Good french fries are something I think most people take for granted. You can get them as a side or appetizer at nearly every restaurant, most fast food joints, and you can always find them in the freezer section at the store.
Let me tell you, I am super picky when it comes to french fries. Never settle for a bad fry!
Making Fries From Scratch is Always a Good Idea
There are a number of recipes I believe people should learn to make at home. In our house, french fries are one of those recipes, and we swear by J. Kenji López-Alt’s Perfect Thin and Crispy French Fries. Why? Well, they’re perfectly crispy, never hollow, and you can double the amount to stash the extra fries in the freezer until the next time you’re making a fancy splurge meal. Steak frites on a whim? Burger with fries? Making mussels? If you’re at my house, you bet!
Is Kenji’s recipe the only one we’ve ever made? Nope! But it was one of the first recipes we tried when we bought The Food Lab and we’ve never looked back.
Do Your Homework Kids
There are a lot of reasons why this recipe works and comes so highly recommended, but you’ll have to go on over to Serious Eats to find the recipe and science behind it.
What I can tell you is that the recipe has several easy, but very important, steps. You will also require and benefit from possessing a mandoline, wok or dutch oven, multiple half sheet baking trays, a wire rack, and a spider skimmer.
If you don’t think you have just over an hour of time to dedicate to recreating the perfect fries at home and you’re reading this, I don’t know how you made it this far. If you do, prepare to amaze your family and friends with your kitchen prowess.
The other half is usually in charge of making fries in our home, and he follows the recipe exactly, save for cutting his fries slightly thicker with the mandoline if he’s being a bit lazy about it. We typically double the recipe because if you’re already going to the effort, you might as well reap the reward of putting in an extra half hour’s time.
I like mine sprinkled with salt and a crack of fresh ground pepper. Side of ketchup, never optional. You?
Find the original recipe on Serious Eats: Perfect Thin and Crispy French Fries