Get ready to ditch those frozen fries for fresh, crisp, golden bites of heaven. Those bites that remind you of your favorite bar, restaurant, or fast food joint but that you don’t have to take your pajamas off to enjoy. Learning how to make french fries is simple and oh, so rewarding. Homemade french fries are healthier, cheaper, and easy to freeze for future meals.
Homemade French Fries
What’s the secret to a delicious homemade french fry? It’s as simple as making sure to remove a good amount of starch and moisture from your potatoes. In this recipe, we soak the potatoes in cold water and then pat them dry well to ensure a crispy fry. Ok, there might be one more secret….we use beef tallow for frying our french fries, because (in an unbiased opinion) it’s the best!
We’ll walk you through some healthy frying oils so you can avoid the cheap, processed oils that you’ll get outside of your home cooking. You can use these techniques for making homemade french fries for frying (as we do) or for cooking up fries in your oven or air fryer.
Choosing Your Frying Oil
The qualities of a good frying oil include high smoke point, stability, neutral flavor, and cost. We also take into account its healthiness in our household. For more in-depth information on the healthiest oils to fry with, check out this blog post.
Our four recommended oils include:
Beef Tallow- This is my favorite frying oil and the one we use in this recipe. We get beef suet from our butcher for FREE and render it down to use as a cooking and frying oil. So, it is potentially an extremely economical oil.
Avocado Oil- It has a high smoke point of 520°F (270°C) and has a relatively neutral flavor with a slightly nutty taste.
Coconut Oil- It is known for its unique composition of fatty acids, particularly a high concentration of saturated fats. It has a high smoke point, typically around 400 degrees F. Coconut oil can have a distinct flavor, but for savory recipes like this one, I find it compliments the overall flavor well.
Ghee- Ghee has a rich, nutty flavor and a high smoke point of around 450 degrees F. It’s a source of fat-soluble vitamins like A, E, and D, which are essential for various bodily functions. If you make your own, it becomes a cheaper option than in the store.
The best news is that you can save your frying oil after use! If you take the time to filter your used oil, it will be good to reuse. Use a coffee filter-lined funnel to filter your oil into a glass jar. Alternatively, you can use a funnel with a built-in strainer like this. We keep our used oil in jars in the fridge for use in whatever kitchen meals we’re cooking up.
Supplies
Deep Skillet or Dutch Oven for frying in
Mandoline (optional) for slicing your potatoes, or you can use a sharp knife
Slotted Spoon or Spider Strainer for placement and removal of fries into and from the hot oil
Candy Thermometer or Instant-Read Thermometer to gauge the temperature of your oil
Paper Towels for draining your cooked french fries
Choosing Your Potatoes
When choosing your potatoes for frying, you want to stick to those with a higher starch content and lower moisture content like classic russet potatoes, Idaho potatoes, or sweet potatoes. Yukon gold potatoes have a slightly lower starch content, but can still make good french fries. Avoid waxy potatoes like red, new, or fingerling potatoes.
Use fresh, firm potatoes without signs of sprouting for the best results. You can choose whether or not to peel your potatoes before slicing, but I love the flavor, texture, and look of my fries with the skin left on.
Double Frying
I’ve tried to fry with precision in just one round, but I’ve always come out with the best results from double frying. It’s the technique most restaurants use, and it helps keep your fries softer on the inside and crispy on the outside.
The first fry at a lower temperature of 300 degrees F will cook the potatoes partially through, and the second fry at a higher temperature of 400 degrees F will finish the cook and crisp up the outside.
How To Make French Fries
- Cut. Slice your scrubbed potatoes ¼-½ inch thick based on your preference. You can use a mandoline or a knife for this. I often just use a knife! With the mandoline, cut your potato in half lengthwise and run it through the device cut side down on a julienne setting. With a knife, cut your potato into slices lengthwise, separate it into 2 halves with the cut sides down, and then cut those slices to the desired width. If I’m using large potatoes, I’ll cut them in half widthwise.
- Soak. Soak your potatoes in a bowl of ice water for at least an hour or up to overnight. Place them in the fridge if you’re doing a longer soak. A longer soak will help facilitate a crispier fry, so start them early if you have the time.
- Prep Oil. Place your oil into a deep skillet or Dutch oven so there is at least 2 inches of oil. Heat it over medium-high heat until it reaches 300 degrees F.
- Rinse & Dry. Meanwhile, drain your fries in a large strainer and rinse them with cold water until the water runs clear. Place them on a towel or paper towel-lined baking tray and pat them dry with another towel or more paper towels.
- First Fry. In small batches, place your fries in the heated oil using your slotted or spider spoon. Cook them for 5-7 minutes, where they will be partially cooked, but still pale and soft. Remove them with your spoon to drain on a paper towel-lined baking tray.
- Second Fry. Once all of your fries are fried at 300 degrees F, bring your oil up to 400 degrees F. In small batches once again, use your slotted or spider spoon to lower your fries into the hot oil. Cook them until golden- about 6 minutes. Remove them with your spoon to drain on a paper towel-lined baking tray. Sprinkle them with salt while they are still warm.
- Enjoy. These are best enjoyed warm and crisp!
- Freeze. You won’t regret making a large batch and freezing some for later. You can flash freeze the fries in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined tray for about 1 hour and then place them in ziplock bags in the freezer. These store well for at least 6 months.
Reheating
If you’re reheating your fries from refrigeration, place them in the oven at 425 degrees F for around 10 minutes or until warm and crisp.
If you’re reheating your fries from the freezer, place them in the oven at 425 degrees F for around 15 minutes or until warm and crisp.
Baking or Using An Air Fryer
If you’d rather not use the frying method, you have the option to bake these in the oven or cook them in an air fryer.
For the oven, still use the same cutting, soaking, and drying instructions. Place them in a large bowl, drizzle them with olive oil, sprinkle them with salt, toss the potatoes to coat them, and spread them in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined baking tray. Cook them at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes and then increase the temperature to 425 degrees F for another 15-20 minutes.
For the air fryer, still use the same cutting, soaking, and drying instructions. Place them in a large bowl, drizzle them with olive oil, sprinkle them with salt, toss the potatoes to coat them, and place them in batches in a single layer in the air fryer. Cook them at 375 degrees F for 14 minutes or until golden brown.
Homemade Ketchup
There’s nothing like eating homemade french fries dipped in a warmly spiced homemade ketchup. The great thing about our ketchup recipe is that you can use the water bath canning method to make a large batch to have jars of it on hand for occasions like this. Check out our recipe here.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
It’s a matter of personal preference. You might prefer to peel the potatoes for a more uniform appearance or you might enjoy the texture and flavor of an unpeeled french fry. If you choose to leave the skin on, make sure your potatoes are scrubbed well.
No! We’ve always used our Dutch oven with great success. Just make sure there is enough oil to fully submerge the fries and maintain a consistent temperature.
Yes, and this is how restaurants do it. You can partially fry the French fries until they’re just starting to turn golden brown, then let them cool completely before freezing. When you’re ready to serve, fry them again until they’re golden brown and crispy.
While you finish frying all the batches, you can spread the finished fries out on a baking sheet and place that baking sheet in an oven set to a low heat of around 200 degrees F. This will help remove excess moisture and keep them warm and crisp until they’re ready to be served.
More On Frying
Frying won’t be an everyday event in your home, but when you do it, do it right!
Homemade French Fries
Equipment
- deep skillet or dutch oven
- Slotted or spider spoon
- candy thermometer or instant-read thermometer
Ingredients
- 4 russet potatoes about 2lb
- 2 qt beef tallow or other frying oil
- salt
Instructions
- If you aren't peeling your potatoes, give them a good scrub.
- Slice your scrubbed potatoes ¼-½ inch thick based on your preference. You can use a mandoline or a knife for this.
- Soak your sliced potatoes in a bowl of ice water for at least an hour or up to overnight. Place them in the fridge if you’re doing a longer soak. A longer soak will help facilitate a crispier fry.
- Place your oil into a deep skillet or Dutch oven. Make sure there is at least 2 inches of oil for the fries to cook in- adding more if necessary. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 300 ℉.
- In small batches, place your fries in the heated oil using your slotted or spider spoon. Cook them for 5-7 minutes, when they will be partially cooked, but still pale and soft. Remove them with your spoon to drain on a paper towel-lined baking tray. Make sure the oil has returned to 300 ℉ before continuing with your batches.
- Once all of your fries are fried at 300 ℉, bring your oil up to 400 ℉. In small batches once again, use your slotted or spider spoon to lower your fries into the hot oil. Cook them until golden- about 6 minutes.
- Remove the fires from the hot oil with your spoon to drain on a paper towel-lined baking tray. Make sure the oil has returned to 400 ℉ before continuing with your batches. Sprinkle the finished fries with salt while they are still warm.
- Enjoy them warm & crisp or allow them to cool before storing them in the freezer*.
Notes
- *For freezing, it works well to flash freeze the cooled fries in a single layer on a parchment paper-lined tray before portioning them into bags or combining them all in one large one.
- To keep the fries crisp while frying all the batches, stick them on a parchment paper-lined baking tray in an oven set to a low setting of around 200 degrees F.
Leave a Reply