What are double-fried french fries?
Double-fried french fries are also known as twice-fried french fries. They’re cooked a first time at a lower temperature. This is called blanching. And then they’re cooked a second time at a higher temperature. It’s a little extra work, but so worth it!
Is blanching needed to make good french fries?
Definitely not. Most people at home and even many restaurants will only cook fries once, at one temperature, to save time. Typically they’re cooked for around 5 minutes at 355 ºF (give or take). We do recommend that you take the extra step to blanche. You won’t regret it! It’s what takes your fries from good to great!
Deep fryer or no deep fryer
Using a deep fryer make things easier, especially for double-fried french fries. Deep fryers usually make temperature control easier and come with a basket that allows you to drain the fries as they’re coming out.
Having said that, you can also cook fries in a heavy pot, such as a dutch oven. Make sure you’re using a quick-read thermometer because it’s important to cook fries at a consistent temperature. If the oil’s too cold, the fries will come out soggy. If the oil’s too hot, they might come out burnt.
For this recipe we used our trusty Smart Fryer by Breville. Like the name says, this is a very smart unit. It automatically adjusts temperatures when you remove or add fries. The fryer also has a digital display with presets, including one for double frying, that helps take the guesswork out of frying most common foods. Yes, it’s very smart!
Soaking the cut potatoes before frying
This is a step you really don’t want to miss. After cutting the potatoes, you need to soak them to remove the starch. This keeps the potatoes from sticking to each other while cooking and also helps make them crispier.
If you’re in a real time crunch, at the very least, rinse them under cold water and dry them before frying.
Game changing french fries
If you have the time, we really do encourage you to try this technique for cooking fries. These are like the best pub fries you’ve ever eaten.
Take your homemade fries to another level and make today yummy!
Homemade double-fried french fries
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs or 1 kg russet potatoes skin on and washed
- 4 qt or 3.79 litres vegetable or canola oil
- 1/4 tsp finishing salt or 1/8 tsp fine salt
Instructions
- Heat the oil in your deep fryer, dutch oven or heavy pot to 265 ºF.
- If you don’t have a deep fryer with a thermometer, we recommend you use an external thermometer to ensure temperature accuracy.
- Cut your potatoes length-wise into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick fry strips.
- Place the cut potatoes in a bowl with cold water and soak for at least 20 minutes or more to remove the starch.
- Discard the water and place the cut potatoes on a cloth or paper towels and pat them down dry.
- The first step is to blanch the potatoes. This means cooking them half way at a lower low temperature.
- Carefully place 1/2 the dry cut potatoes into the hot oil, directly or using the fry basket. (avoid overcrowding the basket)
- Cook for 4 minutes and remove them from the oil using the basket or a slotted spoon.
- Carefully shake some of the excess grease over the fryer and place the blanched fries in a paper towel-lined bowl.
- Make sure the temperature is back up to 265 ºF and carefully place the remaining dry cut potatoes into the hot oil and cook for 4 minutes.
- Carefully shake some of the excess grease over the fryer and place the remaining blanched fries in the same paper towel-lined bowl.
- Raise the temperature of the oil to 355 ºF. Once again, use an external thermometer if needed.
- Place half the blanched potatoes back in the oil and fry them for 3 minutes.
- Remove the cooked fries and place them in another bowl with new paper towels to soak the extra grease.
- Make sure the temprature is back up 355 ºF and cook the remaining fries for 3 minutes, and place them on the same paper towel-lined bowl.
- Transfer the fries to a serving tray/dish and sprinkle the finishing or flaked salt evenly over all the fries.
Notes
- Soak the cut potatoes to remove starch. This helps avoid them sticking to each other while frying.
- Measure the temperature before adding potatoes each time.
- If the oil is too hot, the fries may burn before they’re properly cooked.
- Times may vary slightly depending on how thick you cut your fries.
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