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How’s Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. There are 18 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 393,021 times. French fries are one of those foods that everyone can agree on, no matter how picky an eater they are.
Most people get their fries at restaurants or in the frozen section at the grocery store, but the best way to enjoy them is to prepare them yourself at home. All you need is a deep fryer, lots of clean oil, and enough potatoes to satisfy your hunger. Wash your potatoes with cool, clean water. Place your potatoes in a colander or wire strainer and give them a good dousing, or hold them under the faucet and rinse them off one-by-one. Use the pads of your fingers or a stiff-bristled brush to scrub away clinging dirt and debris. When you’re done, shake off the excess water.
If you’re a stickler for food safety, you can also soak your potatoes for 2-5 minutes in your own all-natural vegetable wash made from water, white vinegar, and lemon juice. Remember, potatoes grow in the ground, so it’s always a good idea to make sure they’re nice and clean before cooking with them. Cut the potatoes in half down the middle. Lay out your potatoes on a cutting board or scratch-resistant surface and run a sharp knife through the center of each. Be sure to cut them lengthwise rather than widthwise to ensure that your fries don’t come out short and stubby.
There’s no need to peel your potatoes unless they’re particularly dirty, or you prefer them without the skins. If you do decide to peel them, use a veggie peeler with a wide blade to save time. Longer potatoes tend to make for better French fries. Rest each bisected potato against your cutting board flat-side-down and slice it longways 3-4 times. Doing so will reduce it to more manageable sections that you can then easily cut into individual fries of your preferred thickness. For especially large potatoes, you may need to make 1 or 2 extra cuts to simplify the task of slicing. Work your way down the line turning each piece into 6-8 fries.
Try to keep your cuts as consistent as you can. Once you’ve sliced your last potato, gather up the fries and transfer them to an empty, spacious serving or mixing bowl. You can also cut your fries smaller, if you like. This will require making finer, more precise cuts, though, so watch your fingers. It’s okay if not all of your fries are exactly the same thickness.
Just make sure there’s not such a size difference that they cook unevenly. Tip: Investing in a vegetable slicer with interchangeable blades will allow you to make your own fun and tasty shoestring, curly, or waffle fries. Soak your sliced potatoes in cold water for 30 minutes to an hour. Fill the bowl with fresh water until the potatoes are completely immersed. Keep an eye on the clock as they soak. Once they’ve sat for half an hour or so, it will be time to drain them and get cooking. Alternatively, you can soak your potatoes for 2-3 hours or even overnight the day before you fry them, though this isn’t a necessity.
Giving your potatoes a good soak is optional, but it will reduce the amount of starch in the potatoes, preventing them from browning prematurely in the deep fryer. 3 of the way with your preferred frying oil. Pour in the oil until it reaches the indicated fill line. Deep fryers are designed to get real hot real fast, so it’s important to use an oil with a high smoke point. Peanut, canola, vegetable, and sunflower oil are all good choices.
If you use an oil with a low smoke point, such as extra virgin olive or avocado, there’s a chance that it could burn before you cook time is up, ruining your fries in the process. Turn on your deep fryer and let it begin warming up. If your machine has a lid, make sure it’s on and secure at this point to help lock in heat. Most electric deep fryers will get to their target temperature within 10-20 minutes.