Best Slow Fried French Fries Recipes

PERFECT FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• Peel and rinse the potatoes. Then cut them into sticks by cutting the potato in 4 or 5 vertical pieces, and then cutting each piece into sticks.
• Place them in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Allow them to soak, 2 to 3 hours. (You can also stick them in the fridge and let them soak overnight.)
• When you're ready to make the fries, drain off the water and lay the potatoes on 2 baking sheets lined with paper towels. Blot with paper towels to dry them.
• Heat a few inches of oil in a heavy pot to 300 degrees F. In 3 or 4 batches, cook the potatoes until soft, 4 to 5 minutes per batch. They should not be brown at this point! You just want to start the cooking process. Remove each batch and drain on new/dry paper towels.
• Once all the potatoes have been fried at 300 degrees F, turn up the heat until the oil reaches 400 degrees F. When the oil's hot, start frying the potatoes in batches again, cooking until the fries are golden and crisp. Remove the potatoes from the oil and drain on paper towels.
• Sprinkle with sea salt and dive in!

PERFECT FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• Peel and rinse the potatoes. Cut each potato lengthwise into 4 or 5 pieces, then cut each piece into sticks. The thinner these are, the crispier they will be. Place the fries in a large bowl. Cover with cold water, then allow them to soak 2 or 3 hours (or you can stick them in the fridge and let them soak overnight).
• When you're ready to make the fries, drain the water and lay the potatoes on 2 baking sheets lined with paper towels. Blot with paper towels to dry.
• Heat a few inches of vegetable oil to 300 degrees F in a heavy pot. In 3 or 4 batches, fry the potatoes about 4 to 5 minutes per batch, or until soft. They should not be brown at all at this point-you just want to start the cooking process. Remove each batch and drain them on new, dry paper towels.
• Once all the potatoes have been fried at 300 degrees F, turn up the heat until the oil temperature reaches 400 degrees F. When the oil is hot, start frying the potatoes in batches again, cooking until golden and crisp. Remove from the oil and drain on fresh paper towels. Sprinkle the fries with sea salt and dive in with the ketchup-mayo mixture.

CHEF JOHN'S FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• Soak potatoes in a large bowl of water for about 30 minutes. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Gently add the potatoes in the hot oil for about 5 minutes, stirring and flipping the potatoes occasionally. Remove potatoes from oil with a slotted spoon to drain on paper towel and to cool completely.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Fry the potatoes again until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Blot with a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt to serve.

FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• Peel potatoes and cut them lengthwise into slices, 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick, keeping the slices together. Give the sliced potato a quarter turn and cut slices into strips. Soak in cold water at least 30 minutes or overnight.
• Drain potatoes and pat dry. Place them in a deep heavy pot and pour in vegetable oil to cover, plus an inch or two. Heat to a bare simmer and let potatoes cook slowly for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until very soft.
• Raise the heat to medium. Line a large bowl with paper towels. Let potatoes fry in bubbling oil until golden and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes more.
• Lift out potatoes and place in a paper towel-lined bowl. Shake to drain, remove paper towels, add salt, and shake again. Serve immediately!

FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• Working quickly, remove the fries from the cold water, and drain off as much water as you can without breaking the fries. Discard the water, and place the fries in a large, wide, heavy-bottomed pot. Cover with 2 1/2 quarts of clean, cold water, and add the vinegar. Bring to a low boil for 6 minutes. The fries should be cooked through but not falling apart. Remove the fries with a slotted spoon or spider onto a baking sheet fitted with a paper-towel-lined rack. Cool and dry the potatoes on the rack.
• Once the potatoes are cool and dry, prepare your deep fryer. Heat the 3 quarts of canola oil in a large Dutch oven (at least a 5 quart). Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the fryer, and heat until the gauge reads 395. Working in three batches, add the fries to the oil, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or spider, remove the fries and place on another baking sheet fitted with a paper-towel-lined rack. Repeat with the rest of the fries until all of them have been blanched in the oil for 1 1/2 minutes.
• Let the fries cool and dry on the rack for 1 hour, and then gently place them in a large, plastic food-storage container, being careful not to break the fries. Cover, and freeze overnight. Cool, strain and reserve the canola oil.
• The following day, reheat the reserved canola oil in the Dutch oven. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the fryer, and heat the oil until the gauge reads 395. Working in three batches, add the fries to the oil, and cook until the fries are light golden in color, about 4 minutes. Agitate the fries with a slotted spoon or spider during the cooking process to ensure even cooking. Adding the fries will have lowered the temperature of your fryer but adjust as needed in order to maintain 375. (It is better for your fryer to be below 375 rather than over it.)
• Remove the fries from the oil into a metal bowl lined with paper towels. Season all over with kosher salt, and serve at once.

SLOW FRIED FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• Peel 2 lb of potatoes; cut into long french-fry sticks, about 3/8 x 3/8 inches thick. Rinse; shake off water.
• Transfer potatoes to a large deep heavy pot, spreading potatoes so they're no more than 2 layers deep. Pour in oil to cover potatoes by 1 inch. Place pot over medium heat. Cook for 15 minutes (oil will begin bubbling gently).
• Continue cooking, occasionally loosening potatoes from the bottom of the pot with a heatproof spatula, until potatoes are very tender, 25-30 minutes more. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until golden and crisp, about 15 minutes longer (oil will bubble more vigorously).
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer fries to paper towels to drain. Season with coarse sea salt.

EASIER FRENCH FRIES - COLD OIL METHOD (COOK'S ILLUSTRATED)

Steps:

• Combine potatoes and oil in large Dutch oven. Cook over high heat until oil has reached a rolling boil, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook, without stirring, until potatoes are limp but exteriors are beginning to firm, about 12-15 minutes.
• Using tongs, stir potatoes, gently scraping up any that stick, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, 5-10 minutes longer.
• Using skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer fries to thick paper bag or paper towels. Season with salt and serve immediately.

HOMEMADE CRISPY SEASONED FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• Slice potatoes into French fries, and place into cold water so they won't turn brown while you prepare the oil.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. While the oil is heating, sift the flour, garlic salt, onion salt, (regular) salt, and paprika into a large bowl. Gradually stir in enough water so that the mixture can be drizzled from a spoon.
• Dip potato slices into the batter one at a time, and place in the hot oil so they are not touching at first. The fries must be placed into the skillet one at a time, or they will clump together. Fry until golden brown and crispy. Remove and drain on paper towels.

FRENCH FRIES

Steps:

• Peel the potatoes and cut into 1cm-thick batons. Put into a bowl of cold water and leave to soak for at least 2 hrs to remove the starch from the potatoes - this will help them crisp while frying.
• Drain the potatoes well and pat dry with kitchen paper. Fill a deep pan no more than a third full with oil and heat to 140C, or until a cube of bread dropped in browns in 60 seconds. Fry the French fries in batches for 6 mins per batch until golden straw-coloured, cooked through and lightly crisp. Drain well on kitchen paper.
• Turn the heat up until the oil reaches 180C, or a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Fry the French fries again for 2-3 mins per batch until lightly golden and really crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and immediately season with sea salt.