Want fries (chips) that are better than fast food ones? Discover the secrets to prepare them at home
One of the most delicious dishes that we learn to love from an early age are certainly fries (French fries / chips). There is virtually no person in the world who does not find themselves craving a portion of fries from time to time, and it is no coincidence that they are among the most successful side dishes of any meal in the famous fast food chains, but they are always very welcome in restaurants too and even at home.
The ones we prepare ourselves, however, do not always have exactly the flavor and texture that we can enjoy in a McDonald's or some other fast food joint that has impressed us. But what's the secret to making loads of terrific french fries - crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside? Read on to find out how to cook these little marvels:
Obviously, ingredients have priority: good quality potatoes (spuds) start with a huge advantage over cheaper others, so it's worth looking for the ones you really like in the shops (supermarkets, street markets, fruit and vegetables shops ...) in the surrounding area. Others will also be tasty to use in the other countless dishes which you can use them in. The same thing must be said about the oil with which you will fry the chips / fries. Choosing an olive oil or one of oil-bearing seeds or some other type of oil is a matter of taste, but even here, quality makes all the difference. If you want to fry Belgian style, then you should choose lard!
The potatoes must be cut into thick slices lengthwise, each of which will then be cut again lengthwise in order to create sticks with a more or less square cross-section. However, if you prefer large wedges, you can also cut them that way. After cutting the potatoes, dry them well by dabbing them with kitchen paper or paper straw.
Then there is an optional step: for some it is a must, for others it is not necessary ... it will be up to you to experiment to understand if it is worth it or not. It involves blanching the potatoes in boiling water. Here too, there are two schools of thought: there are those who put the potatoes in the pot with hot water, and holds them there until the water comes to boil, then waits a further 5 minutes from the start of boiling to remove them; then there are those who, instead. drop the spuds in water only when it has started to boil, and keeping them there for 5 to 10 minutes. In any case, as soon as you take them out of the water you must dry them quickly (otherwise there will be a lot of splashes when they come in contact with the hot oil) and immediately drop them into the oil.
So we come to the most important "secret" - the one relating to the act of frying itself. The trick to getting the right consistency is to fry the potatoes twice (each time for approximately 5 minutes). The first time at a lower temperature, about 160°C (320°F), and then the second at 180°C (356 - 360°F).
The starch method
There are also those who use a different trick, in which they use cornstarch and vinegar.
This method involves immersing the potatoes cut into strips into a bowl full of water, in which you will also pour 50 ml of white vinegar. You have to keep the potatoes immersed for a few minutes, then drain them well and put them in another container (lined with absorbent paper, to remove excess moisture). Then sprinkle the still raw potatoes with a tablespoon of corn starch (alternatively, potato starch). Mix with your hands and then move on to frying, regular or double frying, whichever method you prefer.
Which of the two methods is your favorite?
