The perfect french fries. French fries secrets. How to make french fries at home

Ludmila Yakovenko

Chef of the cafe "Youth"

French fries, also known as french fries or simply fries, are potatoes cut into cubes or slices, fried in hot fat of vegetable or animal origin.

Delicious french fries, cooked with due care, ennoble the food around them. But a tasteless, industrial one in a decent place can spoil any impression. I always order fries and beef tartare from places new to me - this is the best way to decide if I will come back here again.

What's wrong with frozen potatoes?

There is nothing wrong with frozen french fries. It can be prepared in two stages. On the first one, it is boiled or cooked in oil at a low temperature. At the second stage - brought to readiness in oil at high temperature. Between these stages, it can be frozen.

Another thing is if bad raw materials are used, or errors occur in the cooking technology. Then the potatoes can be oily or, conversely, dry, bitter, will not crunch.

What kind of potatoes are suitable?

There are big problems with raw materials in Moscow. In the markets they know only about two types of potatoes - white and red. Finding out which particular variety is on the counter, or buying potatoes of the same quality from the same supplier throughout the year, is almost impossible.

French fries need a root vegetable that is high in starch and low in moisture. Often these requirements are met by red-skinned varieties. Potatoes should not be too wet or too dry and in no case limp and flabby. Therefore, storage conditions are important. It is especially difficult to find suitable potatoes in the spring, before the new harvest.

From a good potato, you get fries with a golden crispy crust and fragrant dense pulp.

Harmful?

They say that what goes into your mouth is good. , my mentor and teacher, writes in his book "Under the Apron" that "separating food into healthy and unhealthy is a deeply discriminatory attitude, it always has the risk of being wrong" . I absolutely agree with this. Moreover, many ideas about harmful or useful are frankly contradictory.

Personally, I am for moderation and common sense. I do not believe in diets and food prohibitions, especially if they are not supported by the recommendation of the attending physician. I believe in the healing properties of a healthy appetite and a delicious dinner after six in a pleasant company. Craving French fries with mayonnaise? Don't deny yourself! It is foolish to deprive yourself of such a great pleasure, which is still available and not forbidden. (laughs). Modern man spends almost as much time and effort searching for and obtaining food as primitive man. And it's not a matter of survival.

Is it difficult to cook?

Delicious french fries can be made in a variety of ways, including at home (but why?).

First you need to have good potatoes. After that, it is necessary to correctly build the technological process depending on the equipment that you have and your task.

Cooking french fries in one step is almost impossible. It is important that the potatoes inside reach readiness, and the outside does not burn. For this method, it must be cut into thin strips, washed to get rid of excess starch, dried and deep-fried. You will need a powerful fryer with plenty of hot oil to keep the potatoes from overcooking. There is a chance that the finished fries will not crunch.

French fries in two steps

At Yunost, we prepare french fries in two steps. To begin with, we push the potatoes through a press, which carefully cuts them into cubes of the same thickness. We remove the thin side trimmings, they are doomed to burn out at the last stage and ruin everything. By the way, we use unpeeled potatoes - they have more flavor. After the sliced \u200b\u200bsticks, we deep-fry at a temperature of 130 degrees for six minutes. Then dry and lightly sprinkle with a mixture of cornstarch, powdered sugar and soda. Thanks to this, at the final stage, the potatoes are fried more intensively and become rosier.

The process of cooking french fries in the cafe "Youth"

The potatoes are ready for the final roast. Before that, it can either be shock-frozen, or cooled and stored in the refrigerator. In both cases, the potato loses excess moisture. Before getting to the table, the prepared potatoes are fried at a high temperature for about three minutes - until golden brown and crunchy.

Do I need to add salt to my portion?

French fries should be well salted immediately after frying. Terrible disappointment to come across unsalted french fries. Like any other food, it should reach the guest on the table perfectly balanced in taste so that the hand does not reach for the salt shaker.

With what sauce?

French fries can be eaten in a million different ways. With mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, spicy or cheese sauce, cold or hot. There is no wrong, "perverted" way to eat french fries - even with ice cream, it's great if it makes your stomach growl and salivate profusely. And don't deny yourself the pleasure of eating with your hands!

French fries in large fast food chains are an incredibly complex technological product that deserves interest and admiration when studying the issue in more detail. Plus it can be delicious. I love McDonald's potatoes, especially freshly fried and hot. I don't see anything shameful in this. It’s a pity I didn’t have time to catch the time when at McDonald’s French fries were cooked in melted beef fat.

Is it embarrassing for a restaurant to have french fries on the menu?

It makes no sense to divide food into worthy and unworthy of being on the restaurant menu. And you should not make a cult out of french fries. At its core, it differs little from a bowl of deliciously cooked rice.

French fries can become a part of any other product and acquire a new meaning and form, be an endless field for the chef's creativity. And to break the ossified clichés about food in restaurants and fast food.

Potatoes are not a native Russian product. It was already known 2.5 thousand years ago in Bolivia, and since the 16th century, when it was brought to Spain, it has become widely known throughout the world. It got to the point that the crop failure of this product caused famine in the country.

Potatoes came to Russia at the end of the 17th century from Holland, during the reign of Peter I, when he sent several bags to his homeland for selection. For some time, dishes from this product could only be tasted at the homes of rich people. And in the people, the potato was called the “devil's apple. There were even "potato riots", during which people died, just not to try the "foreign dish". But a little time passed - and at the end of the 20th century it was already the "second bread".

French fries: where do they come from?

It can be baked at home, boiled, baked in foil and, of course, fried. French fries are one of the most popular ways to prepare this product. It is named after the Belgian chef named Frite, who was the first to make the trade of french fries portable. But you don’t always want to go to fast food to enjoy it. It can also be prepared at home.

Of course, if you have a deep fryer, then making fries at home is generally simple - just read the instructions and you're done. But what if it's not there.

French fries secrets

At home, even without special equipment, making fries is easy.

First you need to take potatoes. The volume of the original product depends on how many servings you need. From 1 kg 600-700 grams of the finished product is obtained
In addition to it, you will need salt and vegetable oil
If you want the fries at home to turn out, like in McDonald's, crispy and tender, then in addition to butter, you will also need animal fat (pork, and preferably beef). Components are diluted in proportion 50/50
In order to make this dish at home, you should not use new potatoes, as they are loose and crumbly.

Tubers should be chosen approximately the same in size and even. We wash them, and then clean and cut into even sticks, no more than 1 cm thick
Wet pieces should not be used in any case. Dry them before frying. In order to do this at home, do not use paper towels, as they will get wet, and it will take a long time to peel the potatoes from pieces of paper. Better take a clean waffle

Making fries: step by step instructions

After the potatoes are prepared, you need to take a pan, or rather a cast-iron cauldron, as it holds the temperature more reliably
Then we take a mixture of oil and fat, about 1 liter, pour it into a container, which we begin to heat. To cook potatoes at home, it is necessary that the mixture boil. A sure sign of the beginning of this process is the bubbles rising from the bottom. In addition, this, you can check the readiness like this: take a piece of potato and lower it into the pan. If it immediately pops up surrounded by bubbles, then you can lay the rest

It is better to lower the potatoes into the boiling composition at home with a colander or sieve. Do not do this with bare hands - as the burn from the oil is very painful.
Making potatoes at home is not long, 2-3 minutes. After that, it is dried with a towel and, if it is necessary to prepare it for future use at home, it is frozen, if not, then we put it back into the pan and now fry until a golden crust appears, after which we put it in a colander so that the remaining fat drains and add spices to taste

If there are a lot of servings, then make sure that the oil level in the container does not decrease - the sticks should, ideally, float in a hot liquid. Therefore, it must be constantly topped up. And, of course, after the end of the process, the oil must be poured out at home, since a large amount of carcinogens has accumulated in it.

There is one secret: in order for the potatoes to turn out to be french fries at home, the potatoes need to be added in small portions, as it can lower the temperature in the container and make it the way you want it will not work.

So let's sum it up. To make fries at home you need:

1kg potatoes
1 l vegetable oil (or half a liter of oil and beef fat)
Saucepan or cast iron cauldron
Salt and other spices. They are best added just before serving. This will make the potatoes crispy.

Another recipe, replacement fries

There is another recipe for cooking this dish at home. Potatoes are also cut, egg whites are beaten with salt, and chopped and dried potatoes are poured with this mixture. The dish is prepared not in boiling oil, but in the oven.

If you don’t want to mess with potatoes at home or don’t have time for this, then ready-made frozen french fries are sold in any supermarket. It is she who is used in catering for the preparation of this dish.

A little time and patience and everything will work out. Bon Appetit!

Practically not a single day of our life is complete without the so-called "second" bread. And if it is no longer possible to surprise anyone with fried, boiled or mashed potatoes, then french fries at home are considered a delicacy that is difficult to refuse. Most often, in order not to bother with cooking, we prefer to eat french fries in some cozy place or buy a semi-finished product - frozen french fries in bags. All thoughts about the harmfulness and calorie content of this product fade into the background when remembering an appetizing crispy dish with a golden fried crust and a soft tender middle.

But maybe it's still worth trying to cook french fries at home? This option has many more advantages. The first and most important, perhaps, plus is that a dish prepared at home is much healthier than purchased fast food. All ingredients are fresh, processed and prepared by your own hands or under your guidance, but again in front of your eyes. The second plus is, without a doubt, the material side of the issue. Making french fries at home is much cheaper than buying one. In addition, you can cook it as much as you like. In a word, your household will be satisfied and happy if you one day announce to them your decision to cook french fries at home.

The classic recipe for making french fries at home is quite simple. To prepare it, you do not need to have special skills and super-culinary skills, but you just need to have high-quality products available. The main ingredient - potatoes - must be ripe, not too large, without damage or defects. You should not use for cooking a vegetable that contains a lot of starch, as well as young potatoes that do not yet have the desired density and pronounced taste. And, of course, immediately get rid of the green tubers. They contain the poisonous substance solanine.

Vegetable oil, salt and spices - that's all you need to make french fries at home. You just need to cut the potatoes into long sticks and fry them in batches in vegetable oil. Moreover, preference in this case should be given to refined deodorized oil. Which one? You choose. Now let's take a closer look at some of the recipes. After all, as you know, there are simply no two identical recipes in the world, each one has its own little secret. And who, if not us, is always ready and happy to share with you even the most secret secrets.

French fries "For the whole family"

Ingredients:
1 kg potatoes
200 ml vegetable oil,
salt, spices, herbs - to taste and desire.

Cooking:
Choose a medium sized potato, wash it thoroughly and peel it. Cut the finished tubers into cubes about 1x1 cm in size. By the way, potatoes can be cut with a curly knife. It will turn out not only tasty, but also beautiful. Put the sliced sticks on a paper towel and blot them, removing excess moisture. What is it for? The answer is simple: so that when they are immersed in oil, it does not shoot and burn you. Next, take a deep frying pan, stewpan or just a saucepan, heat the oil and in portions so that the oil covers the potatoes, fry the sticks over medium heat, stirring so that they do not burn and brown on all sides. To determine that the oil in the container you have chosen for cooking has warmed up to the desired temperature, carefully dip one piece of potato into it. If it floats, surrounded by bubbles of oil, then you can lay out the rest.
Remove the fried potatoes with a slotted spoon, place them on a dish lined with paper towels to remove excess oil, and cook the next batch. Transfer the finished potatoes to another dish, sprinkle it with your favorite spices or chopped herbs and serve. Salt french fries also need to be ready, just before serving.

French fries "Crunchy pleasure"

Ingredients:
8 medium potatoes
200 ml vegetable oil,
200 g wheat flour,
3 pinches of salt.

Cooking:
The principle of cooking crispy potatoes is almost the same as in the previous recipe. You also select and prepare potato tubers for cooking, cut them into neat sticks or straws of the size you need. But then take a deep bowl, pour flour mixed with salt into it, dip the chopped potatoes into this mixture and mix it with flour, thus breading each slice. In a saucepan or any other deep container convenient for cooking, heat the oil and put potato pieces breaded in flour and salt in small portions so that they float freely in the oil without sticking together and preventing each other from getting a delicious golden color. Gently stir the potatoes while frying with a spatula, being careful not to damage the slices. Put the pieces that have reached readiness on a paper towel, let the excess fat drain and transfer to another dish. Serve crispy French fries prepared according to this recipe with any sauce, such as white, garlic or mustard. It will not only complement the dish, but also add spice to it.

French fries "Gentle", cooked in the oven

Ingredients:
8 medium sized potatoes
3 egg whites
salt, paprika - to taste.

Cooking:
All using the same technology, prepare the potatoes and cut them into cubes. Take a deep bowl, beat the egg whites with salt in it, add the prepared potato pieces and mix so that each piece is completely covered with the protein mixture. Preheat the oven to 200-220ºС. Take a baking sheet, cover it with parchment paper, spread the potatoes evenly over its surface and sprinkle it with paprika on top. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the potato slices for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until golden brown. Alternatively, instead of paprika, you can use garlic oil, prepared as follows: mix 2 chopped garlic cloves with oil, add spices if desired, pour this mixture over the potatoes laid out on a baking sheet and bake in the oven. Do not forget to salt the finished french fries to taste. Garlic oil will give the dish a tantalizing, mouth-watering flavor, and the potato itself will simply not come off.

French fries with spices in breadcrumbs "Big Portion"

Ingredients:
2 kg potatoes,
100 g vegetable oil,
100 g breadcrumbs.
2 tsp paprika,
2 tsp ground cumin,
1 pinch red ground pepper,
salt, black ground pepper - to taste.

Cooking:
Cut the washed, dried and already peeled potatoes into cubes. Although why, in fact, with bars? Cut it as you like: into strips, neat slices, using all kinds of tools for this - knives with corrugated edges or vegetable cutters. The shape that you give the potatoes will absolutely not affect the taste of the finished dish, but it can make it much more interesting and original in terms of appearance. Place the potato pieces prepared and dried with napkins in a deep bowl, sprinkle them with oil and mix so that the oil evenly covers each piece. In another bowl, prepare the dry mixture: mix the breadcrumbs, red and black ground peppers, paprika, ground cumin. Roll the potatoes in this fragrant spicy mixture, put them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, and bake in an oven preheated to 200 ° C for 30 minutes, while not forgetting to turn the potato slices from time to time so that they are baked evenly on all sides. Please note: the potatoes have become golden, so take them out of the oven, put them on a dish, salt, season with fresh chopped herbs, and serve as a side dish or as a separate independent dish, in this case, prepare any sauce for french fries.

French fries cooked in lard with spices and Rustic sauce

Why such a strange combination, you ask, french fries and suddenly - "Rustic". Already in the village, it’s definitely not up to french fries, but the very combination of two primordially Russian products, potatoes and bacon, this unique aroma during cooking, is carried away by memories to the village, to her grandmother, to her ordinary potatoes fried in lard, which was tastier than anything in the world.

Ingredients:
6 potatoes
150-200 g of lard,
3 garlic cloves,
a mixture of ground peppers - to taste.
For sauce:
50 g mayonnaise,
50 g ketchup.

Cooking:
Cut the fat into large cubes and send it to the frying pan to melt. Cut the potatoes into cubes, matches or straws of the same size. Moreover, the same size when cooking french fries at home really plays an important role. The same size of all pieces allows them to fry evenly and almost at the same time. When the fat is completely melted, send the potato slices to the pan. It is better to do it in small portions. Fry until golden brown, then put the finished potato pieces on paper napkins, let the excess fat go away, salt and season them with spices while hot, and prepare the sauce. To do this, pour mayonnaise and ketchup into the gravy boat, squeeze garlic through the press to them and mix everything so that the mass is homogeneous.

If the house has a deep fryer, then the cooking process is simplified. If not, try experimenting and making French fries at home, such as in a slow cooker or microwave. We have a couple of such options.

French fries in a slow cooker "Home-style"

Ingredients:
1 kg potatoes
1 liter vegetable oil
salt - to taste,
spices, herbs, sauce for the finished dish - also to taste.

Cooking:
Cut the selected, washed and peeled potatoes first into 1 cm thick plates, and them into sticks of the same thickness. Dip the chopped sticks for 10 minutes in cold, downright icy water. Then remove from the water, lay on a clean towel in an even layer and blot on top with another towel. Let the potatoes dry, and set the "Baking" mode for 1 hour. Pour the oil into the multicooker bowl and, while it is still not too warm, pour in a portion of potatoes and fry for 8 minutes. Of course, it will be more convenient to fry in a special wire basket, lowering it with potatoes into oil, but if there is none, just fry the potatoes in a bowl, and take out the finished ones with a slotted spoon. Fry with the lid open, remembering to stir so that the potatoes do not overcook. Lay the cooked potatoes out on a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Then lower the new portion. When the potatoes are all fried, heat the oil a second time and fry the potatoes a second time, but this time dip them in the oil for no more than 2 minutes. Put the potatoes on paper towels again and, when the excess oil is gone, transfer them to a wide dish, salt, sprinkle with spices and finely chopped herbs if desired, and serve the sauce to the finished dish.

French fries in the microwave

Ingredients:
1 kg potatoes
2 tbsp. l. vegetable oil,
1 clove of garlic
salt, spices - to taste.

Cooking:
Pierce potatoes cut into cubes and dried with napkins with a toothpick, and each slice without exception. Put in a bowl, pour in vegetable oil, add salt, pepper, chopped garlic clove and mix everything. Put the finished mass in the baking sleeve, tie it tightly from the sides, make punctures at the top to release steam and bake in the microwave at full power for 10-15 minutes.

And so that you do not waste your precious time looking for a sauce recipe, we are attaching a couple of recipes for simply amazing sauces.

Recipe #1: take 200 ml of yogurt, add a little chopped garlic, dill, lemon juice, just a little vegetable oil and grated fresh cucumber to it. Stir and refrigerate while french fries cook.

Recipe #2: take 50 g of soft cheese and 200 ml of cream. Mash the cheese in a small amount of cream, dilute 10 g of starch in the remaining cream. Put the cheese mixture on a small fire and, gradually pouring in the cream mixed with starch, bring the mixture to a thickening. Remove from heat, add dry basil, dill, salt and spices to taste.

When cooking french fries at home, do not use vegetable oil twice. And remember that frequent use of french fries is undesirable, but it’s not forbidden to treat yourself to them from time to time!

Bon appetit and new culinary discoveries!

Larisa Shuftaykina

Greetings, friends, last time we baked. And today I want to continue the topic of cooking simple and very tasty dishes from this vegetable. I bring to your attention a selection of no less tasty and beloved fries.

To do this, it is not necessary to have a special device on the farm - a deep fryer. A dish with no less success can be fried in a pan, cooked in a slow cooker or baked in the oven. We will dwell on all the ways to prepare a hot snack at home so that you can choose the most delicious and best option for yourself.

Of course, you can go to the nearest McDonald's and try the fried potatoes there. And you can make your favorite dish right now in your kitchen. After all, everything that is done with soul and with your own hands turns out to be much more successful and tastier than what is sold in catering establishments. And if you follow our recommendations, you will get just as tasty and even better!

How to cook french fries at home like in McDonald's

To prepare the dish, as I said, we will be without a deep fryer in a large amount of vegetable oil. I advise the last to stock up so that it is enough to fry potatoes. And we also need a deep container - a saucepan, a cauldron or a saucepan. The recipe itself is simple, even a beginner can handle it.

Ingredients:

Potatoes - 3-5 pcs.
Salt - to taste
Vegetable oil - for frying

The potatoes turned out great - with a crispy golden crust on the outside and tender-soft inside. Sprinkle lightly with salt before serving. Bon Appetit!

The most delicious french fries recipe in the oven (no deep fryer)

This method will appeal to those who are trying not to burden their stomach with fried foods. It's no secret that baked is much healthier than fried. And if you also cook delicious potatoes, then crunching with thin fried pieces of fries will be a pleasure!

Ingredients:

0.5 kg - potatoes
1 st. l. - vegetable oils
spices, spicy dry herbs and salt - to taste

Awesomely delicious, saturated with all the aromas of dry herbs and spices, potatoes with a crispy golden brown crust are ready! Serve it in a duet with cheese, tomato or. Bon Appetit!

How to fry french fries in a pan?

Frying potatoes in a pan is easy. It will only be necessary to cut it properly. The process itself is easy and does not require special skills, well, except for the acquisition of dexterity.

Ingredients:

7 potatoes
salt - to taste
vegetable oil - for frying

Serve cooked potatoes with a crispy golden crust with sauce, herbs, or vegetable salad.

How to make french fries in a slow cooker - a step by step recipe

If you have a slow cooker, use our recipe for cooking fried potatoes in it. I have no doubt that the result will delight you and your loved ones. And this dish will become very frequent on your family table.

We will need:

Potato - 500 g
Vegetable oil - 1.5 l
Black ground pepper with salt - to taste

Ketchup or other suitable sauce will be a great addition. Bon Appetit!

Video recipe for cooking french fries in a deep fryer

I suggest watching this video, which shows how you can cook a dish using a deep fryer according to the simplest recipe. You may want to buy this device in order to pamper your family with tasty and mouth-watering potatoes as often as possible.

How to freeze french fries at home

In one of the previous recipes, the advice was given to freeze julienned potatoes before frying. Then you are guaranteed to get a crispy crust in the finished dish. Therefore, now I will tell you in detail how this can be done at home. It is always convenient to have such a semi-finished product on hand. I wanted to please the family with fried potatoes - I took out the right amount from the freezer and after 10 minutes a delicious crispy hot appetizer or side dish for meat is ready!

What we need:

Potatoes - 8 medium pcs.
Salt - 1 tbsp. l.
Sugar - 1 tbsp. l.

After this time, you can cook your favorite french fries in any of the ways described above. Choose the one you like best!

Friends, in what way do you prefer to cook potatoes - boil, fry, mash them? If you haven't tried homemade French fries yet, be sure to check out this delicious selection of recipes. I have no doubt that the first time you will get a deliciously savory dish. After all, it is absolutely easy to prepare it, it takes a little time, and the result is excellent.

French fries- a delicious snack that many people like to treat themselves to in fast food restaurants. But at home it is not so easy to cook it, especially if there is no deep fryer at hand. In fact, it is possible to fry potatoes in oil so that the crust is golden and crispy, and the middle is soft. The main thing is to know one trick, peeped in the kitchen of the McDonald`s network.

In order to cook french fries, you will need a minimum of products - potatoes (preferably large hard tubers), vegetable oil, salt and ... sugar. The first rule to follow: if possible, try to use any kitchen tool with which you can cut potatoes into cubes. So the pieces will be approximately the same, and they will need the same time to fry (otherwise you risk getting half-done in places, and in places burnt potatoes).

Sliced potatoes will need to be left for half an hour in a solution prepared from water with the addition of a spoonful of sugar and a spoonful of salt. Salt and sugar in equal proportions practically neutralize each other, but after frying, the french fries will have the taste of fast food so beloved by many. During the time that the potato slices stay in the water, excess starch will stand out from them, and when frying, they will not disintegrate.

The next step is drying the potatoes. The slices need to be taken out of the water, laid out on a dry textile or paper towel, covered with another one on top and allowed to dry completely. After - put in a plastic container or a regular plastic bag and put in the freezer. This is another secret of fast food chains: french fries are always frozen in boiling oil. Thanks to this trick, he remains soft inside.

It is convenient to fry potatoes in an ordinary frying pan, for this purpose it is not necessary to use a pan or deep fryer. Heat enough oil when the potato slices are completely frozen and load it in portions for frying. When immersing potatoes in oil, you will see hiss and hear crackling, this is how the reaction should be. One serving is fried for 5-8 minutes, the potatoes should acquire a characteristic golden hue.

When the potatoes are ready, take them out with a slotted spoon. It is advisable to put in a colander so that the excess oil is glass. If desired, you can spread it on paper towels, but this method will take a little longer. In principle, this completes the cooking of french fries. It remains to sprinkle lightly with salt (optional) and serve hot with tomato sauce. Bon Appetit!