I have been getting asked how I make my french fries I make for friends for over a decade, today I will explain. Its one of the few foods I cook with molecular gastronomy in mind. Like any good cooking, it is not about a recipe in terms of specifics, but of concepts. In this case: soak, rinse, dry, blanch, rinse, dry, freeze, fry, dry, fry. I cut the potatoes the unofficial standard 3/8 width, either by hand, or using a Julienne press. I soak them over night in cold water saline solution to de-starch them and salt them within, with a quick pour of vinegar too. The next day I will blanch them for 7-8 minutes. I dry them off, and then often I freeze them. This takes care of getting rid of most of the starch in them. Fries are one of the foods that taste better when frozen first, as the science behind it is keeping the inner temperature down for fluffy white potato goodness, while making the outside crisp, this is the holy grail that Everyone from McDonalds to Balthazar is seeking. When I deep fry them, I indeed do the french double dip method, which is to par cook them at one temperature (usually around 315º), take them out and dry them, bring up the oil to 345º+ and finish them. I dry them and salt them immediately afterwards. Takeaway: Rinse them as best you can to de-starch, and use the double dip deep fry method where you finish them at a hotter temperature.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 17:29:42 +0000