolve.Justlikeapotato,applecellsareheldtogetherbypectin.Moralofthestory:acidslowsthebreakdownofpectin. Whatifratherthantryingtofiddlewithtemperature,Ijustreliedontheuseofacidtohelpthepotatoeskeeptheirstructure? Itriedbringingtwopotsofcutpotatoestoaboilsidebyside,thefirstwithplainwater,andthesecondwithwaterspikedwithvinegarataratioofonetablespoonperquart.Here'swhatIsaw: SeriousEats/J.KenjiLopez-Alt Thefriesboiledinplainwaterdisintegrated,makingthemnearlyimpossibletopickup.WhenIaddedthemtothehotoil,theybrokeapartevenfurther.Ontheotherhand,thoseboiledinthevinegaredwaterremainedperfectlyintact,evenafterboilingforafulltenminutes.Whenfried,theyhadfabulouslycrispcrustswithtiny,bubbly,blisteredsurfacesthatstayedcrispevenwhentheywerecompletelycool.Asfortheflavor,ifItasted really hard,Icouldpickupafaintvinegaryundertone,thoughIwouldn'thaveifIdidn'tknowitwasthere.Evenknowingitwasthere,itwasn'tunpleasantatall.Afterall,I'musedtoputtingmyfriesinketchupormayo,bothofwhichcontainplentyofacid. ThisisapictureofoneofthefrieswhichIbentafulltenminutesafterithadcomeoutoftheoil.Seehowcrispisstays? FreezingFriesforaFluffyInterior NowthatI'dperfectedthecrust,thefinalissuetodealwithwasthatoftheinterior.Onelastquestionremained:howtomaximizetheflavoroftheinterior.Inordertostayfluffyandnotgummy,alotoftheinteriormoistureneedstobeexpelledinthecookingprocess,somygoalshouldbetomakethisevaporationaseasyaspossible.Ifigurethatsofar,bycookingitallthewaytoboilingpoint,I'mdoingprettymuchtherightthing—themorecookedthepotatoesare,themorethecellstructurebreaksdown,andtheeasieritisforwatertobeexpelled.Toconfirmthis,Icookedthreebatchesofpotatoes,startingeachinapotofcold,vinegaredwater,andbringingthemuptovariousfinaltemperature(170°F,185°F,and212°F)beforedraininganddouble-fryingthem.Notsurprisingly,theboiledpotatoeshadthebestinternalstructure.Luckily,theyweretheeasiesttomakeaswell. ButwasthereanythingmoreIcoulddo?IthoughtbacktothoseMcDonald'sfriesandrealizedavitalstepthatIhadneglectedtotest:freezing.EverybatchofMcDonald'sfriesisfrozenbeforebeingshippedouttothestores.Ialwaysfiguredthisstepwasforpurelyeconomicreasons,butperhapstherewasmoretoit? Itriedfreezinghalfabatchoffriesbeforefryingthemandtastedthemside-by-sideagainsttheotherhalf. Friesandfrozenfries,pre-blanchedtovarioustemperatures.Noticehowdarktheun-blanchedfriesareduetoexcesssugarsbrowning. SeriousEats/J.KenjiLopez-Alt Theimprovementwasundeniable.Thefrozenfrieshadadistinctlyfluffierinterior,whiletheunfrozenoneswerestillever-so-slightlygummy.Itmakesperfectsense.Freezingthepotatoescausestheirmoisturetoconverttoice,formingsharp,jaggedcrystals.Thesecrystalsdamagethecellstructureofthepotato,makingiteasierforthemtobereleasedoncetheyareheatedandconverttosteam.Thebestpart?Becausefreezingactuallyimprovesthem,Icandotheinitialblanchingandfryingstepsinlargebatches,freezethem,andhaveaconstantsupplyofready-to-frypotatoesrightinmyfreezerjustlikeRonaldhimself! Iknowit'sbadformtotootyourownhorn,butI'msimplyamazedthatthesefrieshavebeencomingoutofmyownkitchen.I'vebeeneatingfriesinvariousshadesofgoodorbadconstantlyforthepastfewdays,andI'mabsolutelysickofthem,yetIamstilleatingthemevenasIsithereandtype.Ireallyhopemywifedoesn'tmindgreasykeyboards.Youneverknowwhat'sgonnasetheroff. Forinstance—shegetsmadwhenIsaythingslikethataboutheroncompletelypublicforums.Gofigure. 1:45 RecipeFacts 5 (2) Active: 40mins Total: 75mins Serves: 4servings Rate&Comment 2poundsrussetpotatoes(900g;about4largepotatoes),peeledandcutinto1/4-inchby1/4-inchfries(keeprawpotatostickssubmergedinabowlofwateraftercutting) 2tablespoons(30ml)distilledwhitevinegar Koshersalt 2quarts(1.9L)peanutoil Placepotatoesandvinegarinasaucepanandadd2quarts(1.9L)waterand2tablespoons(24g)salt.Bringtoaboiloverhighheat.Boilfor10minutes.Potatoesshouldbefullytender,butnotfallingapart.Drainandspreadonapapertowel–linedrimmedbakingsheet.Allowtodryfor5minutes. Meanwhile,heatoilina5-quartDutchovenorlargewokoverhighheatto400°F(204°C).Addone-thirdoffriestooil;oiltemperatureshoulddroptoaround360°F(182°C).Cookfor50seconds,agitatingoccasionallywithawiremeshspider,thenremovetoasecondpapertowel–linedrimmedbakingsheet.Repeatwithremainingpotatoes(workingin2morebatches),allowingoiltoreturnto400°Faftereachaddition.Allowpotatoestocooltoroomtemperature,about30minutes.Continuewithstep3,or,forbestresults,freezepotatoesatleastovernightorupto2months. Returnoilto400°Foverhighheat.Fryhalfofpotatoesuntilcrispandlightgoldenbrown,about31/2minutes,adjustingheattomaintainatemperatureofaround360°F.Draininabowllinedwithpapertowelsandseasonimmediatelywithkoshersalt.Cookedfriescanbekepthotandcrisponawireracksetinasheettrayina200°F(90°C)ovenwhilesecondbatchiscooked.Serveimmediately. Specialequipment Basicslicerorfullyequippedmandoline(optional),Dutchovenorwok,rimmedbakingsheet,wirerack,instant-readthermometer,wiremeshspider ThisRecipeAppearsIn KnifeSkills:HowtoCutFrenchFries NutritionFacts(perserving) 379 Calories 18g Fat 49g Carbs 6g Protein ShowFullNutritionLabel HideFullNutritionLabel × NutritionFacts Servings:4 Amountperserving Calories 379 %DailyValue* TotalFat18g 23% SaturatedFat3g 15% Cholesterol0mg 0% Sodium268mg 12% TotalCarbohydrate49g 18% DietaryFiber5g 19% TotalSugars2g Protein6g VitaminC19mg 94% Calcium41mg 3% Iron2mg 14% Potassium1248mg 27% *The%DailyValue(DV)tellsyouhowmuchanutrientinafoodservingcontributestoadailydiet.2,000caloriesadayisusedforgeneralnutritionadvice. (Nutritioninformationiscalculatedusinganingredientdatabaseandshouldbeconsideredanestimate.) MoreSeriousEatsRecipes WhyDoubleFryFrenchFries?|TheBurgerLab Extra-CrunchyHomemadePotatoChips|TheFoodLab DoesPre-BlanchingImprovePotatoChips? 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