Making the perfect chips yourself: easier said than done. I'm not talking about oven fries, wedges or other fakes - I want the original. In the second step, I try out a new method: double frying.
On my first attempt, I was still a long way from perfect fries. The portion made from waxy potatoes wasn't crispy and the one made from floury potatoes was too bland. As the flavour was different but present in both end products, I'm going to focus on the lack of crispiness next. I want to increase the crispiness on my second attempt, using a new approach. Double frying should bring me one step closer to the perfect homemade fries.
How long do I need to make the perfect homemade fries?
by Raphael Knecht
I start as I did on my first attempt: cut, wash and dry the potatoes. This time I wash the potato sticks in warm water to rinse out the starch a little better. This is nothing really new compared to the first time, but I would like to mention it anyway - because every detail could make all the difference in the end. I'm not changing anything about the ingredients: I'm still using both waxy and floury potatoes because I haven't been able to find a favourite so far. The big adjustment I'm planning is to the frying process. I will first deep-fry the cut, washed and dried potato sticks for three minutes at 150 degrees Celsius. Then I let them cool down to room temperature and deep-fry them a second time, but at 175 degrees Celsius and for four minutes. I use the same frying oil as for the first attempt. I clean it with a sieve to remove any residue.
The timer is set and the fries are ready for their first dip in the fat.
What does this do for the crispiness? What happens during double frying? Because frying oil has a much higher heat capacity than water, it transfers the heat directly to the food at temperatures of over 100 degrees - in my case, the potato sticks. This causes the water bound in the fries to evaporate. In the first frying process, a fine crust forms within fractions of a second, which is necessary for the crispiness and fat absorption in the second frying process. This crust is optimised if the fries are pre-cooked in a first step at low temperatures of around 150 degrees Celsius, cooled and then deep-fried at around 175 degrees. This ensures that no more water is carried from the inside of the potato sticks to the outside and that the temperature in the centre of the fries can also rise to over 100 degrees. The fries become golden yellow and nice and crispy - at least that's the theory of the Federal Centre for Nutrition
The deep fryer is warmed up and ready to heat up the fries.
Back to practice: I heat up the deep fryer, prepare the potato sticks and start again with the waxy potatoes, followed by their floury friends. After the first frying cycle, both varieties are - as expected - neither cooked through nor crispy. They are soggy, warm and greasy. I therefore leave them to drain and cool on a wire rack lined with kitchen paper. After a few hours - coincidentally just before dinner - they are ready for a second bath in the fat. It gets hotter and longer. I watch the timer eagerly as the last few seconds tick away and I can finally open the lid of the deep fryer a second time to release the chips. Have they turned out well? How much better are they than when I fried them once? The tension is almost unbearable. I'm also starting to get hungry.
Not really tasty: this is what the fries look like after the first frying.
The waxy potatoes are lighter in colour than after the first frying process. I notice this as soon as I lift the lid of the deep fryer and put it aside. The aroma of fried food fills my nose and my mouth is watering, but I still need a little patience. I pour the fries onto absorbent kitchen paper and can already hear that they are crispy. I can't resist, grab a fry, burn my fingers and the roof of my mouth, but I'm satisfied. The fries are actually much crispier than the first time I tried them. I was already impressed by their flavour after frying them once, and now they are even better. They are a little firmer on the inside, but also less creamy than the first time, which doesn't bother me too much. I also have the feeling that they are slightly greasier than in the first round. In any case, I have noticed a clear improvement and am delighted. Nevertheless, I am convinced that there is still a little more to be gained.
This is more like it: the firm fries after the second frying process.
My hunger is satisfied after the first portion of fries. But of course I also want to know how the floury potato sticks taste after frying them twice. As with the first attempt, they are much lighter in colour than their waxy counterparts. Here too, as soon as I empty the frying basket, I can tell that the fries must be crispier. The first bite confirms this impression. I missed the potato flavour when I fried them once. The flavour is now a little more intense, but it could be even stronger compared to the waxy fries. The fries are not too greasy and are nice and fluffy on the inside. In contrast to the waxy fries, they are still nice and crispy and tasty even after ten minutes in the fresh air. Compared to the first time, I find the increase in flavour more extreme with the chips with floury potatoes than with the waxy ones. But here, too, I have the feeling that this is not the end of the story.
Even the floury fries don't need to hide after frying twice.
I'm surprised again and again the surprise is positive: I wouldn't have thought that switching from one to two frying processes would have such a strong effect on the crispiness and flavour - and then in the right direction. If I were served my homemade fries in a restaurant, I would probably have few complaints. The only thing is that the waxy potato sticks could be a little crispier. I really liked the floury version. However, I have to say that if I hadn't made the first attempt, my judgement would probably have been somewhat different. Because the improvement is considerable - without it, I would probably have been stricter with the second version. Either way: I am a perfectionist and know that there is still room for improvement here too.
This already looks very good, but it could be even better.
So frying twice has helped: The fries become crispier and taste better. But I'm going one step further, taking the tips from the Community with me and washing the fries in boiling water before frying them next time. I'm also thinking about freezing the fries overnight after the first frying process. Do you have any other tips that I should bear in mind? Then let me know in the comments column. If you'd like to follow me on my journey to the perfect homemade fries and are hungry for more, then follow me by clicking on the "Follow author" button.
