Why do the French fries you get at restaurants tend to be much crispier than the ones you make at home?
No, its okay don’t think so hard.
One reason has to do with the cooking technique. Another advantage restaurants have is in their equipment — commercial-grade deep-fryers with really accurate temperature controls. But an even bigger advantage comes from the way restaurants use their oil. If you’re going to make french fries at home, you’re probably going to use fresh cooking oil straight from the bottle. And as it turns out, fresh oil isn’t the best oil to use for French fries.
No I don’t mean old oil either ;/
When oil is heated, it starts to break down. And oil that has slightly broken down actually produces crispier French fries than fresh oil. It has to do with how effectively the oil molecules bond with the food, and fresher oil doesn’t bond as well. The best oil is oil that’s been used continuously for a while. It’s all science. Lol
Another restaurant trick is to blanch the fries in water, then freeze them, which allows more of the potato’s moisture to escape, thus producing a crispier fry. And generally speaking, restaurants fry their French fries twice — once at a lower temperature to cook the inside of the fry, and then a second time at a higher temperature to brown the exterior. In easy words:
Method:
– Peel and square off potato ends
– Cut fries into three eighths of an inch batons then soak for two hours changing water after an hour
– Dry thoroughly with paper towels
– Heat about an inch of oil (just enough to cover potatoes) in a large pot to 290 degrees
– Blanch potatoes gently for about two minutes
– Place on a paper-towel lined sheet pan and cool in the refrigerator to stop cooking process
– Re-heat oil to 370 degrees, cook fries until golden and crispy, about 3 to 4 minutes
– Remove from pan and toss with salt to taste and serve immediately
Now, this shouldn’t discourage you from trying to make fries if you’re lazy a anything. But it should give you an idea of why restaurant fries tend to be crispier. And I know it doesn’t matter you’ll still order anyway.. *highfive*
Kluchit Staff
Maryam Khurram
