French fries are one of the most beloved treats in American culture, but for something so simple, they certainly are one of the hardest things to get exactly right. For those who like their fries crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, getting a perfect fry might seem like an almost impossible task. Cook it for too long, and you’ve got a crunchy outside, but nothing to enjoy in the center. Using too much oil yields the soft middle, but there won’t be anything crispy about the fries.
So what’s a home chef to do? Luckily, making the perfect fries doesn’t have to be a frustrating endeavor as long as you prepare the potatoes the right way. Check out the next slide to see how to do that!
Choose The Right Potatoes For What You’re Trying To Achieve
When you’re making French fries, most of the work happens before you even get the potatoes in the oven. To get the right potatoes for French fries, you need starch and not much moisture. Russet potatoes are perfect for this job, and all you have to do if you don’t mind skin is slice them on the thin side of thick and dry them off. Potatoes have a high moisture content, and if you remember the old cliche, oil and water don’t mix. Homemade fries need some fat to get the perfect taste, and if your potatoes are too moist, the oil or butter won’t be able to stick to them.
How should you place your fries in the oven once they’re sliced?
My Personal Space!
You’re making French fries here, not sardines. Unlike the ones above, your fries will need space to expand and breathe in order to get that perfectly crisp texture. If your fries don’t have enough space to grow, the pressure of being confined will instead cause them to steam up. Steam is great for many things, but crisping something up is definitely not one of them. If you have to bake your fries in two batches to feed everyone, that’s fine.
It’s better to wait an extra 20 minutes to get two things of great fries than it is to get fast fries that are mediocre. Any fast food restaurant can provide those; if you’re taking the time to cook at home, you want your fries to be perfect.
But how?
The Secret Is Steak
One thing to try to reach that goal is changing the way you look at the fries. If you’re trying to get a crisp outside and a tender middle, the best example of that elsewhere in the world of food is a steak. Every chef tries to get their steak a nice sear before cooking the middle until it’s got the perfect texture.
You’re trying to do something similar with your fries by cooking the outside quickly and cooking the interior more slowly.
The best way to do that is to copy the techniques used by steak experts: a good amount of fat and some high heat. You want to make sure your oven has properly and completely preheated before the fries touch the oven, and adding some oil to the baking sheet is a great way to get them sizzling immediately when they hit the heat. A great tip here is to preheat the oven before you begin slicing your potatoes. By the time you’re done with preparation, your oven should be ready to cook them to golden-brown perfection.
Like most dishes, the secret to perfectly crisp French fries is simple preparation and planning. If you’re able to take the time to completely prepare everything, your reward will be a perfectly crisp plate of fries every time you pull them out of the oven — that is, if the rest of your family doesn’t beat you to them!
